Students protest Dalai Lama’s visit outside of SU student center
By Jessica Iannetta October 9, 2012
Protesters gathered outside the Schine Student Center on Monday to protest the Dalai Lama’s visit to Syracuse University.
The handful of students assembled to speak out against the Dalai Lama’s role regarding the current violence in Tibet, as well as his support for the country’s independence from China, said Yuming Huang, a senior public relations, economics and policy studies major.
Huang stood draped in the Chinese flag surrounded by various signs that read “Stop media distortion,” “Da-Liar: Your smiles charm but your actions harm” and “Violence ¹ Peace,” in both English and Chinese.
“These students need to hear about different messages,” Huang said. “The Chinese government has limited power to say it.”
Guoliang Fu, another protester, stood next to Huang holding a pad of paper, which passers-by signed to show their support for the protest. As of 3:30 p.m., the paper had more than 200 signatures, he said.
The protesters have yet to decide what they will do with the signatures, said Fu, a junior information and technology major.
One of the main reasons for the protest was the Dalai Lama’s continued support of Tibet’s independence, Huang said.
The Dalai Lama, the temporal head of Tibetan Buddhists, was made head of state at age 15 in 1950, the same year that Chinese troops occupied Tibet.
The Dalai Lama attempted to negotiate for a self-ruled Tibet, but ultimately failed. After an unsuccessful uprising against the Chinese, the Dalai Lama fled Tibet in 1959 for exile in India.
In general, Tibet has been better off under China’s rule, Huang said. Both the country’s life expectancy and economy has improved since 1950.
The protesters arrived on campus at 9 a.m. and received permission from the Department of Public Safety to protest at 10 a.m. They planned to protest until the second symposium panel ended at 4:30 p.m., Huang said.
John Sardino, DPS associate chief, said the protesters sent an email to DPS asking about the protest policy and for advice on how to proceed. DPS then met with the protesters to discuss location and time, and make sure everyone was “on the same page,” Sardino said.
Sardino said protests are frequently handled this way and that when groups reach out to DPS, it allows the department to plan and make sure the protesters are in an accessible and visible spot.
The Dalai Lama came to campus as part of the “Common Ground for Peace” symposium, a two-day event during which the Dalai Lama and more than 20 musical artists will engage the Syracuse community on shifting global consciousness toward peace.
Although the Dalai Lama is speaking about peace, Fu said the Dalai Lama’s actions are not peaceful. He pointed to the March 14, 2008 riots in Tibet, organized by the Dalai Lama, as an example.
Said Fu: “We want to make all people realize that chaos is not the way to peace.”
