Senator Andrea De Priamo, President of the Italy-Tibet parliamentary intergroup sponsored a conference to discuss “The Chinese education system in Tibet: a reflection for Italy and the EU to defend the values of an open society”. Held in Rome on the 4th of July at the Senator of the Italian Republic, the conference saw the participation of other Italian parliamentarians such as Senator Giulio Terzi di Sant’Agata (Brothers of Italy), Hon. Ilenia Malavasi (PD), Hon. Paolo Formentini (Northern League). The speakers included Prof. Gyal Lo, a sociologist and Claudio Cardelli, President of the Italy-Tibet Association.
The main topic was to discuss what is now consolidated practice in Chinese schools in Tibet, essentially aimed at exercising a form of “psychological cultural violence”, to impose Chinese language and traditions on young Tibetan students.
“Our idea” – explains Senator De Priamo – “is to formulate a transversal appeal, which comes from all political forces and, as such, represents the entire Parliament, to ask the European Union for a visit to be agreed with the Chinese government in educational centers in Tibet to understand what space is left for the identity and culture of the Tibetan people”.
Various experts of Tibet who are familiar the reality of Chinese schools in Tibet took spoke at the conference. Thinley Chukki, Representative of the Dalai Lama in Geneva and Wangpo Tethong, Head of the International Campaign for Tibet in Europe were also present.
“China violates all five points of the Convention to protect against genocide, scientifically, in Tibet and XinJiang, apart from other places.” Said Senator Giulio Terzi.
Particularly informative was the testimony of Prof. Gyal Lo, teacher and psychologist, ready to underline how Tibetan families are now forced to have their children study in Chinese schools, to prevent them from being penalized in the future.
“The full gravity of a situation has emerged which tends over time to assimilate Tibetan culture to Chinese culture through force and violence” – explained Hon. Ilenia Malavasi, Member of the Parliament from the Democratic Party, adding – “in Tibet families are often forced to have their children go to Chinese schools to then allow them to access numerous services and have a normal life”.
“A project is underway” – underlined Claudio Cardelli, President of the Italy-Tibet Association – “aimed at annihilating Tibetan culture, which is very different from the Chinese one. A project that is implemented on children in the age group in which they are more suggestible. This practice is creating numerous inconveniences for families, who are forced to communicate with children who speak a language that is not theirs, which they say is the most important, as it refers to their motherland, namely China”.
The speakers are now moving various Italian institutions in an attempt to increase pressure on China to stop this cultural genocide in Tibet, trying to replace Tibetan identity with a foreign Chinese one.