Tibetan Freedom Torch arrives in Munich as international protest against the Olympic Torch Relay intensifies
Berlin/Munich, March 30, 2008: More than 1,000 Tibetans and Tibet supporters from all over Germany gathered together at Marien Square in Munich on Saturday, March 29, 2008, to welcome the Tibetan Freedom Torch as it arrived from Budapest.
Namri Dagyab, a German member of Team Tibet, led a march from downtown Munich to the Olympic Stadium. Leader of the German Green Party Claudia Roth, Olympic gold medalist Dieter Baumann, and actor Ralf Bauer were in attendance and spoke out in support of Team Tibet and the Tibetan people.
Dieter Baumann presented the torch to Namri Dagyab who proclaimed: “This is the true Olympic Torch. It stands for the values of the Olympic Games – Freedom and Justice!”
Claudia Roth emphasized the need for more than just positive sentiment. She called on the German Government to go beyond photo-opportunities with His Holiness, the Dalai Lama, and take direct-action on behalf of the Tibetan cause. She also urged companies such as Volkswagen and Adidas to withdraw their sponsorship of the Olympic Games and called on the IOC to act independently and not let their decisions be dictated by economic partnerships.
Additionally, Jürgen Detel, board member of Tibet Initiative Deutschland (TID), demanded that the IOC not allow the Olympic Torch to be carried through Tibet.
The Tibetan Freedom Torch was lit in Olympia/Greece on 10th of March, commemorating the 49th anniversary of the Tibet Uprising Day. The torch will travel to more than 20 countries, spanning Europe, North and South America and Asia, before it finally reaches Tibet on August 8, the day the Olympics begin in Beijing.
The torch relay in Germany was organized by Tibet Initiative Deutschland e.V.(TID), Tibet Initiative Munich, and the Association of Tibetans in Germany (VTD).
For further information, contact:
Anna Momburg-Vanderpool / Campaign coordinator: + 49 – 176 633 22 186, aktion@tibet-initiative.de
Nadine Baumann / Politics and International Relations: + 49 – 176 633 22 186, politik@tibet-initiative.de
Or, visit: www.tibet-initiative.de / www.teamtibet.org/supporter
