IOC May Halt Torch Relay
In the wake of protests in Britain and France, the International Olympic Comittee is considering canceling the Olympic torch relay completely.
BEIJING - The IOC will consider ending the international leg of the Beijing Olympic torch relay as a result of the anti-Chinese protests.
International Olympic Committee president Jacques Rogge says the issue will be discussed by the organization's executive board on Friday.
The Frrech had to cancel the final leg of the relay due to the extreme protests. If the San Francisco leg of the relay on Wednesday degenerates into the same mess, my guess is that the IOC will halt it at their meeting. The early signs are that the San Francisco one will be even worse.
SAN FRANCISCO - Three people protesting China's human rights record and the impending arrival of the Olympic torch climbed up the Golden Gate Bridge on Monday and tied the Tibetan flag and two banners to its cables.
The banners read "One World One Dream. Free Tibet" and "Free Tibet 08."
The protesters wore helmets and harnesses as they made their way up the cables running next to the south tower of the famed span. The climb had the group suspended about 150 feet above traffic.
Reached by cell phone as he dangled from the bridge, demonstrator Laurel Sutherlin said he was worried that the torch's planned route through Tibet would lead to more arrests and Chinese officials would use force to stifle dissent.
I do not, in any way, believe that China has any right whatsoever to be in Tibet. But the fact is that this kind of destructive protest will probably make things worse rather than better. The Chinese government and people are going to feel nothing but bitterness and anger over this and are going to be less likely to negotiate, not more.
World news | Gaius Tuesday, 8 April , 2008
By ted goldman, Tuesday, 8 April , 2008 @ 10:37 am
The current protests against China have already achieved results. The entire world is now paying attention to the tragedy of Tibet.
Failing to take advantage of this timely public relations bonanza aganst tyranical China would be nothing less than criminal.
Suggesting additional fruitless "negotiations", after 50 years, is disingenuos, and quite atypical of Blue Crab.
By BubbaB, Tuesday, 8 April , 2008 @ 10:40 am
I always say to give credit where credit is due.I may not agree with what they have to say, but those protesters that climbed up the Golden Gate Bridge have my sincere respect. They are literally putting their lives on the line for something they believe in.That is fairly unusual in San Francisco.
By sam, Tuesday, 8 April , 2008 @ 11:24 am
I wonder if there will ever be another torch relay. After all, there probably isn’t a host city/country anywhere on earth that wouldn’t have some group with some grievance that they would use to disrupt the relay. I remember the torch relay for the 2002 Salt Lake Olympics and what a great time the people and runners (some of which I know) had.Regardless of what you think of China and their treatment of Tibet, I don’t think that this is a good development.
By Jess, Tuesday, 8 April , 2008 @ 12:45 pm
While the protests may "working" in the sense that they are forcing the MSM to shed some light on the Chinese occupation of Tibet, I heartily disagree with the protests these past few days. I was angered when I heard a torch-bearer from the London leg describe how he was spit upon and booed. Really..? This poor guy was honored to be selected to carry the Olympic torch (probably one of the highlights in his life) and he gets treated like a war criminal. The protest should be directed at the real criminals, not the innocent bystanders.
By Gaius, Tuesday, 8 April , 2008 @ 7:57 pm
Ted,
I think these protests actually work against real change. They will make the Chinese angry and less likely to make any changes. Economic pressure, on the other hand, can force change. But only if you have real economic clout. You do not get that by alienating the people you want to change.