Well that feel good moment when the Chinese didn't arrest protestors didn't last long did it, but on the bright side it looks like it won't become a winter wonderland in the abyss anytime soon as China is well on it's way to not shocking the world with it's ability to tolerate differing opinions.
A mix of Tibet, religious freedom and anti-abortion activists slipped through the Olympics security (who I am so now going to totally refer to as the Image Police from now on) to launch so called "guerrilla raids" against key policies of the Chinese Communist Party (aka stuff about Tibet, religious freedom and abortion seeing how those groups were all involved).
Of course it didn't hurt that the timing was set to make the Chinese look bad on the day the Olympic Torch was ran about Beijing. They seemingly passed almost unnoticed by the locals (yeah, like they don't know all about it already) but was big stuff around the world through journalists and others which the article I picked up on this said was sent "by a series of covert emails, phone calls and text messages."
Unless you happen to check out the news networks in America like MSNBC, CNN or FIXED NOISE... I mean FOX NEWS... then it is only getting spotty news reports (you have to watch your favorite network non stop just to get bits and pieces of reports between all the other news, so much for this being big stuff all over eh?)
These two seem to get the most focus, as even I've seen a few images of them from different news networks (and very little info on what they did).
But in case you missed the small bits from the news networks? American Phill Bartell and Briton Iain Thom (34 and 24 respectively) climbed lighting posts near the large central jewel of the Olympics (the "Bird's Nest" stadium -- mmm -- tasty?) at around 5:30AM in the morning, unfurling banners saying "One World One Dream Free Tibet", a so-called parody of the official Beijing Olympics slogan "One World One Dream" (three steps above the official Beijing Olympics video game slogan "Ha ha! Our Mario/Sonic video game runs laps around your sucky Olympics games!")
Another banner said "Free Tibet" in Chinese.
Mr Thom did manage to speak to reporters (as such a display couldn't be missed by even the most attention deficit reporter in the city) from the top of the pole via telephone (cell phone I take it since I don't think they hook up landlines on lighting posts... or do they...). Anyway he said he was a long-term activist on the Tibet issue.
Mr. Thom "This is a really critical time for Tibet. The Olympic Games are being used as a propaganda tool by the Chinese government to whitewash their human rights record."
No. Really. And whose fault is that again... oh, right, the IOC. So sue them for being Polyanna-ish in their belief that they can change the world with their Olympic dreams! (Or maybe it was just fairness since China didn't get an Olympics since... since... say, did they ever have the Olympics before now?)
Anyway this time out it wasn't members of a local communist group leading the people away like last time I spoke of this (which seems to be yesterday or so if memory serves) as the article from the telegraph (a British news site I seem to use alot for information) notes "Police "rushed to the scene" according to state media, although Students for a Free Tibet, which organised the climb, said the banners remained up for at least an hour. All four were detained, with the other two demonstrators being named as Lucy Fairbrother, 23, a Bristol University graduate from Cambridge now living in London, and Tirian Mink, 32, from Oregon."
I'd hate to have lost that long bout of jan-ken-po to decide who is unfortunate enough to climb up and bring the banners down.
A British embassy spokesman said consular officials were trying to get access to those held. District police in Beijing said they had no comment.
Now according to the article "Standard procedure would be immediate deportation to Hong Kong, but the Chinese authorities have already warned that foreigners who protest illegally risk being given "administrative punishments" - fines or jail terms without trial."
Because lord knows who wants a clean fun Olympics when the entire thing can become a long quagmire of political bitching and shrieking and threatening as China butches up and the world gets pissed off. On the upside the networks running the Olympics are going to get alot of viewership as people watch the three ring circus of political clowns mar the Olympics with their sideshow antics.
Just deport the damn people back home and give up while your behind, China!
As if they can't add 2 plus 2 together, it seems the Beijing Olympic Committee criticised the protest (quick, somebody play "here comes the clowns"), which happened just prior to the Torch (which of late seems to be it's own source of hatred as people have tried more than once to douse it in it's recent past and present) was paraded from the Forbidden City, through Tiananmen Square and around the city as a triumphal climax to its circumnavigation of the globe. (Or not so triumphant as it arrived in a city of big children with too much power and quick to throw hissy fits when they don't get things done their way).
Still somebody managed to enjoy themselves here and remembered that you're suppose to be having fun watching the Olympics torch as it was cheered all the way by crowds of Chinese waving the national flag (hopefully through genuine joy and not under threat of imprisonment).
