Dharamshala - Upon a three day visit to Great Britain to discuss trade and business, Chinese Premier Wen Jiabo received a wakeup call from pro-Tibet demonstrators, organised by the coalition of UK Tibetans and Tibet support groups, who peacefully protested for human rights in Tibet.
Banners reading ‘Tibet will be Free' and: "Cameron and Wen - Human rights before trade," were some of the slogans met by the Chinese delegation upon their arrival in London over recent hours.
Sunday the 26th of July saw protestors outside the Chinese leaders' hotel in Knightsbridge. Jiabo and his delegation were greeted with peaceful human-rights demonstrations as they arrived, howver no comment was made on the protest.
Around forty activists chanted "Shame on China". Banners held aloft read "Tibet will be free".
Downing Street stated that it 'regards freedom of speech and the rule of law as essential to the long-term prosperity and stability of the world's fastest growing major economy'.
The Chinese delegation is expected to discuss monetary bailout issues for Britain, and to open new trade deals between the two nations.
Protests were also witnessed in Birmingham, a huge manufacturing region for trade links, and at Stratford Upon Avon, which Jiabo visited to see the historic birthplace of William Shakespeare. During a photo-shoot for the visiting delegation, protesters flags could be seen in the background, raising awareness for the human rights issue in Tibet.
In a statement on their website, Students for a Free Tibet stated:
"Wherever he travels, Wen Jiabao knows the Tibet issue will follow him, and David Cameron and the UK government must also know that they must put human rights before trade".
Protests are planned to follow the Premier on his itinerary to Downing Street and the Royal Society.
