The Economic Freedom Fighter in South Africa is calling on Indian authorities to arrest the Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso. Their calls come after a viral video shows the Tibetan spiritual leader kissing a child on the lips. He also asked the boy to suck his tongue in the video.
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The spiritual leader has since apologised to the boy “as well as his many friends across the world, for the hurt his words may have caused.”
The exchange reportedly took place at an event in the city of Dharamshala in February. “His Holiness often teases people he meets in an innocent and playful way, even in public and before cameras,” a statement from the Dalai Lama’s office explains.
The video
The video has received worldwide criticism. Child rights groups and social media users call the interaction ‘inappropriate’ and want the monk removed.
The video shows the 87-year-old Noble Peace Prize winner sitting in a chair with the unidentified boy standing directly in front of him. The young boy asks the Dalai Lama for a hug, the child comes up to greet the spiritual leader, who then asks for a kiss on the cheek.
He gives the boy a kiss on the lips and then says ‘suck my tongue’. The pair separate after touching foreheads. Laughter and applause comes from the crowd.
The identity of the boy is unknown.
— Dalai Lama (@DalaiLama) April 10, 2023
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The backlash
Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP), a national advocacy group says they are ‘horrified’ by the incident:
Our primary concern is with the innocent boy who was the subject of this disgusting request by a revered spiritual figure
EFF National Spokesperson, Sinawo Tambo, tells IOL that the “lame apology” must be rejected:
The lame apology issued today from the Dalai Lama Office must be rejected with condemnation. Child abuse cannot be apologised away. It is also telling that the apology was issued almost a month after the deplorable incident and only after mounting pressure from activists against child abuse
CNN reports that the Delhi-based child rights group, Haq: Center for Child Rights condemns “all forms of child abuse”:
Some news refers to Tibetan culture about showing tongue, but this video is certainly not about any cultural expression and even if it is, such cultural expressions are not acceptable
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Some of the Dalai Lama’s supporters argue the leader’s actions are seen under a Western lens. The Institute of East Asian Studies at the University of California, Berkeley, says that sticking out one’s tongue is a sign of respect in traditional Tibetan culture.
