Dharamshala — Tibetan Youth Congress organised a peace march titled the "Black Hat March," setting out from Dharamsala, with the participation of 65 Tibetan activists. They call upon the Chinese government to put an end to the policies of forced assimilation in Tibet, carried out under the "Law on Ethnic Unity." They also denounce the government's ongoing repression of Tibetan identity, culture, and language, as well as the systematic destruction of Tibet's environment and heritage.
The Tibetan Youth Congress (TYC) organised the peace march to raise global awareness on Tibet and to oppose the ongoing genocide in Tibet. The march began on March 31, 2026, at Lhagyal Ri in Dharamsala, to commemorate the day when His Holiness the Dalai Lama, accompanied by the Tibetan Cabinet and nearly 80,000 Tibetans, stepped onto Indian soil in exile in 1959; it will conclude in New Delhi on April 25, 2026, to mark the birthday of Tibet’s "Stolen Child," the 11th Panchen Lama, who was abducted at the age of just six and whose whereabouts remain unknown to this day.
The Black Hats March puts forward three demands: "Cease forced assimilation, repeal the 'Ethnic Unity Law' and break the silence; release the Panchen Lama as well as all Tibetan political prisoners; and—Tibet is not a resource colony—put an end to ecocide in Tibet."
The TYC organised an event to launch the "Black Hat March" on March 31, 2026, at Lhagyal Ri in Dharamsala. The guest of honor was Gari Dolma, Kalon (Minister) of the Department of Security of the Central Tibetan Administration; special guests included Shri Ajit Nehria, President of the Indo-Tibetan Friendship Association; Shashwat Kapoor, State General Secretary for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP); as well as Tenzin Jigme and Lhagyari Namgyal Dolkar, members of the Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile.
Tenzin Lobsang, General Secretary of TYC read out the Black Hat March statement, he read,"The Black Hat March is a protest against the unlawful and forced military annexation of Tibet, beginning with China's illegal invasion in 1949, the forcible imposition of the so-called "Seventeen Point Agreement" under military intimidation in 1951, and the complete occupation of Tibet by 1959 From that time onwards, the Chinese Communist government has systematically eradicated Tibet's language, script, religion, culture and natural environment, all of which stand as living testimonials of Tibet's independence and sovereignty. Over one million Tibetans have been arbitrarily arrested, imprisoned and massacred under politically fabricated charges, while forced assimilation has been aggressively pursued through China's relentless sinicisation policy. The recent passing of the so-called "Law on Promoting Ethnic Unity and Progress" represents yet another calculated attempt to accelerate the sinicisation and eradication of Tibetan identity. The Black Hat March from Dharamshala to United Nation office, Delhi stands as a powerful act of resistance against these grave injustices inflicted upon the Tibetan people."
"Historically, Tibet was a powerful empire and a deeply religious nation that wielded vast influence across Asia during its imperial dynasties. With over a several thousand years of history, Tibet possesses its own distinct language, script, religion, culture and traditional way of life, and is endowed with abundant natural resources including gold, silver, copper, iron, dense forests and rich water sources. The Tibetan people, descended from the six original ancestral clans, are a distinct race from the Chinese," the statement explained.
It added by saying, "However, since China's forced and illegal occupation of Tibet in 1959, over one million Tibetans have been massacred and countless others subjected to relentless persecution. Under successive Communist dictators, through ideologies such as the "Three Represents" and Xi Jinping's "New Era of Han-centric Nation Building," Tibet's natural environment has been destroyed, while Tibetans are denied even the most basic freedom to live, subjected to boundless suffering, torture and exploitation."
"Occupied Tibet today remains under the illegal occupation of the So-Called People's republic of China. Tibet has never been a part of China nor the so-called "Zhonghua race" and has always been a completely independent and sovereign nation. Moreover, the Tibetan Exile Government in democratic India is a continuation of independent Tibet's governing system from the time of the imperial dynasty and a legitimate upholder of Tibet's Self Governance," he declared.
Tsering Choephel, President of TYC said, "Under the false pretext of "social stability," the Chinese Communist government systematically deprives Tibetans of their fundamental freedoms, including freedom of movement, religious belief, freedom of expression, and the basic right to learn, use and preserve their own language and cultural identity. Through deceit and malicious schemes, they have fabricated false charges against countless innocent Tibetans, including all past and present political prisoners, most notably His Holiness the 11th Panchen Lama, Gedhun Choekyi Nyima. Like placing a 'black hat on a white person,' they have arbitrarily arrested, imprisoned, tortured and killed innocent Tibetans, a grave injustice that continues to this day."
