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Statement from Visual Artists Guild

As we protest this 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics and urging NBC Universal not to be complicit in China's human rights abuses, we fear that history may repeat itself. In 2007,

Visual Artists Guild, together with Friends of Tibet and other human rights and pro-democracy organizations in Southern California protested the Pasadena Rose Parade's planned 2008 Beijing Olympics float. For months we met with Pasadena's Human Relations Commission and the Pasadena Tournament of Roses President to get them to rescind their agreement to feature the 2008 Beijing Olympics rose float. While we got the support from the City's former mayor Bill Paparian, the Pasadena NCAA as well as from the Pasadena Human Relations Commission Chair Ken Hardy, the proposal was nonetheless rejected by then City Mayor Bill Bogaard and the Rose Parade President CL Keedy.

When history is being reviewed on genocide, we keep hearing people say, "Never Again."

We don't want to hear this "Never Again" years from now.
We need to stop it now. NBC Universal must recognize their responsibility in not propagating such abuses.

Ann Lau
Chair, Visual Artists Guild

PRESS RELEASE: FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

No Beijing 2022 Winter Genocide Olympics

Tell NBC DO NOT Broadcast Beijing 2022 Genocide Winter Olympics

With little over three months until the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics, activists across the globe are lobbying Olympic broadcasters - including NBC, BBC, CBC, Sky, and Discovery - to “immediately cancel broadcasting deals” to screen the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics or face a serious risk of being complicit in China’s plan to ‘sport wash’ their severe and worsening human rights abuses.

Calling Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics “China’s Genocide Games,” these media companies, will give legitimacy to the Chinese government’s exceptionally repressive policies targeting Tibetans, Uyghurs, Southern Mongolians, and Hong Kongers. It will further embolden the Chinese authorities to continue carrying out human rights atrocities in Tibet and genocide against the Uyghur people.

A coalition of human rights groups here in California intend to do the same at the NBC Universal Office. We will deliver a Joint Olympic Broadcasters letter from a coalition of 200 human rights groups to NBC to not air “China's Genocide Games".

First Event:

What: Deliver a Joint Olympic Broadcasters letter from a coalition of 200 human rights groups to NBC to not air the Beijing Winter Olympics 2022 (alias “China’s Genocide Games”)

When: November 3^rd, Wednesday @ 11AM

Where: Comcast NBCUniversal
10 Universal Hollywood Dr.,
Universal City, Ca. 91608

Second Event:

This rally will be followed by a protest march outside the Los Angeles Chinese Consulate.

What: Peaceful protest march outside the Chinese Consulate

When: November 3^rd, Wednesday @ 3PM

Where: Chinese Consulate, 443 Shatto Pl, Los Angeles, Ca 90020

Tibet Advocacy Desk

TASC Board.

--
Tibetan Association of Southern California

www.socaltibet.org | info@socalibet.org | Facebook

P.O.Box 3298
Culver City, CA 90231
(818) 538-9842

Join Tibetan AoSC Mailing List

PRESS RELEASE: FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

WHAT: An open letter urging the US law firm Mayer Brown to rescind their agreement to represent the University of Hong Kong in demanding the removal of the "Pillar of Shame" sculpture from the university campus.
WHEN: For immediate release
WHY: The Hong Kong government, under the direction of the Chinese Communist Party, wants to wipe out any history of China, especially the 1989 Tiananmen Massacre. The US law firm Mayer Brown is representing the University of Hong Kong in that effort.

Contact:

Ann Lau, Visual Artists Guild, 310-433-0697, alau@visual-artists-guild.org

Ken Chan, Northern California Hong Kong Club, kwokheichan@gmail.com

Open letter to Mayer Brown law firm

We the undersigned, human rights and civil society organizations around the world, respectfully ask the Mayer Brown law firm to rescind their agreement to represent the University of Hong Kong in their attempt to remove the famous "Pillar of Shame' sculpture from the university's campus. The sculpture was created by Danish artist Jens Galschiøt in 1997 to commemorate the 1989 Tiananmen massacre.

The Mayer Brown law firm stated as their mission to "contribute when and where we can have a great impact. We encourage and enable our lawyers and business services to play a role in making a positive difference in the lives of others."

The sculpture has been at the University of Hong Kong campus for over 20 years. For the Mayer Brown law firm to demand that it be removed after all these years when there had been no objections from the university officials nor from the student body in the past, shows that Mayer Brown has violated its stated mission to make a positive difference in the lives of citizens in Hong Kong.

We therefore expect Mayer Brown law firm to safeguard their reputation and their integrity in defending the right of freedom of expression by rescinding their agreement with the University of Hong Kong.

Signed

Visual Artists Guild, Ann Lau
Humanitarian China, Zhou Fengsuo, President
Women’s Rights in China, Jing Jiang, President
Chinese Democratic Education Foundation, Fang Zheng
Hong Kong Affairs Association of Berkeley
Committee for US International Broadcasting, Ann Noonan, Executive Director
Women's Rights Without Frontiers, Reggie Littlejohn, Founder and President
Northern California Hong Kong Club
DC4HK - Washingtonians Supporting Hong Kong
SEArious For HKG
US Hongkongers Club, Bruce Lee, Chairman
Hong Kong Democracy Council (HKDC)
Vancouver Society in Support of Democratic Movement
Hong Kong Committee in Norway
Hong Kongers in San Francisco Bay Area
Cornell Society for the Promotion of East Asian Liberty
Germany Stands with Hong Kong
Fight for Freedom. Stand with Hong Kong.
Hong Kong Watch
Hong Kong Social Action Movements in Boston
Democracy for Hong Kong (D4HK)
NY4HK
Torontonian HongKongers Action Group
Canada-Hong Kong Link
Toronto Association for Democracy in China
Hong Kong Forum, Los Angeles
Las Vegas Stands with Hong Kong (LV4HK)
Netherlands for Hong Kong

Background Information

Hong Kong university hires US law firm to seek Tiananmen statue’s removal

https://www.ft.com/content/feef8720-71b5-424b-8e4f-5d2525e358aa

Pillar of Shame

https://galschiot.com/en/work/pillar-of-shame/

Mayer Brown (wikipedia)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mayer_Brown

Mayer Brown (official)

https://www.mayerbrown.com/en

PRESS RELEASE: FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
SILENT VIGIL 7/18 FOR CUBA

On Sunday, July 18, @ 3p.m.Visual Artists Guild will join Cuban Heritage L.A. for a Silent Vigil at Westwood Federal Building.
Please join us to show your support:

Visual Artists Guild's Statement on Cuba's Cry for Freedom

For over six decades the people of Cuba have suffered under a repressive tyranny. Today our brave brothers and sisters have gone into the streets to pacifically demand freedom and basic human rights. Once again the dictatorship has shown its intolerant and violent character sending its repressive forces against unarmed protestors. The Visual Artists Guild board is asking the international community support the Cuban people to send a strong message to President Díaz Canel of Cuba and his thugs: a blood bath will not be tolerated.Those responsible for violence against the people will be held responsible. Today is the day when we must unite and support the Cuban people We stand on solidarity with Cuba's cry for freedom.

Contact: Fernando Marquet, Member of the Board, Visual Artist Guild 310-918-4283