Human-Powered Olympic Torch Relay Disrupted
The Olympic Torch Relay, in which the Olympic flame is carried by runners ahead of the Olympic Games, has unfortunately been disrupted by protesters. Protests in London, Paris, and now in San Francisco have led to reroutes and motorized transport to be implemented for portions of the relay.
An Associated Press report by Juliana Barbassa and Marcus Wohlsen covers the situation in San Francisco:
Then, at the opening ceremony, the first torchbearer took the flame from a lantern brought to the stage and held it aloft before running into a warehouse. A motorcycle escort departed, but the torchbearer was nowhere in sight.
Officials drove the Olympic torch about a mile inland and handed it off to two runners away from protesters and media, and they began jogging toward the Golden Gate Bridge, in the opposite direction of the crowds awaiting its passing.
While it is understandable that people want to protest against human rights violations in China, The Low-Tech Times believes that protests against the Olympic Torch Relay are misguided. Protesters should be able to think of a better way to express themselves rather than tormenting the athletes and fans of the Olympic Games.
April 16th, 2008 at 3:34 pm
China will not feel the pressure unless its propaganda can take a back stage and unless its actions are reprimanded in public. The chinese government is a lot like a very stubborn child, that needs to be taught a lesson. I am in favour of the Pro-Tibet protests, because these few occasions when China’s credibility comes out in the open are rare, and because any protests inside China will only be to the Tibetians’ disadvantage given China’s brute police force.
April 16th, 2008 at 8:18 pm
Thanks for your comment. I appreciate that people are trying to accomplish something good. However, I don’t think disrupting or boycotting the Olympics is the best course of action. The threat of a U.S. boycott of the 1980 Olympics did not cause the Soviets to withdraw from Afghanistan. Instead the boycott was unfair to U.S. athletes who spent much of their lives preparing for the Olympic games.
April 18th, 2008 at 1:59 pm
You have a point there. The fact remains that China has been a human rights violator for a long time in Tibet and this incident is no exception. However, the backlash against China seems to be because of the ire that young Tibetians feel because of the damage done to their community and their society. If you have been following Asian politics recently, you will know that Bhutan and Nepal have also committed to Democracy - a democracy powered by Maoists is now all set to come to power in Nepal. China’s nationalist expansion has already robbed India of two territories and now that Tibet has been eliminated, it is easier for China to position their missile deterrents and point them at strategic targets in India and Pakistan. The truth about the region is that it is Multipolar and the US has very little say in what happens there. The power balance has been delicate for the past sixty years and will become even more so with these developments.
The Olympics are seen as a sign of resurgence in China and secretively, most Chinese (communists especially) see Tibet as a vital part of their strategic map. China could go two ways now - on an expansionist spree consisting of Nepal, Bhutan and states like Sikkim in India, or could consolidate its position in Tibet. Either way, China is more militarily dangerous now than it has ever been.
April 18th, 2008 at 8:57 pm
Thanks for your comment. I am most definitely pro-Democracy.