On Saturday, September 21, two static demonstrations were held in front of the Guimet Museum and the Quai Branly Museum at the call of several Tibetan defense associations. These gatherings follow a controversy raised by a recent column by researchers in The World accusing both museums of erasing Tibetan culture in their exhibition spaces.
In front of the Guimet Museum, several hundred people waved the flag of the Tibetan government in exile (a flag banned by China), and chanted slogans such as “Tibet will always be Tibet” and “Xizang does not exist”. Some placards evoked a “cultural genocide” in Tibet. Many Tibetan families dressed in traditional costume participated in this rally, as well as political supporters including Geneviève Garrigos, elected representative of the 20th arrondissement and Councilor of Paris (she chairs the international relations commission).
The gathering in front of the Guimet Museum was widely documented on social media, as a large audience came to visit the museum for the Heritage Days. The two museums have not yet responded to these demonstrations.
