10 April 2008

Olympic Torch protests

10 April 2008 | By tap

Does anybody know much about the Canberra pro Tibetan protests that are supposed to be taking place at the olympic torch relay? Who is organising it, where are people supposed to meet etc?

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tap12:43 pm 18 Apr 08

He was back then anyway. Im not too sure how much of a say he even has in it anymore.

tap12:06 pm 18 Apr 08

On the bus… off the bus… near the bus… painting the bus…

Skidbladnir11:31 am 18 Apr 08

First there were no chinese attendants.
Then there were three chinese attendants.
Now there will be six chinese attendants.

Apparently the manufacturing flaws inherent in China-produced goods will mean the Oympic torch will need to be physically relit by elite soldiers every 250 meters.

tap12:51 pm 16 Apr 08

Credit to Kevin Rudd for sticking to his guns over this.

But yeah, call it off.

Skidbladnir12:30 pm 16 Apr 08

As they’re not licensed security persons within Australia, the moment they step off their Magic Diplomatic Bus they’re no longer active members of the chinese military and just tourists\working visitors.

If they’re assaulting any fellow Chinese\Tibetans in exile, Taiwanese, Australian citizens or people who don’t want to be assaulted, they’re subject to the same laws as everyone else ought to be, so either get the attention of AFP to witness the alleged assault (and remember the name from the badge of your witnessing officer, who should be wearing some ID if they are on duty) and follow it up.

caf11:12 am 16 Apr 08

Gosper’s a goose.

neanderthalsis10:47 am 16 Apr 08

lloks like we both posted the same thing at the same time skid.

neanderthalsis10:39 am 16 Apr 08

Story on the ABC on security arrangements for the “Run with burning stick”:

http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/04/16/2218059.htm
It appears the local constabulary has been granted Police extra powers to search people and seize items including eggs, paint bombs, fire extinguishers and flares. (so don’t do the shopping and stand beside the road with a carton of eggs and a bag of flour)

Also, the head of the Oztralyan leg of the “run with burning stick” Committee, Ted Quinlan, says Chinese torch attendants could be arrested if they lay a hand on people during the relay and the ACT branch of the AFP are saying that the Chinese blue trackie dack brigade WILL NOT be used under any circumstances. Sounds as if the AFP are getting shirty about them being on their patch.

Skidbladnir10:37 am 16 Apr 08

Stolen from http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/04/15/2217755.htm

No Chinese security on torch relay: Police
Posted Tue Apr 15, 2008 4:34pm AEST

The head of security for the Canberra leg of the Olympic torch relay has moved to clear up confusion over the role Chinese military officials will play.

Deputy president of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Kevan Gosper says the Chinese will accompany the torch but will only be called on in an emergency.

But ACT deputy chief police officer Shane Connolly says Chinese authorities will not be used for security under any circumstances.

“Under no circumstances, no matter what occurs, will they be called on to perform a security function,” he said.

“In fact if there was an urgent situation the runners that we may have out at any one time would be put back into the bus for their own security.”

Mr Gosper had earlier said that if protests become too violent, the Chinese officials would be called on to provide security assistance.

So apparently, neither the left nor right hand knows what is happening.

tap5:27 pm 15 Apr 08

Because John Howard never went and did whatever other, stronger countries told him to do? No… unheard of…

neanderthalsis10:05 am 15 Apr 08

Well yesterdays Crikey had an alleged documnet from the Chinese Embassy sent to chinese students studying in Aus to participate in “Spontaneous Peaceful Patriotic Activity” and offering to bus students down from Sydney and feed them for the day to step once more unto the breach (what Uni student wouldn’t accept a free feed in return for a few hours of light protesting). They even appear to know the route the torch will take before us poor plebs have been informed.

Straight from Crikey:

Executive Summary: This activity is a voluntarily organised and spontaneous peaceful patriotic activity. The aim of this activity is prevent the disruptive actions of Free Tibet campaigners (the Chinese used is Zang du fenzi – Tibet Independence Elements) and Anti-Chinese elements from interfering with the Olympic torch relay.

