Man with Tibetan flag dies after setting himself on fire in front of UN’s New York headquarters

(CNN) — A man holding a Tibetan flag has died after setting himself on fire outside the United Nations headquarters in New York on Thursday in an apparent protest against Chinese rule over Tibet.

Law enforcement responded to a 911 call at around 6:30 p.m. and observed a 52-year-old male with severe burns across his body, a New York City Police Department spokesperson told CNN.

The man was taken to hospital and later pronounced dead, the spokesperson said.

The government-in-exile of Tibet – and an activist in New York who knew him – named the man as Lobga Rangzen (also known as Lobsang Palden).

A video live-streamed from a Facebook account under that name shows a man holding a Tibetan flag stopping along First Avenue opposite the UN headquarters and then being engulfed in flames. He collapses to the ground as cars pass by, with flames eventually put out by two men with fire extinguishers.

A separate video posted to the same Facebook account around the same time as the live stream shows the man calling for Tibetans to work together for “the independence of Tibet” and to “never forget” their heritage and identity.

He also accused the Chinese government of creating policies “aimed at destroying the Tibetan identity, culture and language.”

The rare incident comes just days after China enacted an ethnic unity law that expands mandates over the use of Chinese language in schools and governments in ethnic minority regions and calls for the further “Sinicization” of religion.

Tibetan and human rights activists have voiced alarm over the sweeping new law, which they fear will further deepen the cultural erasure of ethnic minorities across China. Beijing says the law protects the rights of “all ethnic groups.”

China’s ruling Communist Party has governed Tibet since 1951, with Beijing insisting Tibet has been part of Chinese territory for centuries. The Tibetan flag is banned in China and viewed as a symbol of Tibetan independence.

Dozens of self-immolations have been connected with protests against China’s rule over Tibet in recent decades, according to the government-in-exile of Tibet.

However, it is highly unusual for a Tibetan activist to self-immolate in the US.

Vigils and protests

In a statement released Friday, the head of Tibet’s government-in-exile Penpa Tsering said he was “deeply saddened” by the self-immolation and urged Tibetans to “cherish” their lives.

“While we honor his devotion, human life is precious and must be preserved to serve the long-term struggle for Tibet,” Tsering said.

A crowd of supporters and protestors gathered outside the UN headquarters on Thursday night after the incident, video posted to social media showed.

In one video, posted by New York-based Tibetan activist groups, prominent Tibetan writer Jamyang Norbu, who also identified Lobga by name, described him as an independence activist and community leader, who went into exile from Tibet in the 1980s and worked as a cab driver after moving to New York.

Many Tibetans have long challenged Beijing’s rule and protested what they see as China’s tightening restrictions on religious and cultural practices and language, accusations that Beijing rejects.

In his statement, Tsering, the leader of the Tibetan government-in-exile, referenced the new ethnic unity law and said Tibetans faced a “severe crisis.” He called for governments, Tibetans in exile and rights groups to “speak out at this critical moment.”

When asked about the self-immolation during a regular press briefing Friday, a spokesperson for China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs reiterated Beijing’s view that Xizang, China’s word for the region, “has been always an unalienable part of China’s territory since ancient times.”

A UN spokesperson said the incident Thursday happened after all scheduled meetings were finished for the day and no UN business was affected, the Associated Press reported.

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Tenzin Dharpo contributed to this report.