Photos From Olympic Torch Relay Protest In London

SoonForgotten2

For any interested parties I was down in the middle of the Whitehall protest today to shoot the events as they unfolded. I know there are going to be further protests when the torch passes through San Fran, Paris, Buenos Aires, etc so if that's your thing, go take part.

Photos are here:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/jmgphotos/sets/72157604412491939/

lazymoon13

its going ot be interesting to see how the Olympics go this summer..

quarterpast

I'm so happy people are getting out and protesting. The closer we get to the Olympics, the worse things have been getting in Tibet. This was China's big chance to be seen as a nearly humane government. Totally blew it.

I know Richard Gere and other celebs are protesting in San Fran, hope they get a big turn out and press coverage! If it was coming closer than 3000 miles away from me, I'd be out there.

SoonForgotten2

quarterpast wrote:

I'm so happy people are getting out and protesting. The closer we get to the Olympics, the worse things have been getting in Tibet. This was China's big chance to be seen as a nearly humane government. Totally blew it.

I know Richard Gere and other celebs are protesting in San Fran, hope they get a big turn out and press coverage! If it was coming closer than 3000 miles away from me, I'd be out there.

Yeah, it's really like the government is rubbing the west's face in it- daring them to do something about it with the Olympics coming up. And parading the torch through the most liberal city in the US? They must love the controversy.

prljmngrl

OK i'm not up on this topic. Why are people protesting the running of the olympic torch?

Anon

prljmngrl wrote:

OK i'm not up on this topic. Why are people protesting the running of the olympic torch?

The torch is supposed to be a symbol of international peace and some feel it's inappropriate for China to be using it. The atrocities committed by the Chinese government in Tibet, among other things, are far from peaceful :(

SoonForgotten2

Reports are that the flame has been extinguished twice in Paris. Nice to see the people putting some heat on China when the governments won't.

prljmngrl

Pj_Gurl wrote:

The torch is supposed to be a symbol of international peace and some feel it's inappropriate for China to be using it. The atrocities committed by the Chinese government in Tibet, among other things, are far from peaceful :(

Every Olympics some country somewhere is experiencing unrest or war. This is rediculous because the Olympics is sports not politics. So the flame represents peace...this is for the benefit of the participants and the fans. It has nothing to do with individual situations. People from many countries have prepared for years to participate. By harrassing the Olympic foundation, innocent people are being affected. If you don't like what is going on in China, go to China and protest. Nowhere else.

Anon

prljmngrl wrote:

Every Olympics some country somewhere is experiencing unrest or war. This is rediculous because the Olympics is sports not politics. So the flame represents peace...this is for the benefit of the participants and the fans. It has nothing to do with individual situations. People from many countries have prepared for years to participate. By harrassing the Olympic foundation, innocent people are being affected. If you don't like what is going on in China, go to China and protest. Nowhere else.

Americans attended every Olympics until the Moscow Games, of 1980, which they boycotted to protest the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. Sixty-two countries joined the boycott, including -- you guessed it -- the People's Republic of China.

So spare me the anguished retort about "politicizing" the Olympics. The Olympics have always been political. And no one understands that better than the Chinese leaders, who are counting on the Games to advertise their achievements, and hide their misdeeds.

Smellyman2

However the atrocities in Tibet pale in comparison to Iraq

SoonForgotten2

prljmngrl wrote:

Every Olympics some country somewhere is experiencing unrest or war. This is rediculous because the Olympics is sports not politics. So the flame represents peace...this is for the benefit of the participants and the fans. It has nothing to do with individual situations. People from many countries have prepared for years to participate. By harrassing the Olympic foundation, innocent people are being affected. If you don't like what is going on in China, go to China and protest. Nowhere else.

Sorry, you cannot set aside the politics when it comes to the Olympics. It goes hand in hand. The IOC should have never awarded a country with such horrific human rights abuses as China the games in the first place. The idea of glossing over the ongoing abuses and murders for the sake of sport is ridiculous. Human rights are for more important than any sport will ever be.

Both the IOC and China have this coming and it's probably the best opportunity the put pressure on them regarding Tibet that will present itself anytime in the near future.

BrotherLoveBone

Boycotting the Olympics now would be a huge step back to the cold war era and just as useless as it was then. It caused Russia and 13 other countries to boycott the LA Olympics 1984. Soviet war in Afhganistan ended in 1989.

It's good that Tibet can use this publicity to make their voices heard but if they keep doing it by trying to extinguish the flame over and over again I will start to lose my symphaties for the cause.

If you want to put pressure on China why don't you demand your government to use economical boycotts, trade tariffs etc. to really make an impact? Using a sporting event to "help" Tibet is just lame. Preventing athletes to try and fulfill their dreams of participating in the Olympics because of this would be stupid. It's an event where even North and South Korea can forget their political differencies and march together under Korean Unification Flag, although they still compete seperately.

SoonForgotten2

Smellyman wrote:

However the atrocities in Tibet pale in comparison to Iraq

Well, China has a pretty long track record of brutality against it's own people, nevermind Tibet. Tiananmen Square?

Not to say that anyone gets a pass on iraq, because they don't and it's war crimes aplenty, but I know I'd take justice whereever I can get it.