Olympic flame fuels human rights protests
As the Olympic torch makes its way to Beijing for the Olympics Summer Games, the world is watching the journey. And that’s what human rights activists are counting on.
An event that was supposed to polish China’s image around the world has turned into a public relations nightmare – not only for China, but also for the nations along the torch’s relay route. The Summer Games and the torch’s journey have served as rallying points for a wide range of opponents of the Chinese government, most notably those supporting autonomy for Tibet…
…Tibetan organizations have said they plan protests at every stop on the torch’s 21-nation tour. Its next stops are Paris, where it arrived late Sunday, and San Francisco, its only American stop, on Wednesday. The monthlong tour is scheduled to end in Vietnam in three weeks. That is to be followed by a six-week, 46-stop tour of China.
Judging by the events in London on Sunday, the tour could prove jarring for Beijing. What organizers had billed as an occasion to celebrate the Olympics’ sporting ideals of peace and harmony turned into a day-long contest between China’s supporters and demonstrators protesting China’s crackdown in Tibet and its wider human rights record. (International Herald Tribune)
One protester, David Allen, said it made him angry to see British sports stars being guarded by Chinese security men. "…It makes us complicit in the regime’s repression," he remarked. The situation worsened in Paris where the torch went out several times and protesters were able to get dangerously close to athletes, officials and torchbearers.
A Chinese spokesman, Qu Yingpu, said Chinese officials were grateful to the police "for their efforts to keep order." He added, "This is not the right time, the right platform, for any people to voice their political views."
Are the Olympic Games the right platform for human rights protests? Will the actions of the protesters bring about change for the people of China and Tibet? Does anyone have the right to tell other Governments how to treat their own people?
Image by H@r@ld used under Created Commons Licensing
2 Responses to “Olympic flame fuels human rights protests”
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I’m all about people being passionate and standing up for what they believe in, but they are taking it a bit too far, in my humble opinion. Let people enjoy the olympic games and their festivities.
You do have to wonder what they thought would happen. China’s, let’s call them “issues with human rights violations” were never going to be wiped out through two weeks of the games, no matter how pretty those Olympic rings look whitewashed on buildings.
I can understand the protests, but I also feel for the athletes who have worked so hard to get to this moment. They have dedicated a lifetime to achieving excellence in their sport and for many of them, this is the only window they’ll get, the one chance to compete at this level.
Can you imagine the conversations that must have happened behind the closed doors of the IOC when this idea was originally tabled?