Meanwhile in a case of China vs. Home Movies journalists were summoned to a hotel near the Workers' Stadium (Workers' Stadium? How communist of them to name it that) where two "westerners" were waiting to show off a film taped by two Tibetans, who travelled 'round their homeland recording views on the Games. As you probably expected the hotel officials demanded access to the event and requested those present leave immediately... hmm... wonder why. This time out nobody seemed to attempt to detain anyone but plain clothes security seemed to be watching the hotel (because as it turns out subtlety may not be one of the strong points of plain clothes security across the world).
According to the article... ""I have invited you to see a movie that a friend asked me to show to you," one of the two, both unnamed, said. He said he regretted he was unable to do so, and added that he had a "weird feeling" about whether he would be arrested or not later on."
Never heard of secretly passing it person to person off the radar, huh? I feel sorry for the people who made the film as I am sure it is now "missing" (destroyed).
Anyway don't expect peace and love this Olympics as a spokesman for Students for a Free Tibet warned that there would be more demonstrations as the Games unfolded.
Great. Just what we needed... though I am curious to see if the head of the IOC is going to be dumb enough to declare this the best Olympics ever if there's nonstop pissing matches between the Government and protest groups throughout the whole event.
In what the Telegraph called "The most complex stunt" (what I call the most morbid event of the protests) it was said the "stunt" "was arranged by anonymous religious freedom protesters. Visitors to specific rooms in two four-star hotels in the centre of the city were greeted by the sight of life-size dolls splattered with red paint to represent blood."
"Red slogans were also painted on the wall, saying: "Speak out for those who have no voice", "One World One Nightmare" and "Sign the ICCPR". The ICCPR is the International Convention on Civil and Political Rights, which the Chinese have in fact signed but not ratified.
There was also a list of imprisoned pastors from China's underground "house churches", which refuse to register with the state-backed protestant church, and other prisoners of conscience."
I don't know though. If it wasn't for the list of imprisoned pastors I'd probably have jumped to conclusions if I saw that and thought the Chinese Government pissed of satanists or something.
On the web it seems a password-protected website connected to the protest conains articles on the "persecution of a number of religious groups, including the Christian churches but also Falun Gong, a quasi-Buddhist sect fiercely repressed by Beijing. Eventually the hotel rooms were shut down to outsiders." (again from article by the Telegraph)
Now what about the abortion protest? According to the Telegraph "More briefly, three anti-abortion activists were briefly questioned and then released in Tiananmen Square after shouting slogans attacking China's one-child policy.
"End the brutality," they yelled. "To those who are forced to go through forced abortions and have no voice, we are your voice.""
All in all this was the least troubling protest of the day for the Chinese police to handle. The guys sent to handle it will never hear the end of it from their co-workers who ended up at the harder protests (especially the guy who maybe lost jan-ken-po to bring down the protest banners off the top of the tall lighting tower).
(Ok, technically they could have just shot down the banners but I'm just fixated on some poor guy getting stuck with the job of climbing up and taking them down by hand).
China wasn't the only source of protests, for instance the Telegraph mentioned that "Two of the Beijing protesters’ fellow campaigners scaled Tower Bridge in London." while the cable news networks drop mention of other protests though no specifics.
According to the Telegraph about the British protest, "James Murray and Jenny Raynor, who also belong to Students for a Free Tibet, climbed suspension cables to reach a height of 100ft above the River Thames.
The pair unfurled Tibetan national flags and a 37 sq ft banner reading: “Beijing 2008: Make Olympic History: Free Tibet.”
The action by Mr Murray, 23, of Edinburgh University and Ms Raynor, 26, of Cambridge University, was one of a series of demonstrations carried out by Tibetans and their supporters around the world, SFT said.
Mr Murray said: “The Chinese government is using the Beijing Olympics in an attempt to legitimise its brutal occupation of Tibet and cover up its human rights record.
“We are here in solidarity with Tibetans to support their cries for human rights and freedom.
“At this critical moment, we hope to shine the Olympic spotlight on China’s occupation of Tibet.
“The Chinese leadership must take immediate steps towards a peaceful end to its occupation of Tibet.”
SFT spokesman Tenzin Jigdal, 25, a Tibetan studying at London Metropolitan University, said: “Thousands of my fellow Tibetans remain detained or missing in China’s violent and ongoing crackdown.
“Many Tibetans have described the repression as the wrst they have experienced since the darkest days of the Cultural Revolution.”"
Wow, that was a long according to piece!
In anycase it's now 2 days to the Opening Ceremonies, imagine what new hijinx is going to unfurl (like a protest banner above Beijing) tomorrow!
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