Dalai Lama causes a stir at UCSD

According to the publication Inside Higher Ed, Chinese students at the University of California/San Diego are complaining that the university is having the Dalai Lama as this year's commencement speaker. Lhamo Dondrub (the Dalai Lama) is an exiled Tibetan spiritual leader who is persona non grata in China, despite his 1989 Nobel Peace Prize and the worldwide respect he has gained.

Some Chinese students "have condemned the choice of commencement speaker as culturally disrespectful," says the publication. Chinese students call him "a separatist leader intent on dividing their home country."

On February 7, student Ruixuan Wang wrote in UCSD's Guardian, "Our family members are coming all the way from China, flying for more than 10 hours to celebrate with us. The Dalai Lama, as a political icon, is viewed differently in our country."

But other students reacted negatively to Wang and the protests by other Chinese students. "The Chinese students [who are protesting] are acting on behalf of a clearly fascist, violent communist regime," said one in comments following Wang's article.

"Go back to China and experience your freedom of choice there," wrote ImamAzol.

A less articulate person, calling himself Joe Schmoe, remarked, "F..k off, you Commie scum."