Mural marks anniversary of Tibetan fight

Published on Friday 6 March 2009 09:16

A NEW mural marking 50 years of Tibetan resistance to Chinese rule will be unveiled tomorrow outside St John's Church in Princes Street.

It shows a Tibetan monk being shot for calling for a "Free Tibet". Last year, a similar mural depicting a monk standing up to Chinese tanks in Tiananmen Square was defaced with a spray can.

MSPs, Tibetans and campaigners are expected to attend the unveiling ceremony at the West End church, which has a long tradition of controversial murals.

The painting marks the 50th anniversary of Tibet's spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, being forced into exile and the first anniversary of the unrest and crackdown in Tibet in March last year.

Among those present will be Iain Thom, an Edinburgh member of Students for a Free Tibet, who hit the headlines before the Beijing Olympics by scaling a floodlight outside the Bird's Nest stadium and unfurling a pro-Tibet banner.

He said: "We want our politicians to take a stand and call on the Chinese government to stop the violence against peaceful protest and allow an independent UN delegation into Tibet."