May 17

May 17 Free Tibet

Chicago, Demonstrations, Performance, Protest, Public Declarations

Members of Chicago’s Tibetan Community are not nearly as visible as the members of Chicago’s Ukrainian, Russian, and Palestinians Communities when it comes to staging demonstrations. I’ve encountered Tibetans in the streets once or twice. This morning the community held a rally across the street from the Offices of the Chinese Consulate General, which is located at 100 West Erie Street. The 40 or so demonstrators were focused on two pressing issues.

First, the demonstrators demanded that Chinese President Xi Jinping recognize Tibet as a separate political entity/country. Currently, the government of Tibet is in exile, with its President Penpa Tsering residing in Dharamshala, India, which is also where the 14th Dalai Lama (Tenzin Gyatso) resides.

In 1913, the 13th Dalai Lama proclaimed Tibet to be an independent nation. The People’s Republic of China invaded Tibet in 1950, seeking to bring Tibet under the Chinese umbrella. While China promised that it would respect Tibetan culture and its form of Buddhism, by 1959, the Tibetans realized that China had not honored its promises. Consequently, hundreds of thousands of Tibetans rose up, staging a rebellion, which the Chinese quickly put down. The 14th Dalai Lama was then forced into exile, fleeing Tibet dressed as a soldier. His journey to asylum took the Dalai Lama over the Himalayas on foot. Tibetan legend holds that the Dalai Lama was protected during his two-week journey from aerial bombardment by the Chinese government by Buddhist monks who conjured clouds and mist.

Since 1959, the Chinese government has pursued Sinicization, a process designed to deny the existence of a separate Tibetan identify by replacing Tibetan cultural and religious practices with Chinese ones. In 2023, Tibetan President Tsering said “[that the Chinese were] forging a strong sense of the Chinese national as one single community, promoting the Chinese language, the Sinicization of Tibetan Buddhism and developing socialist values.” Tsering went on to say, “Such infliction of suffering and oppression on the Tibetan people by the Chinese Communist Party authorities is unparalleled and unprecedented.“ Sound familiar? Russian President Vladimir Putin is currently following in China’s well-trodden pathway as he attempts to erase the Ukrainian national identify through conquest and war crimes.

In trying to erase Tibet’s religious and cultural identity, the Chinese government characterized the 14th Dalai Lama as separatist. He, however, claims that he is only seeking cultural autonomy for Tibet’s distinct form of Buddhism.

Second, the demonstrators were demanding the release of the Panchen Lama, who was kidnapped 30 years ago on May 17, 1995, by the Chinese government. Neither the Panchen Lama, nor his family has been seen since. Three days before the kidnapping, the then 6-year-old boy named Gedhun Choekyi Nyima had been recognized by the 14th (and current) Dalai Lama as the Panchen Lama. The Panchen Lama is responsible for finding the incarnation of the Dalai Lama, so when the current 89-year-old Dalai Lama dies, the Panchen Lama will effectively announce his successor.

Immediately after Gedhun Choekyi Nyima’s kidnapping, the Chinese government named Gyancain Norbu as the substitute Panchen Lama. When the 14th Dalai Lama dies, the substitute Panchen Lama will announce his replacement. In other words, the Chinese government now controls who will be the 14th Dalai Lama’s successor, which means that in all likelihood the Chinese will appoint a puppet Dalai Lama who is receptive to the further Sinicization of Tibetan Buddhism.

Today’s demonstration should come as no surprise. It occurs on the 30th anniversary of the Panchen Lama’s 1995 kidnapping. Unlike the demonstrations held by Chicago’s Ukrainian, Russian, and Palestinian Communities, the Tibetan Community’s demonstration was a more subdued. Several people spoke as others stood across from the Offices of the Chinese Consulate General, with a red-brick wall serving as a backdrop.

After a 15-minute interlude following the speeches, the group marched north on LaSalle, and then turned west on Oak Street. They were headed to the Walter Payton College Preparatory High School, where they stood on the sidewalk in front of the school’s main entrance listening to more speeches. I was very confused. What the heck did this high school do to offend the Tibetans? It turns out the Confucius Institute of Chicago is located within the high school’s facilities.

There were other Confucius Institutes located around country associated with colleges and presumably other high schools. Funded in part by the Chinese government, the institutes offered instruction in the Chinese language, as well as cultural programming.

According to the Governmental Accounting Office, researchers and others became concerned about these institutes because of the Chinese government’s involvement. In 2018, Congress restricted federal funding to schools hosting Confucius institutes. As a result, many closed, but not Peyton’s. The Tibetan demonstrators apparently decided that this institute is a propaganda arm of the Chinese government, thereby warranting today’s gathering outside the high school.

After 20 minutes, the group headed back to the Offices of the Chinese Consulate General. Midway during the return trip, I headed south to cover another demonstration.

Overall, today’s demonstration was an interesting one. While I was aware of the “Free Tibet” movement, I had little knowledge regarding the particulars. I do offer Chicago’s Tibetan Community one suggestion. Next time, head to Jane Byrne Plaza or the Wrigley Building Plaza, and then march along Michigan Avenue. While the Offices of the Chinese Consulate General and the Confucius Institute have great symbolic value, these locations don’t receive much pedestrian or vehicular traffic. Demonstrating outside these buildings will not change the minds of anyone inside. But taking to Michigan Avenue will give you important visibility among the general public.

[Postscript: On May 18, 2025, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio noted the 30th anniversary of the disappearance of the Panchen Lama. Rubio demanded that the Chinese authorities release the Panchen Lama and stop persecuting Tibetans for their religious beliefs.]

[Click on an Image to Enlarge It. The Images Are Not Necessarily in Exact Chronological Order]