New Delhi, Jan 11 (IANS) Terming the Tibetan struggle as a movement towards true democracy, Hollywood superstar Richard Gere Wednesday said China would have to kill every Tibetan in order to change them.

“China, especially Chinese-ruled Tibet is a very difficult place to live if you are a free thinker, if you are an artist, if you are a religious person,” Gere told the NDTV 24X7 news channel adding: “It would have to kill every Tibetan if it wants to change them.”

“China wrongly gauges the Tibetan people, thinking it can subvert their deep religious beliefs and make them true Communists. It’s never going to happen as their whole lives have revolved around Buddhism and around their teachers,” said Gere.

He said the influx of Han Chinese people into Tibet is not going to change the Tibetans.

“No matter how many roads or skyscrapers China builds or even if it brings six or seven million Han Chinese settlers to Tibet, it is not going to change,” he said.

Terming Tibet to be “an occupied country”, Gere said: “There’s no one in the Tibetan movement that wants to destroy China or hurt the Chinese.”