THE Red Army will perform at the Edinburgh Military Tattoo for the first time, it was announced today.
A 50-strong Chinese military band will accompany a dance troupe from Beijing at the event this August. A spokesman for the Tattoo said they were delighted that the “enchanting world of Chinese contemporary dance” would be part of the festivities.
But supporters of the campaign to free Tibet, which has been occupied by China since 1950, said they were horrified by the invitation.
Mike Pringle, Liberal Democrat MSP for Edinburgh South, said: “The human rights record of the Chinese government is one of the worst in the world. I don’t believe we should be inviting representatives of the Chinese government.”
And Anne Callaghan, campaigns manager of the Free Tibet Campaign, said: “We are completely outraged by this news. It’s the 15th anniversary of Tiananmen Square in June, so to invite the People’s Liberation Army seems a very wrong message to be sending to the Chinese authorities.”
She promised protests if the visit went ahead. Record numbers of people have already secured their seats for the Tattoo with more than 149,000 tickets booked since the box office opened four weeks ago.