Roles and Duties: The National Flag Group — is to hand out Chinese flags and Olympic flags to friendly onlookers; The Picket Group — will maintain order under the direction of the group leader. All members will follow instructions to protect the Olympic torch; The Propaganda Group (i.e., the PR team) — will hand out leaflets to standers-by, onlookers and others; and, The Visual Recording Group — will record the words, pronouncements, provocations and malicious actions of Free Tibet campaigners. Moreover, this group will record all other useful material.

Discipline: Obey orders, act collectively. Prevent all actions that can in any way be detrimental to the image of China, including words, comments and provocative behaviour, or any use of force. When confronting provocation you must be aware that the media will exaggerate even your most minor actions without any basis in fact while willfully ignoring those of the Free Tibet campaigners. You must remain calm and cool. The Visual Recording Group must be sure to be timely in taking footage of the provocations and destructive activities of the opposition. There must be reasonable use of the national flag and slogans. Do not drop any or leave any behind. When speaking to outsiders firmly maintain that this is entirely a spontaneous activity. You must accept no media interviews in the name of any group or collective. Keep a reasonable distance between yourself and the torch-bearer. Maintain a smiling face to onlookers, the media and other peaceful demonstrators. Demonstrate the good behaviour of the Chinese. Wear light and casual clothing. We suggest that you wear light colours.

Promotional Strategy – Option 1: The Canberra leg of the Beijing Olympic Torch Relay will begin at Capital Hill where Parliament House is located. The harmonious flame of the Olympic Torch will set alight the emotions of this garden city. The Australian Chinese Youth Exchange Promotion Association cordially invites all patriots, Chinese students studying overseas, patriotic young people as well as all of your friends and relatives to join hands as witnesses of this historical moment, to raise your arms and cheer! The aim of this activity is to share the Olympic Spirit and Great Chinese Civilisation with the whole world. The organisers will provide bus transportation from Sydney to Canberra return, as well as breakfast and lunch. Participants will also be presented with Olympic keepsakes. We will cooperate closely with the police to ensure the safe protection of the Olympic torch. Whenever any willfully disruptive individual is found they will immediately be handed over to the police to be dealt with.

So, a “spontaneous” counter protest organised well before the event, people bussed in to make up the numbers for the red team. Interesting times to be had on 24 Apr methinks.

Mane5:29 pm 12 Apr 08

@tap
1 You can pass an exam only when the correct answers have already been found. All what we are doing now (including the Chinese) are to understand the real facts, not to mention the right answers. Since there are uncountable things from every opinion lying in this issue, there would never be a correct answer. So what we can do is to understand the whole stuff as much as possible first rather than protest with popular.

2 Whether you can point out Tibet or not is actually not a big deal in the whole thing. It just indicates that whether you know or understand the people, culture and situations there. If not next interview would be some basic questions about its history or something after your preparation about the map location, like “Is Tibet a province?”

3,4 Every protester has his first time whenever he is provoked about his own world view and value view. One can also protest about different views on different things. You can protest for A in one event and protest in B camp in the other. But the goal of protest is solving the problem rather than protest itself and numerous ways can be done to achieve that goal, there can be more effective ways than protest. So a protestor may never be a protestor forever, wiser one has wiser way.

5 I can’t agree with you more at this point. We cannot scream every time we are touched.

6 Oh, come on, the Chinese lady in Floriade is for Falungong, a totally different issue. Of course you can connect everything with each other with “human rights”. But if you do it like that, it can only means you are not clear enough about any issue or both issues.

