Thousands of Chinese supporters were on Parliament Hill Sunday to protest the way Olympic protests about China's treatment of Tibet have been covered in the media.

"The coverage from Western media should be more factual, should not be biased," said organizer Adam Wang Monday, a day after he estimated 6,000 people, many bused in from Toronto and Montreal, converged in Ottawa for the rally.

One of the goals of the protest was to draw attention to another side of the violence in Tibet, he said.

"Ethnic Chinese, they are targeted by the separatist movement. They're the victims this time. But nobody seems to care."

China has said more than 600 people were injured in Buddhist uprisings in Tibet in mid-March, which saw dozens of buildings burnt and destroyed. But China's figure for the number of people killed — 22 — was far lower than the 99 reported by Tibetan exile groups.

Torch runs leading up to this summer's Olympics in Beijing have been marred in recent weeks by demonstrators calling for Tibetan independence from China, forcing detours and delays along the runners' routes.

On Sunday, protesters in Ottawa waved red flags, banners and placards bearing slogans such as "One China, one family" and "Tibet will always be a part of China."

They sang the Chinese anthem, and handed out leaflets urging the Canadian government to show "common sense" and avoid mixing sport and politics in the run-up to the Olympics.

On the other hand, the protest itself was political for demonstrators such as local resident Ying Chen.

"Here, people getting together just want to show the Western people the other side of the Tibet issue," said Chen, who has lived in Ottawa for five years but is originally from China.

Daniel Cheng, who came to the rally from Toronto, said Canadians shouldn't be so quick to judge China without questioning "our own treatment of aboriginals or the Quebec people who had their independence movement crushed."