Dharamshala — Tibetans and Tibet supporters from North America to Europe, from Asia to Australia have organised large-scale protests outside Chinese consulates in their respective countries and in the streets to protest the enforcement of the “Ethnic Unity Law” by China, on July 1, 2026. They condemned the new Chinese law, protested against it, and demanded its immediate repeal. UN human rights bodies, the European Parliament, the Czech Republic, Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom, Italy, Germany, Switzerland and the United States have expressed serious concerns regarding the “Law on Promoting Ethnic Unity and Progress” and called on the PRC to repeal this law.
From North America to Europe, from Asia to Australia, members of Students for a Free Tibet, Regional Tibetan Youth COngress, other Tibetan NGOs, Tibetans and Tibet support groups took to the streets, outside Chinese consulates and universities, to demand that the world see China’s “ethnic unity” law for what it really is: genocide enshrined in law. Tibetan activists from Students for a Free Tibet in Boston (MA), Washington, D.C., New York, Chicago, Minnesota, Vancouver (CA), Boulder (CO), and San Francisco (CA) in the United States; Tibetan activists in Brussels (Belgium), London (United Kingdom), Amsterdam (Netherlands), in front of the Chinese embassies in Norway and Austria, in Berlin (Germany), in France, and in Zurich (Switzerland), as well as in Japan, Sydney, Brisbane, Melbourne, and Canberra (Australia), have staged protests demanding the abolition of China’s “ethnic unity” law.
Tibetan Youth Congress held a strong protest against the enforcement of the so-called People's Republic of China's "Ethnic Unity and Progress Law." Tibetan Women’s Association, Students for a Free Tibet, Gu Chu Sum Movement of association of Tibet, National Democratic Party of Tibet also protested against the so-called "Ethic Unity Law" on July 1, 2026.
Canadian Tibetan Association of Ontario-CTAO, Regional Tibetan Youth Congress, Toronto, Tibetan Women's Association of Ontario, Canada Dokham Chushi Gangdruk, Students for a Free Tibet, Toronto, Ontario U-Tsang Cholkha and Ontario Dhomey Cholkha organised a large-scale protest in front of the Consulate General of the PRC, in George Street, Toronto, Canada, on July 1, 2026, to protest against the "China's ethnic unity law".
The National People's Congress (NPC) passed a law on March 12, 2026, titled “Promotion of Ethnic Unity and Progress in the People's Republic of China (China's Ethnic Unity Law).” This law reinforces policies of “Sinicization” and “assimilation,” particularly with regard to Tibetans and other oppressed peoples of Mongolia and East Turkestan. It mandates the Sinicization and assimilation of the Tibetan people, using parents, monasteries, various social organizations, and state institutions as instruments of implementation; the law officially take effect on July 1, 2026.
Tibetan activists said, "The legislation seeks to formalize and legitimize coercive policies of cultural, linguistic, and ideological assimilation in Tibet. This law carries profound implications for Tibet and the Tibetan people. According to Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) and International Campaign for Tibet, it contradicts the principles of ethnic autonomy guaranteed under the Constitution of the People’s Republic of China, as well as international human rights standards."
The law prioritises the use of Mandarin in education, public services, and public life, thereby replacing previous policies that allowed instruction in minority languages such as Tibetan, Uyghur, and Mongolian. It also requires religious practices to align with Han-centered Chinese cultural norms and socialist values through the “Sinicization” of religion.
The law also requires parents and teachers to indoctrinate children so that they “love the CCP and China as a nation” and “internalize the idea that the Chinese people form one big family,” while warning against any attempt to instill in children concepts related to their own Tibetan culture, religion, and customs. It forces Tibetan parents to perform additional tasks during their children’s summer and winter vacations.
UN human rights bodies have expressed serious concerns regarding the “Law on Promoting Ethnic Unity and Progress" of PRC, on April 16, 2026. They said, “we observe that the newly adopted Law risks restricting the freedom of expression, the right to take part in cultural life, freedom of religion and belief, the rights of persons belonging to various communities, particularly children, to use their own language and conduct their own cultural practices, the right of all persons to quality education and training that fully respect their cultural identity, academic and artistic freedoms, and the right to freedom of assembly and association, as protected under international human rights treaties.”
European Parliament passed a resolution regarding the Chinese "Ethnic Unity and Progress" law on April 30, 2026. 439 Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) denounced the Chinese "ethnic unity" law and called for its repeal. MEPs condemned that "this law for encouraging assimilation policies and restricting cultural, religious, and linguistic freedoms, in contradiction with China’s obligations under international law."
Czech Republic, Australia, Canada, and United Kingdom expressed their serious concerns over human rights violations in Tibet, particularly the "China's ethnic unity law," during the 62nd session of the Human Rights Council in Geneva, on June 17,2026.
U.S Senator Jacky Rosen,Jeff Merkley, John Curtis, and Jim Banks, introduced a Bipartisan Resolution on the China's “Ethnic Unity and Progress Law” in US Senate on June 24, 2026. The resolution condemns China’s "Ethnic Unity and Progress Law," which entered into force on 1 July 2026, and calls on Beijing to end abuses against ethnic and religious minorities, as well as campaigns of transnational repression affecting people in the United States.
The Parliamentary Group for Tibet (PGT) in the Swiss Parliament has issued a strong protest against China’s new “Law on Ethnic Unity and Progress". They said, "This new ‘Law on Ethnic Unity and Progress’ is not about unity for the PRC, but about forced assimilation and the systematic eradication of Tibetan identity. For the Tibetan people and all peoples oppressed by the PRC, this is not an abstract political debate, but a struggle for cultural survival."
Senators Lindsey O. Graham (Republican) and Sheldon Whitehouse (Democrat) sent a bipartisan letter to Xie Feng, China’s ambassador to the United States, on June 25, 2026. In the letter, they expressed deep concern regarding the “Law on Promoting Ethnic Unity and Progress” enacted by the People’s Republic of China, warning that this law aims to eliminate the distinct identities, religious freedoms, and fundamental rights of Tibetans, Uyghurs, and other ethnic minorities. They further stated that this new law violates the Chinese Constitution and international law, and that it must be repealed.
