Tibetans took to the streets in India’s capitol New Delhi on Sunday to mark the 65th anniversary of the 1959 Tibetan Uprising against China. The march gathered Tibetans from various backgrounds and groups of ages who carried the Tibetan flag and signs such as “Tibet was never part of China” and “China, stop repression in Tibet”,  calling for the independence of Tibet from the “Chinese invasion”. Part of the protest took place outside the Chinese embassy in New Delhi. A member of the Tibetan Youth Congress which organized the march, stated in an interview that it is the responsibility of every person born in exile to fight for the freedom of Tibet.

The date of March 10 marks the beginning of a series of historical events that resulted in a conflict between China and Tibet that has been going on for more than six decades. On March 10, 1959, thousands of Tibetans protested in the city of Lhansa against the Chinese occupation and attacked Chinese troops after the People’s Republic of China (PRC) claimed its “national sovereignty ” over the Tibetan region on January 1, 1950. The Chinese army responded with a crackdown which led many protestors to leave Tibet with their spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama. Many, including the Dalai Lama, settled in India.

Tibetans all around the globe commemorate this date to remember the sacrifices of their ancestors for freedom and independence, while also advocating for human rights in Tibet against the ongoing Chinese policy in Tibet which is said to be characterized by numerous human rights violations.