Members of Ireland's Tibetan community gathered at the GPO in Dublin on Friday 10 March for a vigil to mark both the 58th anniversary of the Tibetan national uprising of 1959 and the ninth anniversary of the 2008 uprising against China. The annual protests draw Tibetans and supporters of many different nationalities to show solidarity with their movement against Chinese occupation of what they assert as independent Tibetan territory. Chairwoman of the protest, Murphy Tsering, called on Ireland to publicly support Tibet and broker peace talks with China, citing Ireland’s history of being the first country to support Tibet after the 1959 uprising that led to the deaths of 87,000 people.

Since February 2009, over 140 Tibetans have self-immolated to protest for freedom in Tibet, and more than 100 have died from their burns. Such extreme action characterizes Tibet’s peaceful nature, says Murphy Tsering, chairwoman of the Tibetan Community in Ireland, who adds that it is “self-inflicting and does not harm others”.

In the last four years since Xi Jinping became president, China’s authoritarian communist state has reasserted its mandate in Tibet with policies that have been widely described as ‘oppressive’ - such as allegations of lethal force against peaceful protesters, and human rights abuses against their families and friends. There have also been claims of ‘collective punishment’ against whole communities over civil unrest.

This past December, the European Union passed a resolution against China over its demolition of parts of the 10,000-strong religious community at the Larung Gar Buddhist Academy, alleged to be part of a systematic campaign against the Tibetan people, of whom it is claimed many are coerced into self-censorship or restricted in their movements by foreign travel bans. China’s exploitation of Tibet’s natural resources has also been raised by the Himalayan country’s foreign supporters, who claim that uranium mining is conducted with little concern for the health and wellbeing of workers or locals. It has also been claimed that at least three nuclear missile sites are stationed in Tibet, and this number will only increase as China upgrades its nuclear capabilities, according to a Tibetan support group in London.

Many in Tibet tell friends abroad they are struggling to leave “a hell like-situation,” says Norbu Tsering, a spokesperson for the Tibetan Community in Ireland. But the Tibetan resistance remains strong. Lhakar, or ‘White Wednesday,’ is a homegrown movement that started after the 2008 uprising, in which Tibetans embrace the resistance movement by promoting Tibetan nationalism.