More than 80 people have been killed and hundreds have been injured by Chinese paramilitary police and soldiers in Lhasa, the Tibetan capital. The Chinese state has employed vicious suppression to try to crush the protests of the Tibetan people in advance of the Olympic Games.

In response, sickening hypocrisy has been exhibited by western leaders. Crocodile tears and tame criticism have been levelled at the Chinese regime. Yet, they are all careful not to overstep the mark to avoid damaging their crucial trade relations with China - worth E6 billion last year. Even John Gormley, Green Party leader in the South, attempted to cash in on the issue to gain some much needed credibility for his Party. His stage managed speech and accompanying walkout by the Chinese ambassador was similarly meaningless and marked afterwards by immediate concern to avoid any damage to trade relations with China.

The latest unrest was sparked by the arrest of 60 monks protesting on the anniversary of a failed Dalai Lama – led rebellion in 1959. The suppression of more protests by monks and others led to thousands of Tibetans protesting and a brutal crackdown by the Chinese forces.

The scale of the protests and crackdown isn’t fully clear because of the media blackout that has been imposed by the Chinese state. Information about what is happening in Tibet is being blocked from view of both the outside world (with expulsion of journalists) and from those in China (with a series of blocks on internet sites and mobile phone use in Tibet).

The media blackout has been selective however, allowing some pictures out, attempting to portray the protests as chauvinistic riots against the Han Chinese people. While certain racist acts may have taken place, this clearly is not the whole or even the main story – if it was, the Chinese state would be welcoming reporters with open arms instead of keeping them out.

Instead, the root of these protests lies in the national and economic oppression of the Tibetan people by the Chinese state. During the last 50 years, more than 20% of Tibet’s population have been arrested or harassed by the Chinese state and at least 100,000 have been killed in the course of numerous rebellions, or as a result of detention and forced labour.

Together with the economic development of China, Tibet has seen the growth of immense economic inequalities. While there has been economic growth in cities like Lhasa, it has been Han Chinese immigrants who have predominantly benefited from this, receiving the majority of the good jobs and becoming a majority in Lhasa. In rural areas, Tibetan people languish in extreme poverty, with average yearly incomes only $494 – one third of the average for China as a whole. Up to 80% of Tibetan youth are unemployed and more than a third of the population live below the poverty line. This poverty is caused by the consistent anti-Tibetan discrimination by the Chinese state, for example, adult literacy amongst Tibetans is only 53%, largely because schools do not operate in Tibetan but only in the official Chinese language.

The Chinese occupation should be opposed by all socialists and activists around the world. However, people should not buy into the idyllic picture which is sometimes painted by the media and elements of the “Free Tibet” movement of a peaceful happy Tibet under the Dalai Lama prior to the Chinese occupation. Tibet, as the “roof of the world” was one of the most backward societies on earth. A barbaric form of feudalism reigned, with the then Dalai Lama and the other lamas (monks) leeching off the unpaid labour of the 58% of the population who were serfs. Religious superstition and barbaric torture were used to keep Tibet in the Dark Ages. The average lifespan was a shocking 35 years and infant mortality was 43% in 1950.

In contrast to the mood on the ground, today the Dalai Lama argues only for the so-called “Middle Way” – autonomy within the Chinese state, rather than Tibetan independence. This, combined with his support for the Olympics being held in China, has caused a rift within Tibet, with the Tibetan Youth Congress being critical of his position.

The Socialist Party supports the right of self-determination of the Tibetan people, including their right to independence, with full rights and guarantees for the Han Chinese minority and other ethnic groups inside Tibet. However, on a capitalist basis, a “Free Tibet” would be far from “free” – it would be poverty struck and dominated and exploited by a major capitalist power. 

What is needed is for Tibetan workers and peasants to link their struggle with the struggles of all workers across China against the super-exploitation and oppression imposed by the Chinese state. By creating a socialist and anti-imperialist movement against the state, and linking up with the oppressed Himalayan and Indian masses, the Tibetan people could inspire workers across the region to action.

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