Lady Gaga angers Chinese fans after meeting with the Dalai Lama

Reactions to pictures of Gaga and the Dalai Lama on social media have ranged from outpourings of appreciation to Chinese fans expressing their fury

(AP)

Lady Gaga has angered Chinese fans after meeting with the Dalai Lama.

On Sunday, the singer posted a 20-minute video of herself with the Dalai Lama which has been viewed over three million times. The video, initially broadcast live on her Facebook page, showed her asking the leader of the Tibetan Buddhism a series of questions from viewers.

Ater Gaga met with the spiritual leader, she shared a series of pictures with her 17.5 million Instagram followers. The images sparked a backlash from some of her Chinese fans.

China regards the Dalai Lama as separatist and he continues to live in exile after fleeing to India during the Tibetan uprising of 1959. He maintains he wants autonomy for Tibet from China and advocates a 'middle-way' between autonomy and independence.

Comments left on the Chinese social media platform Weibo reportedly included: “Lady Gaga, you’re never coming back to China”. On Instagram, there was a mixture of comments and debate on Chinese and Tibetan politics. One user wrote: “You make your Chinese fans disappointed and annoyed”, while another said “meeting him [the Dalai Lama] is harmful to most of the Chinese people”.

However, a majority of Gaga’s fans have supported the singer and the Dalai Lama, saying it is important for her to spread a message of peace and harmony.

Responding to the internet criticism, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei referred to Gaga’s meeting when he told reporters: “After the relevant incident happened, if you look at comments on the Chinese internet, their anger has welled up,” reports Reuters.

Reports from Hong Kong have also suggested the 30-year-old singer is now the focus of China’s Central Propaganda Department, who has allegedly issued a ban on Lady Gaga from all mainstream media in the country.

There is also now a risk Gaga could be blacklisted from performing in China, which is a fate several artists have suffered in recent years after endorsing the Dalai Lama.

Last year, Bon Jovi’s scheduled concerts in Shanghai and Beijing were pulled reportedly after pictures of the Dalai Lama were used at their concert in Tawain in 2010. Oasis were also forced to cancel shows in 2009 because Liam Gallagher had performed at a Free Tibet gig in New York in 1997.

Representatives for Lady Gaga did not immediately respond to a request for comment.