London — Over 1000 people, including Tibetans, Uyghurs, Hong Kongers, Taiwanese, local residents, diplomats, politicians and legislators, gathered at the Royal Mint Court in London on January 17, 2025, to protest against the Chinese Communist Party's plan to build a mega-embassy. These peaceful protesters warned the British government that this mega-embassy threatens not only Tibetans, Uyghurs, Hong Kongers and Taiwanese living in the UK, as well as the safety of dissidents and activists, but also British sovereignty and national security.
Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China (IPAC) and over 20 and human rights and community organisations, including Hong Kong, Tibetan, Uyghur, Taiwan, Chinese dissidents from mainland China, Royal Mint Court Residents Association, organised the protest at the Royal Mint Court in London on January 17, 2025 and over 1000 people joined the protest.
Local residents, Tibetans, Uyghurs, Hong Kongers and Taiwanese, as well as legislators, have repeatedly protested against the Chinese Communist Party's mega embassy project. The British government was due to make a decision on the proposal by January 20, 2026. Therefore, more than 1000 people gathered to call on the British government to end this collaboration project with the Chinese government.
Four MPs spoke at the gathering, including Kemi Badenoch, MP and Leader of the Opposition (Conservative Party), Sir Iain Duncan Smith, former Leader of the Conservative Party and vice-chair of IPAC, Bobby Dean, Liberal Democrat MP, and Danny Kruger, MP for the UK Reform Party.
Kemi Badenoch, MP and Leader of the Opposition Party said at the gathering, “I understand you and I am with you, because I grew up under a dictatorship, I know what it is like to live under a government that you are terrified of. I know what it is like to be afraid of what will happen to you if you speak out. For journalists to be murdered, for people to be hounded out of the country, I understand, and that is why I know it is wrong for this super embassy to be built here on this site. China is a country that has harassed and sanctioned our MPs like Iain Duncan Smith. China is a country that has harassed and abused British nationals connected to China. It helps our enemies like Russia, it keeps slaves, it disrupts the the global trade system. We know that we have to stand up to the abuses of China. And what worries me is that we have a government right now that seems to be scared of China. What we need right now is a government that will act in the British national interest and protect those people who are fighting for those Chinese citizens who are suffering.”
“I am standing here with you today because I believe in freedom. I am standing with you today because I know what it is like to live without freedom. We take it for granted in the United Kingdom because we have had it for so long, but those who have lived under repressive regimes, those who have lived under authoritarianism, and those who have lived under communism know what that suffering is like and we do not want to see that here. I tell you that I will always fight for freedom, and I am calling on the government to stop this decision. We do not want a country that spies on our MPs having this super embassy right here. And I will do everything within my power to continue speaking on your behalf,” MP Kemi Badenoch said.
List of community speakers, including Christopher Mung, Hong Kong Labour Rights Monitor, Tenzin Sangmo, regional coordinator of the Tibetan community UK, Andy Ng (吳兆康), Reading UK Stands with HK, Nick Weeden, cross-movement supporter, Benedict Rogers, Hong Kong Watch, Rahima Mahmut, Stop Uyghur Genocide, Simon Cheng, Hongkongers in Britain (HKB) and Ayman Eckford (Ukrainian activist).
Tenzin Sangmo, regional coordinator of the Tibetan community UK, said at the protest, "I came all the way from Bristol today to amplify our voices, to ensure they are heard by Mr. Steve Reed, the Secretary of State for housing, communities, and local government, before he makes his historical decision on the proposed Mega Chinese Embassy on January 20, 2026, just a few days from now. Mr Reed, your decision to reject this proposed Mega moves to us today. As a Tibetan, I am here because I want to tell you that Tibet, my country, has been illegally occupied by the Chinese Communist authoritarian regime since 1959. Tibetans are denied of the fundamental human rights. Our rich cultural heritage has been systematically destroyed. Our religious and worship sites have been demolished. Around 1 million Tibetan innocent children have been forcefully taken away from their parents and placed into Chinese colonial boarding school with the aim to wipe out our rich culture, language, and identity. There is no religious freedom. Our monasteries are under strict Chinese state cultural surveillance and monitoring. Our history is rewritten. Tibetan language education has been banned in schools. Our cities are flooded with heavy policing and digital surveillance. Every movement and every voice is monitored, questioned, and suppressed. Our singers, writers, artists, and innocent Tibetans are detained, persecuted, and imprisoned merely for singing songs in praise of our spiritual leader, His Holiness the Dalai Lama. The Panchen Lama, who was only six years old, was forcefully abducted by the Chinese Communist Party and remains disappeared to this day, his whereabouts still unknown.”
