Famed Hollywood actor Richard Gere joined Democrats and Republicans on Capitol Hill on Tuesday to condemn the Chinese Communist Party’s “abuses” against the people of Tibet, a region in southwest China.
Gere appeared at a press conference outside the Capitol alongside Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Texas, Rep. Jim McGovern, D-Mass., Sen. Todd Young, R-Ind., and Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Ore. , while each called on Congress to pass the Promoting a Resolution to the Tibet-China Conflict Act and end efforts by the CCP to eradicate culture in the region.
“Well, as you can hear, this is a matter of fundamental freedoms being afforded on both sides of the US Capitol, on both sides of the aisle, as it should be,” Gere said after speaking to McCaul and Young had been listening, whom he greeted speak with hugs to the crowd.
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Famed Hollywood actor Richard Gere joined Democrats and Republicans on Capitol Hill to condemn the Chinese Communist Party’s “abuse” against the people of Tibet. (Liz Elkind/Fox News Digital)
“We believe in our country that every people has the freedom to determine their future, and that freedom has been denied to the people of Tibet, and we must restore that freedom,” he said.
Gere denounced the CCP’s efforts to indoctrinate Tibetan children by preventing them from growing up in their own culture, speaking their language, and sending them to boarding schools away from their families. He also denounced the “harsh punishment” that awaits those who dare to speak out against the CCP regime.
Tibetan activists in exile hold blank white papers symbolizing government censorship in China as they shout anti-Chinese slogans during a protest in New Delhi, India, Friday, December 2, 2022. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri)
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“Our nation was born on values of freedom and self-determination, and those values must be central to our actions and our relationships in the world, between ourselves and other governments,” Gere said. “We must use our government power to bring together the Tibetans and the PRC authorities so that they can have that dialogue that has been silenced for 13 years.”
“We need to pass the Promoting a Resolution to the Tibet-China Conflict Act, and we need to do it now,” he added. “There is a Tibetan proverb that says that a single thread does not make dust, and a single tree does not make a forest. It means that we are stronger together. The people of Tibet need and deserve the right to determine their own future. ” Let’s be stronger together and make that possible.”
Richard Gere joined Democrats and Republicans on Capitol Hill to condemn the Chinese Communist Party’s “abuses” against the people of Tibet. (Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic)
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China has been trying to maintain control over the region heavily influenced by its spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama. Since taking power shortly after the communist revolution of 1949, China has repeatedly cracked down on the independence efforts of the separatists.
Brandon Gillespie is an associate editor at Fox News. Follow him on Twitter at @brandon_cg.
