SFT UK understands that we’re stronger united; its a notion which the Chinese Communist Party doesn’t understand- that people from different backgrounds and with different causes can have common goals.
We often work in tandem with other groups who represent people who suffer due to the Chinese state’s occupation, oppression or careless political and economic policies. We network with groups who share our non-violent approach and who are also looking for freedom from Chinese state controls.
Tibet support groups
SFT UK works closely with other Tibet support groups in the UK, pooling our resources, skills and time to make the voices of Tibetans in Tibet heard. Different groups specialise in different areas, and have both different outreach and different solutions to the situation in Tibet, but we are all representing the Tibetan people in non-violent ways.
A great example of how networking with other Tibet groups works is the Enough! campaign, launched in November 2011 to demand multi-lateral action from world leaders to address the crisis in Tibet after a spate of self-immolations. The Chinese government likes to play divide and conquor in political circles, and can easily counter criticism of its human rights abuses when only dealing with one country, but by co-ordinating activities through the International Tibet Network, the Enough! campaign gained tens of thousands of petition signatories, hundreds of thousands working with Avaaz and promoted debates in parliaments and encouraging statements of support for multilateral action from governments across the world. It shows how simple networking can strengthen the hand of Tibet groups and build the political will which is needed for democratic governments to encourage China to respect rights and freedoms.
Video at the launch of the Enough! campaign
CUTS-UK
We are also part of a coalition of Chinese, Uyghur and Tibetan groups who mark events which are significant to other member groups such as the anniversary of the Tiananmen Square massacre and crackdowns on Uyghurs in occupied East Turkestan. Though we represent different causes, the oppression which the Chinese regime inflicts on the people we represent is similar.
One Struggle
One Struggle is a networking campaign which brings together not only Chinese, Uyghur and Tibetan groups but other groups who suffer as a result of Chinese occupation, repression or China’s support of oppressive regimes. So far, One Struggle covers Tibet, China, East Turkestan, Innter Mongolia, Falun Gong, Burma, North Korea, Zimbabwe, Sudan and Taiwan. The campaign involves building connections between these groups and celebrating the culture of these causes through music, sporting events and the arts.
Read more on the One Struggle minisite.
Grassroots networking
Grassroots represents the backbone of SFT UK’s work. We have strong student roots and are constantly on the look-out for students who wish to start a local SFT UK chapter in their university, college, sixth form or school. We provide campaigning packs and annual weekend training workshops as part of SFT UK’s yearly conference, where students can meet with others from across the country and learn about Tibet, human rights and non-violent direct action.
SFT UK’s 2010 conference at the University of Essex
SFT UK can also provide speakers to come to universitites, colleges and schools, and are keen to continue building relationships with students when they leave education, or indeed with people who’ve left education years ago and want to start a local group! It’s also a great way to get involved more in the campaign- most of our board members formerlly ran university chapters! Read more in the Start a Group section
Activist training
The other main focus area of SFT’s work is in training members of the Tibetan community, especially young Tibetans, about how to take non-violent direct action for Tibet. We train people on human rights, on how to get involved politically, including staging an annual mass lobby of UK parliament, on how to network with others and on getting out and making a stand for Tibet to amplify this peaceful freedom movement for years to come. As more and more younger Tibetans are getting politically active in clever, innovative and daring ways inside Tibet, we’re sharing tactics with members of the Tibetan exile community and helping build the next generation of Tibetan leaders. It’s they who will be leading this movement in the future, all the way to an independent Tibet!
For more information about any of the above, and to talk to us about starting a group, please email us at info@sftuk.org
Other networking
SFT UK also reaches out to other groups which have expertise in fields on which we campaign, and is a member of Stop Climate Coalition. We are keen to work with environmental and human rights groups to further the cause. We are also increasingly using the renaissance in art, music and culture in Tibet to reach out to artists, musicians, poets, writers and neiche groups who respect Tibet’s rich and influentual culture and want to help us protect it from suppressive Chinese state policies.
SFT UK is run by volunteers who use our own resources. You can help us grow by becoming an SFT UK Guardian for a political prisoner of your choice and help us campaign not just now but all year, every year until Tibet is free.
