tagged w/ Free Tibet
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"We believe the Olympic Games are not the place for demonstrations and we hope that all people attending the games recognize the importance of this." Thus spake Samsung Electronics, one of 12 major corporate sponsors of the Olympics, when asked last week whether recent events in Tibet were causing them any concern. Coca-Cola, another Olympics sponsor, has stated that while it would be inappropriate "to comment on the political situation of individual nations," the company firmly believes "that the Olympics are a force for good." The chairman of the International Olympic Committee, Jacques Rogge, was also quick to declare that "a boycott doesn't solve anything"—just as quick as he was to dismiss the demonstrators who waved a black banner showing five interlocked handcuffs, in mockery of the Olympic symbol, at Monday's lighting of the Olympic torch in Greece. "It is always sad to see such a ceremony disrupted," he declared, rather pompously.
And no one was surprised: Companies that have invested millions in sponsorship deals and Olympic bureaucrats who have invested years trying to justify their controversial decision to award the 2008 Olympics to Beijing are naturally inclined to use those sorts of arguments. But that doesn't mean that the rest of us have to believe them.
Look a bit closer, in fact, and none of those statements holds up. "We believe the Olympic Games are not the place for demonstrations and we hope... more
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The flagship newspaper of China's ruling communist party called for efforts to crush anti-government demonstrations by Tibetan protesters. The flagship newspaper of China's ruling communist party called for efforts to... more
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The cutest riot ever! Heather Mills acting weird! A GIANT ROBOT DOG! Eric Ledgin delivers this week's Talking Points.The cutest riot ever! Heather Mills acting weird! A GIANT ROBOT DOG! Eric Ledgin... more
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A march for a free Tibet took place today, Saturday 22nd March, from Regents Park to Trafalgar Square. Six Tibetan students at British universities are also to stage a 24-hour hunger strike on the pavement opposite the Chinese Embassy in London. Protesters gathered outside the building yesterday to show their support for anti-Chinese demonstrations in Tibet, shouting slogans in the build-up to 4pm - midnight in Tibet - which was the Chinese government's deadline for the unrest in Tibet to end. Footage and photographs from the weekend's events? Post 'em here.
A march for a free Tibet took place today, Saturday 22nd March, from Regents Park to... more
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Tensions remain high in Tibet, Sichuan and other neighbouring areas where the government has deployed troops to quell riots. Tibetans in China's southwestern province of Sichuan on Friday said they believed several people had been killed in anti-Chinese protests there this week, disputing official claims of no deaths. China's heavily-censored official news agency, Xinhua, reported that police shot and wounded four protesters in a province heavily populated by Tibetans, where protests broke out after anti-Chinese riots in neighbouring Tibet a week ago. The unrest has unnerved China, keen to look its best in the run-up to the August Olympic Games in Beijing. The Dalai Lama said yesterday that he feared villagers in remote parts of Tibet were "facing death" from Chinese troops intent on seeking retribution for last week's protests, but suggested that he was prepared to meet Chinese leaders to resolve the crisis. The spiritual leader singled out a number of international figures, including the Pope, George Bush, Gordon Brown, Tony Blair and the German chancellor, Angela Merkel - who he said had been "sympathetic and supportive" to his words. The question many are asking is whether we should be holding the Olympic Games in such an illiberal country - and by doing so, are we condoning what is essentially repression?Tensions remain high in Tibet, Sichuan and other neighbouring areas where the... more
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