Washington — Thousands of Tibetans from across the United States and Canada gathered in Washington, D.C., to protest Chinese President Xi Jinping’s visit. The demonstrators united to denounce Beijing's repressive policies and ongoing cultural erasure in Tibet. Protesters specifically protested the China's newly enacted “Law on Promoting Ethnic Unity and Progress,” a forced assimilation policy that systematically dismantles the Tibetan language, culture, religion, and national identity.
Thousands of Tibetans from across the United States and Canada united in Washington, D.C., on September 24, 2026, to protest Chinese Communist Party leader Xi Jinping’s state visit and denounce Beijing's repressive policies and cultural erasure in Tibet. The demonstration began outside the Chinese Embassy before activists marched to the U.S. Capitol. Throughout the march, protestors chanted powerful slogans, including: "Xi, you are not welcome in the USA," "Dictator," "Stop the killing in Tibet," "Stop the genocide in Tibet," "End colonial-style boarding schools in Tibet," and "Repeal the 'Ethnic Unity and Progress Law.'"
Upon reaching the U.S. Capitol, the Tibetan Youth Congress held a rally where former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Congressman Jim McGovern, and community leaders from Tibet, East Turkistan, Hong Kong, Southern Mongolia, and Chinese pro-democracy movements addressed the gathering. Thousands of oppressed people from Tibet, East Turkistan, Hong Kong, Mongolia, and Chinese pro-democracy movements protested against the Xi Jinping's visit to USA and his repressive policies and genocide laws in the occupied countries.
Tibetan Youth Congress (TYC) urged President Trump to bring the issue of Tibet to the forefront during his meeting with Chinese Leader Xi Jinping. TYC said, "Tibet has been under Chinese occupation for nearly seven decades, and recent policies, such as the newly implemented Ethnic Unity Law, are accelerating the assimilation of Tibetans. These policies include separating children from their families, restricting the Tibetan language, and attempting to erase Tibetan civilization. Even carrying a picture of His Holiness the Great 14™ Dalai Lama can result in imprisonment. Since 1998, over 170 Tibetans have self-immolated in protest, demanding freedom and the return of His Holiness the Dalai Lama to Tibet. Notably, on July 2, 52-year-old Tibetan Lobga Rangzen self-immolated in front of the United Nations in New York, becoming the first Tibetan self-immolation on U.S. soil. His protest was a powerful demonstration of his opposition to China's illegal occupation of Tibet and its oppressive policies."
Tsering Choephel, Presiden of Tibetan Youth Congress said, "Today as the United States engages in bilateral talks with China, Tibetan people from across North America convene in Washington, D.C., the land of freedom and democracy, to raise our voices against the visit of Chinese Leader Xi Jinping. The Tibetan Youth Congress unequivocally condemns this visit and urges global leaders to recognise that China's diplomatic assurances cannot be taken at face value when its actions continue to contradict its words. Tibetans will persist in speaking truth to power and demanding justice, freedom, and the restoration of Tibet's rightful independence."
"For decades, under the leadership of the Chinese Communist Party, Tibet, East Turkistan, Southern Mongolia, Manchuria and Hong Kong people have been subjected to political, military, and administrative control. These policies have led to the assimilation and repression of their rights and identities. China has enacted new laws to systematically erase Tibetan identity. Over one million Tibetan children have been separated from their families and placed in state-run colonial boarding schools, where Mandarin is the primary language of instruction, and Tibetan language and culture are increasingly marginalised. These policies are intended to compel Tibetan children to immerse in Chinese culture, thereby diminishing their connection to their native language, identity, traditions, and ultimately leading to the erasure of a civilization," he continued.
"The Tibetan people cannot remain silent while the architect of these policies is welcomed in the United States without Tibet being placed on the agenda. The Chinese government's policies in Tibet have far-reaching consequences beyond its borders. The Tibetan Plateau is the source of major Asian rivers that support hundreds of millions of people, making the protection, transparency, and responsible management of Tibet's water resources a matter of regional and international concern. Tibet is not just a historical or human-rights issue; it is directly connected to the occupation of one nation, the statelessness of its citizens, and the security of occupied nations, becoming an issue of environmental stability and future for Asia. We call for the release of all Tibetan political prisoners in Tibet including the 11th Panchen Lama Gendun Choekyi Nyima. China must provide factual evidence on the status of the Panchen Lama and his family," the Tibetan activists said.
"The Tibetan Youth Congress believes that meaningful engagement between Washington and Beijing must not come at the expense of the voices and rights of Tibetans and other oppressed peoples. Tibet must not be erased from the Trump-Xi agenda. The Tibetan Youth Congress calls upon the United States to seize this moment to uphold the principles of freedom, human rights, and self-determination and ensure that the Tibetan people's voices for freedom and independence are heard," they concluded the statement.
The longtime Tibet advocate Congressman Jim McGovern (D-MA) delivered a powerful address alongside former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. His remarks focused on condemning Beijing's escalating human rights abuses, urging the White House to confront Xi Jinping directly, and challenging China’s new cultural erasure laws. McGovern further strongly slammed China's newly enacted “Ethnic Unity and Progress Law," and condemned Beijing's state-run colonial boarding school system, which separates Tibetan children from their families, calling for the immediate reversal of these assimilation policies.
McGovern also call on the China to release the 11th Panchen Lama, Gedhun Choekyi Nyima, who was abducted by Chinese authorities in 1995 as a child. McGovern declared that the Panchen Lama must be granted complete freedom and allowed to speak directly with his people.
Speaker Nancy Pelosi demanded that the Chinese government respect the distinct culture and rights of the Tibetan people. She said, “We have to insist that the religion, the language, the faith, the sense of community in Tibet be respected. We must continue to fight for Tibet.”
Following the rally at the Capitol, the crowd marched to Franklin Park, where they held their closing event to conclude the day of demonstrations. The full day of protests were organised by the Tibetan Youth Congress.