“Due to unbearable repression, and ongoing cultural genocide, many Tibetans have resorted to the most extreme form of protest, self-immolation, to protest Chinese illegal occupation of Tibet and to call for the return of His Holiness the Dalai Lama to Tibet. The situation inside Tibet is worsening. I want to say, shame on China and this list is endless, shame on China. That is why today I ask, why on earth is our government is being lured by Chinese fancy words and dangerous delusions? I stand here today as a Tibetan and as a British Tibetan to tell the UK government, Prime Minister Keir Starmer, and Mr Reed, open your eyes, open your ears, and open your senses. China and the CCP are stretching their nets and their powers and influence far beyond their borders. They are strengthening extra territorial control through expansionist strategies, and now they are coming to the UK. The Mega Chinese Embassy would serve as a form of sham power designed to pierce, penetrate, perforate, and undermine our vibrant city, our culture, and the democratic political environment through surveillance, interference, intimidation, weakening our legislation system, and the legitimacy of our advocacy organisations and hinder their functionality,” She continued.
Sangmo further said, “Across diaspora community stories, and I have evidence, I want to give them anonymous. There are Chinese embassy officials and their proxies gathering information on activists and community leaders, surveil individuals, intimidate families back in Tibet, exploit cyber vulnerabilities, and silence voices through fear. The same mechanism used to repress Tibetans could easily be applied to wider UK communities, posing a grave threat to human rights, democracy, privacy, and national security on British soil. This proposed Mega Embassy site, as exposed by The Telegraph, sits close to underground infrastructure carrying sensitive financial data and reportedly includes 280 secret rooms. This is deeply concerning and worrying. It risks becoming a hub for intimidation, espionage, and trans-national repression right in the heart of London, a city that claims to stand for freedom.”
“This proposal is extremely concerning and represents a serious threat to our democracy, public safety, human rights, and national security. Let us not repeat these past mistakes again. The residents of Tower Hamlets have spoken loudly and clearly in opposition. I say if the 1.7 billion Stone Henge A303 tunnel project was axed in 2020 due to public opposition, why can't we stop this? If the A27 Arundel bypass was cancelled due to resistance from residents and environmental groups, why can't we? If the Northern Leg of HS2 rail project were cancelled due to public concern caused by environmental issues, then why can't we cancel this? This is about national security. This is about fear, espionage; this is about intimidation and trans-national repression on our own British soil. This is unacceptable. I live in this country. I pay my taxes. I am a British Tibetan, and I contribute to society, and I expect my government to listen to our voices, to our fears, and to our warnings. I ask Mrs. Steve Reed to reject and say a big clear no to this proposal. Even if Prime Minister Keir Starmer visits to China, he must go with pride, carrying British values and principles of democracy and fairness. True leadership, have the courage to say no when it matters the most. The 2018, Boris Johnson's Royal Mint court deal was a disastrous mistake, another blunder like Brexit. This proposal must be re-examined and rejected,” She ended her speech by thanking every gathered there.
They chanted slogans such as "We reject the Chinese mega-embassy," "No to the mega-embassy," "Mega-embassy, mega-mistake," and "Don't bow down to China," etc.
Commenting on the protest, Tsering Passang, Founder-Chair of the Global Alliance for Tibet & Persecuted Minorities (GATPM), said: “This proposed mega-embassy is not just a local planning issue; it is a global human rights concern. For Tibetans and other persecuted communities, it symbolises the expanding reach of a state responsible for repression, surveillance, and the systematic silencing of dissent. With the UK government expected to decide on this proposal by 20 January, the protest on 17 January is a crucial moment to defend democratic values, stand with affected communities, and send a clear message that human rights must not be sacrificed for political convenience.”