"Tibetan children as young as three years old are forcibly separated from their families and enrolled in Chinese state-run colonial boarding schools where Communist ideology is aggressively instilled. Consequently, these children are unable to speak their own language and cannot even pronounce their own names. Through countless direct and indirect means, everything Tibetan is being systematically sinicised, driving the situation to an extremely critical and alarming state," he mentioned.
The President of TYC declared, "The Tibetan Youth Congress unequivocally condemns and opposes the recent passing of the so-called "Law on Promoting Ethnic Unity and Progress" at the so-called Chinese National People's Congress on March 12, 2026 which effectively imposes a legislation forcing sinicisation upon the Tibetan people. The law, consisting of seven chapters and 65 articles, is in reality a calculated instrument of forced assimilation and cultural erasure. In short, it systematically strips Chinese occupied nations and peoples living under Chinese occupation of their fundamental freedoms."
"Especially Article 64 which states that "The people's congresses of provinces, autonomous regions, directly controlled municipalities, districts, cities and autonomous prefectures, and their standing committees, may, in light of local actual conditions, formulate local regulations to promote ethnic unity and progress." This blatantly grants local authorities the power to implement laws that are more stringent and oppressive than the already forcibly imposed law, tailored to suppress specific regions and peoples. This is an extremely malicious and brutal course of action. Therefore, to encounter the oppressor initiative of "the fourth week of September each year is designated as National Unity and Progress Publicity Week" ", the Tibetan Government in Exile recognized the fourth week of September as "Conduct various activities to protect the identity of the Tibetan people". The Tibetan Youth Congress hereby declares that the same week shall be officially observed as the 'Week of Tibetan race Genocide, : marking the week during which the Chinese Communist government has systematically sought to erase the identity and existence of the Tibetan people," he added.
"The Tibetan Youth Congress firmly reiterates that until Tibet's independence is reinstated, we will continue to expose the injustices committed by the Chinese Communist government on the international stage and will never cease to confront and oppose them with even greater strength and on a broader scale than before. As the Tibetan struggle is primarily a responsibility that must be shouldered by Tibetans themselves, we strongly urge all Tibetans in exile to unite as one, keeping in mind the hopes and aspirations of Tibetans inside Tibet, both living and deceased, and carry out the freedom struggle with even greater force and determination. We further call upon all Tibetans to preserve, promote and propagate Tibet's language, script, religion, culture and traditional customs with great pride, recognising it as their inherent right and responsibility," the President said.
"We express our sincere gratitude to the Government and people of India for their longstanding and unwavering support for Tibetans in exile. We likewise extend our deep appreciation to the United States, international governments and organisations for their genuine and continued engagement and support for the Tibetan cause. We earnestly urge all to continue their steadfast support until truth and justice for Tibet is fully achieved," TYC President concluded.
Shri Ajit Nehria and Shri Shashwat Kapoor also spoke at the event; they expressed their support for the Tibetan cause, as well as their solidarity with the Tibetans fighting for their freedom, convinced that Tibet will be free one day.
Kalon Gari Dolma stated that this event was taking place in a unique place, a venue whose walls are adorned with photographs of more than 160 Tibetans who have self-immolated, who sacrificed their lives for the Tibetan cause and freedom for Tibet and for the return of His Holiness the Dalai Lama to Tibet. She reminded the assembly of the sacrifice of Pawo Thupten Ngodup, which occurred on April 29, 1998—an act she herself witnessed. Although this was a tragic event, the Tibetan cause must be continued from generation to generation until Tibet attains freedom; in this way, the sacrifices of Tibetan heroes and heroines will not have been in vain.
When the "Black Hat March" arrived at Gangkyi—the seat of the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA)—Sikyong Penpa Tsering flag off the march. Subsequently addressing the media, Sikyong Penpa Tsering stated that the Chinese government is seeking to eradicate Tibetan language, culture, religion, and identity through new legislation: the so-called "Law on Promoting Ethnic Unity and Progress"." The objective of this peaceful march is to oppose and protest against this law. It is essential to raise international awareness regarding the repressive policies that the Chinese government is implementing in Tibet—specifically the eradication of Tibetan language, culture, religion, and identity, as well as the destruction of the Tibetan environment.
