Zurich: Over 350 people took part in a peaceful demonstration outside of the Chinese consulate in Zurich yesterday (26th October). The protest of solidarity in the Swiss capital was sparked by recent educational reforms in Amdo Province requiring all subjects to be taught in Mandarin.The large crowd of Tibetans and Tibet supporters marched from the Tessinerplatz to the Chinese consulate calling for the authorities to respect the freedom of language. In protest of the forced language reforms the protesters marched silently, holding banners and Tibetan flags. They also shouted in sign language and many attendees covered their mouths with mask, also to draw attention to the measures the Chinese government is taking to erode Tibetan culture and silence their language.
The demonstration was organized by the Tibetan Youth association in Europe (TYAE), Swiss Tibetan friendship association (STFA) and the Tibetan Woman's organization in Switzerland (TWOS) and held under the slogan 'Equality of People, Freedom of Language'. The goal of the protest was to show their support for the Tibetans in Tibet as well as to show solidarity with their co-citizen. A banner with the aforementioned slogan was created and signed by many of the demonstrators. At the end of the event, two representatives of the Tibetan Youth Association in Europe handed the banner to the Chinese consulate.
