On early Friday morning, August 15th, Nicole Rycroft of Vancouver abseiled off an Olympic billboard outside the CCTV headquarters and unfurled a massive banner calling for a "Free Tibet" in Chinese and English. Rycroft undertook this powerful protest for freedom and justice with a Briton and 3 Americans. They were able to maintain the protest for 30 minutes before Chinese paramilitary detained them.

Rycroft is a former national level athlete whose interest in Tibet began after a bike trip there in 1995 when she personally witnessed the repression faced by Tibetans as a result of the Chinese occupation. As she was being detained, Rycroft said "As long as Tibetans in Tibet are risking their lives to cry out for freedom, I and other people of conscience around the world continue to stand up for Tibet and to push the Chinese leadership bring an end to the brutal occupation of Tibet."

Thank you Nicole Rycroft and all the Canadian SFTers for your brave actions in speaking out for Tibetans in China where we have no voice.