Actor and Activist Richard Gere Rails Against China’s ‘Propaganda Machine’ on Capitol Hill

Richard Gere visited Capitol Hill this week to advocate for the Tibetan people and the “longstanding brutality” they have faced at the hands of the Chinese Communist Party.

The Officer and a Gentleman star has long been an advocate for Tibet and testified before Congress this week alongside a number of Tibetan activists. The actor is the chairman of the International Campaign for Tibet. He met with several Republican and Democratic lawmakers, including former Democratic Speaker of the House Rep. Nancy Pelosi.

“The Tibetan people continue to suffer oppression at the hands of the CCP, and I am proud to support their work defending their faith, their language and their way of life,” Pelosi tweet along with a photo of her speaking to Gere.

Gere appeared at a press conference with Reps. Michael McCaul (R-TX), Jim McGovern (D-MA), Sens. Todd Young (R-IN), and Jeff Merkley (D-OR) to promote legislation aimed at stopping China’s reported attempts to eradicate Tibetan culture.

“We believe in our country that every people have the freedom to determine their future, and that freedom has been denied to the people of Tibet, and we must restore that freedom,” the actor said.

Gere and other activists accused China of punishing Tibetans who speak out against the communist government and separating children from their families into boarding schools where they are not taught their culture and forced to not speak their own language.

“We have to pass the Promoting a Resolution to the Tibet-China Conflict Act, and pass it now. There is a Tibetan proverb which says a single thread doesn’t make a cloth, and a single tree doesn’t make a forest. It means we are stronger together. The people of Tibet need and deserve the right to determine their own future,” Gere said. “Let’s be stronger together and make that happen.”

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