Of course we can use our own ways to express our opinions if it’s legal. Any your non-violent protest or non-attacking the torch’s plan seems OK, but make sure never get into the camp of Tibetans, ‘cause all they expressed to the Chinese government is Independence only. I don’t think a human rights issue= Independence, what about you? I am with your pro-human rights, and I think it is a long time-tackling problem even exists in Australia, but it’s improving such as the sorry to the “stolen generation”, so is China, why don’t you consider taking the torch relay and the Olympics as one of China’s human rights improving steps and welcomed them. Push all you want forward! More important is human responsibility. No responsibility no rights. In this issue I think it is our responsibility to differ the disintegrate group from pro-human right, never mix them together and express the wrong message to the Chinese government, which I believe is what the Kevin said misunderstanding. Another responsibility is to try our best to encourage our athletes, and to respect their effort meanwhile to promote the best of Australia Fair to the Chinese people and the other parts of the world.

As far as boycotting the Chinese products, it was played several times in the history, the results were bad to both sides. You will understand it if you have some ideas about why Kevin visits China, believe me, should not and definitely not for the Tibetans. And the impact would be worse if the human rights message turns into Independence of Tibet by misunderstanding which caused by our wrong action in Torch relay or Olympics.

By the way, anyone who’s concerning about the slavery in Tibet by Beijing Government or in other parts of China, could you please go to China once and have a look or at least read some books about China.

tap1:55 pm 12 Apr 08

Ok the list of things a person has to do/have done in order to protest so far as I understand it:

1. Pass a written examination about the issue/s.

2. Point to Tibet on the map (and do it faster than the reporter did in the you tube video a few comments up).

3. Have previously engaged in a life threatening protest about the same issue. Preferably for a long time. Regardless of if the main reason that drove you to protest happened only recently.

4. Plan to spend the rest of your life protesting (you are allowed to stop if the issue gets resolved though, which is a fairly big if in some cases).

5. Not protest about too many things, else be forever labbeled a ‘flashmobber’ or whatever you people call it.

6. Have had a (over!!) 40 minute conversation with a Chinese lady in Floriade.

That all? I don’t have to have previously diverted a comet from its impending crash course with Tibet using only a can opener? Perhaps I should have to be able to recite buddhist mantras while simulataneously chaining myself to a Chinese Nuclear Tank Plane, having not eaten anything but salted yak poo for the last month?

One point you raised that is interesting is that you believe I want to attack the flame. This is not something I plan to do. All my protest will be is turning by back when the runner passes, hopefully along side many people doing the same. Again this is another thing that will just have to take my word for, or not if thats your preference.

How about a bit of a truce? Can we agree that if you were upset about this issue then you would be hungry, on fire, chained up at the embassy, and that you have really large balls? But I ask you to understand where I am coming from, which I know will be hard, as a man with a large a set of balls as you have must find it difficult to understand that I am only endowed with average balls: I fear that I do not have the willpower to succeed in a hunger strike. Yes its true, I would most probably cave in wihin a day or two, I would try to sew my lips together, but I can’t sew. I would ask someone who can sew to do it for me, but then I would have no way of hiding the fact that I’m really really not keen on having my lips sewed together. I would chain myself to the embassy, but I have to work to pay for the food that I am too average to give up. Will you forgive me this weakness? Unfortunately I am not alone in this condition of Average Ball Having (ABH), many other people who God didn’t see fit to equip with tyranasaurus balls also think that perhaps the best way they can try and voice their displeasure is to band together and do it. At the moment it seems all over the world people with average sized balls, some with no balls whatsoever, are banding together and turning their seperate, quiet voices into a large call for change that the whole world is hearing, and you can be sure China is hearing too (whether or not China changes anything due to the protest is not the point of why I’m protesting as stated in an earlier comment).

As far as the idea of boycotting Chinese products, that sounds like something that could work, but imagine how difficult it would be to organise enough people to stop buying Chinese goods to even cause half the stir of what the relay protests have already caused when there are already people who are so against ‘a single days protest that gets quickly forgotten and [apparently] has no real political support outside of China’ (I guess Kevin Rudd supporting the right of people to protest if they choose must be the exception that proves the rule). Having said that, if it does get organised, ill be a part of it.

