The Dalai Lama threatened a symbolic resignation as the spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhists if violence in Tibet escalated. He called on Tibetans to live in peace with the Chinese, The Times of London said Tuesday.

The Tibetan Youth Congress, who staged protests against the Beijing Summer Olympic Games and violence targeting Tibetans, criticized the Dalai Lama's message of non-violence and his calls for "meaningful autonomy" instead of full Tibetan independence.

Tibetan monks marched throughout Tibet calling for "justice" and "freedom" as Chinese authorities manned checkpoints, censured international news coverage and responded with force against the crowds.

Tenzin Tsundue, a prominent writer and Tibetan activist, discarded the Dalai Lama's calls for autonomy as "wishful thinking," CNN reported.

Chinese authorities said the Dalai Lama "organized, premeditated, masterminded and incited" the Tibetan protests while the Dalai Lama accuses the Chinese of waging "cultural genocide" against his people.