The olympic torch and pro Tibet protests

[tinylady]

I think it is fantastic that their voices have been heard

The only people who are being persecuted are the poor bloody Tibetans and Chinese people who stand up to the regime.

Very glad for your family member's partner but the use of the word 'persecuted' to describe the athletes is a bit much, really. I haven't notice anyone beating them up, or throwing them in prison.

sorry edam, perhaps persecuted was a stupid word to use on here. Sorry

Would have been ashamed if torch went through London with no protest.

Agree with OrmIrian.

Of course the time to protest was when Beijing was awarded the Games. I'm sure there were protests at the time. Fat lot of good it did, though, did it? Meaning that the right time to protest is, as OrmIrian said, whenever the opportunity arises.

What better opportunity than when the world's media is on the torch relay? Of course, some protesters got a bit out of hand but then they are a bunch of individuals and smaller groups and probably reacting to developing opportunities.

It was a ridiculous decision, imho, to give the Games to China. I see no signs yet that the improvement in human rights that was and is used as the justification for it has begun and events in Tibet suggest that it is as far away as ever. All that has happened is that everyone is terrified of jeopardising the Olympics and don't dare put any real pressure on the Chinese government.

tiredemma- it may interest him that the dalai lama has said he thinks the olympics should go ahead, with protests in a peaceful form only

I think yesterday was the only opportunity the pro- tibetan protestors had to bring their cause to the attention of the worldwide media

I think the protests in Tibet have gained momentum this year precisely because the worlds eyes are on china. Ditto the protests which in turn might make the sponsors edgy he force some dialogue. Getting china into the open forums and less behind closed doors is surely only going to improve things eventually.
I am not sure about boycotting though as far as sportspeople are concerned. It has to be an individual decision.
think what many are missing is that people are not attacking the Olympic ideal fwiw but china and the Tibetan crisis.

edam- I think the whole coverage has been appalling
Haven't heard from pro-tibetans once

There was a bit of pro-Tibetan coverage yesterday on R4 - Joanna Lumley and a bloke from Free Tibet in London .

I for one am so glad they're getting all this publicity. I used to teach Tibetan refugees and the stories I heard were appalling. The recent Channel 4 doc. gave a good picture of the sort of thing that's been going on for years.

www.guardian.co.uk/
More here on Paris
Missed that winey

here

And there's 'A Year in Tibet' on BBC4 tomorrow night, 10pm for general info - a repeat, I think.

Connie Huq pisses me off. She was grinning as it was snatched from her and grinning as she talked about it later. Are children's tv presenters just genetically permanently happy? Or do they take drugs to make them so?

I have made many Tibetan friends since living here in Colorado and I'm proud to be associated with their Free Tibet movement having studied history and read a lot about what has happened in that country since China invaded. I hope that in San Francisco tomorrow (Wednesday) that there is an equally powerful protest made. I feel equally for the oppressed average chinese man/woman and child who are living in a "communist" state in abject poverty. Don't forget the protests made in China that were literally shot down. Those images are still very clear in my mind.

there is a rumour that the Chinese boys in blue outfits protecting the torch are actually trained Chinese soldiers; hence they were in effect given police-like powers on the streets of foreign countries. Does anyone else know any more about this? is China authorised to send its soldiers onto foreign soil like that?

Donnie - 'is China authorised to send its soldiers onto foreign soil like that?' - I bloody hope not! Shami Chakrabarti has been asking who they are - if anyone can get answers, she will.

if they are soldiers then I object very strongly to their presence as well as their true identity not baing disclosed.