Mane12:34 am 12 Apr 08

Fact: There were and are some problems in Xinzang or Tibet about human rights,while the other parts of China or other countries are facing the same or similar situations.There were and are also some people or groups trying to desintergrate Tibet or somewhere else from China.

Fact: In March, especially the “crackdown” day,a so called “protest” happened in Tibet, the purpose of the “protest” is for human rights or independence is unknown,’cause there were no slogan or banner shown in news pictures or to be delivered through common ways.And no signs of that “protest” showed that it was a peaceful or non-violent event, all we can see in the news pictures are burnt houses and stores,monks and riots’ attacking.On the same day,similar vents occured in several neighbour provinces.Finally, the appearance of millitary,with the crackdown VS violents.(Civilians and non-violent monks from either camp were both wounded or dead.)

Fact:Chinese goverment admits its a violent crackdown,’cause the violent situation.Medias started to focus on both Tibet and the most Tibet-related person, Dalailama,who alleged he had nothing to do with it especially emphasied it was a peaceful protest.

Fact:World Medias such as CNN,BBC reported Tibet events and Dalailama and his subsequent views continuously till the Olympic Torch Relay, proclaiming it was a crackdown on human right issue.Tibeten Protests suddenly appeared around the world and protest for human right,which were detailed reported.Meanwhile Chinese people around the world were condemning the western media about the proclaim and views as prejudiced,which hardly existed on majority medias.

Fact:Human rights and Tibet-independence protests are trying their best to sabotage along the torch relay,even some local people joins the protest without knowing what actually happended,only by the flag of human rights.Oppositely Chineese people especially overses ones forming another protest campagin againt the independence or desintergate protest and medias’ prejudiced reports.

Seeing only the beginning and the end we can see: There are still human rights problems in China,which is a long time existing and tackling issue.People are starting to protest for only Tibeten human rights and independence of Tibet as a bundle of human rights in Tibet camp.Furthermore we are protesting these political views on a worldwide sports event because people are watching this game.

So,what role or roles are you playing in these FACTS?Protesting or not, what indeed are you protesting about?

tap12:52 pm 11 Apr 08

I really dont want to get into this so ill just say that i strongly disagree with Chinas actions regarding Tibet. Now maybe the monks were worse than China is, maybe not (ill watch the episode tonight, ive seen a few episodes and ive always liked them), if so then maybe that has something to do with the previous Dalai Llama not the current one, maybe not. Maybe it was the times, maybe not. To me that doesn’t really matter as thats not why I will be protesting, I will be protesting because I am against the human rights abuses that are taking place by the Chinese government. If other regimes have previously been horrible to the Tibetan people, then that sucks, but it does not justify what the Chinese are doing.

I must admit though, if it turns out the current Dalai Llama is actually some kind of bastard, I will be massively surprised. And very disappointed. But to me it does seem that its time for the Chinese to enter into talks with him.

As far as whether or not I think its cool to be seen standing up for “human rights” as some have accused me of, of course I do. How is it not? Maybe I work off a different meaning of the word cool, but in my life in general I try to do things I think are cool and not do things I think are not cool. Do other people not? Is CanberraResident wishing he could protest but won’t because its cool? Maybe, but it seems more likely that he thinks that being seen talking about how little everyone else knows is cool, and thats why he is doing that.

What I don’t understand here is what the people who are anti protesting want. A requirement that a written examination be taken by anybody wishing to protest to prove that they know (what somebody decides) is enough about the issue? Or perhaps that protest become illegal? Maybe people are against protest because they don’t think it acieves anything, and if you can’t win don’t try. If that is the case then our disagreement is a simple one, i believe that if a person feels strongly enough about something, then they should do what they can to try change that thing, even if in the end the persons effort means little to nothing. And you do not. Fine, but the fact is that protesting has worked in the past, protesting at sporting events too.

Protesting is my right, and I choose to exercise it.

Now you all get to rip me apart. Yippee. If anyone has a go at me about spelling or grammatical mistakes then ill respond right now: Get well and truly fucked.