Any Way You Cut It, Trouble Ahead for Beijing Olympics
The Olympic torch has only visited a few places, but everywhere it goes, trouble follows. Athens was a disaster, with a press-credentialed person storming the stage. In London T1betan independent supporters ran afoul, with severe consequences the Chinese papers were only too happy to play up. Now in Paris thousands of protesters apparently forced the Parisian police to extinguish the flame. Here is how the Times described the scene in Paris:
Some 3,000 police — on foot, horseback, roller blades, motorbikes and even boats in the river Seine — tried to prevent a repeat of the scenes in London on Sunday, when the torch relay turned into a tumult of scuffles. One man broke through a tight security cordon in the London protests and made a failed grab for the torch, and 35 people were arrested.
China’s official Xinhua news agency on Monday condemned the “vile misdeeds” of protesters in London.
Perhaps the Times was referring to this report in the People’s Daily (please note that the second character of T1bet has been altered to avoid attention):
英国伦敦警方6日逮捕了极少数企图干扰破坏奥运圣火传递的“［赠］独”分子。对于“［赠］独”分子破坏奥运圣火传递的恶劣行径，许多当地民众表示十分愤慨，北京奥组委有关发言人予以强烈谴责。
当地时间6日上午10时30分（北京时间17时30分），北京奥运会火炬在旁观人群的欢呼和鼓掌声中开始传递。在传递过程中，先是有一名“［赠］独”分子试 图抢走火炬，然后又有两名“［赠］独”分子企图扑灭圣火，此后又有数名“［赠］独”分子试图阻拦火炬传递，但英国警方迅速制止了这些干扰行为，使火炬传递继续顺利 进行。
Basically the report says that the mobs of English were outraged and upset that “separatists” were disrupting the proceedings. It should be interesting to see how the Chinese press reports on the Paris situation, where it clearly was not a few crazy people:
Many protesters — demonstrating against China’s human rights policies in general, or for a free T1bet, or simply for a boycott of the Olympics in Beijing — echoed a headline emblazoned across the front page of the left-wing daily Liberation, under a picture of the Olympic rings restyled as handcuffs: ”Liberate The Olympic Games!”
Protesters came from all around Europe, including four busloads from Belgium. L0bsang Dechen, a 29-year-old T1betan refugee living in Belgium for 4 ½ years, said Europeans should help the cause of T1bet by boycotting the Games. ‘’China does not deserve to be the host,” she said. ‘’They have to first learn to respect human rights in T1bet.’
This has been the reaction in London and Paris. I think it’s safe to say China didn’t realize what it got itself into. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, these Games are going to be really interesting.
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nanheyangrouchuan responds:
Posted: April 8th, 2008 at 12:12 am →
We all help contribute to the oppression of T1betans, Uy8hurs, and Chinese by buying products made in China and by supporting the Chinese gov’t by with expat job assignments.
Matthew Stinson responds:
Posted: April 8th, 2008 at 1:08 am →
The San Francisco torch run is going to be a riot. Literally.
Chris Devonshire-Ellis responds:
Posted: April 8th, 2008 at 3:29 am →
Wait until it gets to Delhi on 17th April - India has already warned China it is a democracy and people have the right to protest in a free country. So what with the Dala1 Lam@ in-country, T1bet on it’s border and a current mistrust of all things China by the general populace, expect some fireworks. I cannot imagine what the Chinese think they are doing by trying to take it up Everest - half of which is Nepalese - and through Lasa. Talk about asking for trouble.
Ooyoo responds:
Posted: April 8th, 2008 at 4:05 am →
London: http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/gallery/2008/apr/06/londonolympicprotest?picture=333419373
Paris: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/video/2008/apr/07/france.torch.protests
Ooyoo responds:
Posted: April 8th, 2008 at 4:13 am →
London again (video): http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/apr/07/olympicgames2008.china2
Larry responds:
Posted: April 8th, 2008 at 6:09 am →
you are wrong. There won’t be any trouble. See
http://www.mingpaonews.com/20080408/_08nh201.jpg
Lu responds:
Posted: April 8th, 2008 at 8:28 pm →
Thanks for posting that link Larry, that’s an awesome picture
Chris Devonshire-Ellis responds:
Posted: April 9th, 2008 at 8:30 am →
I think the Chinese are not really quite sure what to do, the signs are contradictory. The South China Morning Post imported from HK yesterday had front page pictorial coverage of the protests in Paris, and a full inside special of the semi riots and the torch being blown out five times. Usually, they wouldn’t let that sort of material in. Yet here they are allowing it. Yet my imported subscription copy of the New Yorker magazine, which I know has carried stories on the issues, has failed to reach me the last two weeks and they also blank out certain TV reports, and ban reporters from [Lasa], and parts of Sichuan, Yunnan, Gansu and X1njiang. So the media handling and China censorship issues are highly erratic. Usually such a display of paradoxical measures means the central government itself is split on how to handle it, and Beijing has it’s hands tied right now just before the Olympics. For sure they didn’t see this one coming, and I suspect it will only get worse in terms of media pressure and international campaigning. I really don’t think they know what to do - even the IOC President is starting to sound uncomfortable on the issue, and when that happens it’s not entirely indicative of a complete show of support. These Olympics are not going to be what China expected. They are a global games, not a Chinese one for a start, and therefore have limited rights themselves to impose restrictions on free speech and opinions. They hadn’t figured that one out beforehand.
nanheyangrouchuan responds:
Posted: April 9th, 2008 at 3:21 pm →
This is the perfect time to split and burn China as well as the western institutions that failed the world and allowed this farce to take place. The leaders of the UK, EU and US must be racked for their short sightedness and corporate servitude.