The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), a South African opposition party, has called on Indian police to arrest and prosecute the Dalai Lama for child abuse after a video of his inappropriate interaction with a boy went viral.
At a public event, the 87-year-old Tibetan spiritual leader is seen kissing a young boy on the lips and asking him to “suck his tongue.” The incident appears to have occurred in February at the Dalai Lama’s temple in Dharamshala.
Following an international outcry, the Dalai Lama apologized and expressed regret for the incident.
In Tibet, sticking one’s tongue out can be a form of greeting.
The “lame apology,” according to the EFF, should be rejected because it came a month after the incident.
According to the statement, Indian authorities must issue a strong warning to “all those who dare to harm children that they will be prosecuted harshly regardless of their status.”
Since fleeing Tibet in 1959, following an uprising against Chinese rule, the Dalai Lama has lived in exile in India.
