The Prague Post Online: Opinion: Protests rightly focus on the Olympic Games

July 6th, 2008

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Protests rightly focus on the Olympic Games

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March 26th, 2008 issue

This summer’s Olympic Games are supposed to be China’s “coming-out party,” with elaborate plans in place to show off the country’s growing economic and political strength.

For example, Chinese officials plan to stop much of Beijing’s traffic on the days of the games to lower air pollution. They have moved entire neighborhoods, and built new buildings. What the Chinese government hasn’t done is meet international human rights norms. At least 90 people have been killed in Tibet in recent weeks, in yet another police crackdown. Peaceful protests have led to bloody streets and a restriction of media reports to the outside world.

So it’s no surprise that the Olympics is turning into a pressure point the world community is using to try to persuade the Chinese to lighten up in neighboring Tibet. Many people are starting to speak out in favor of boycotting the games, or at least the Aug. 8 opening ceremony.

Stanislav Sedláček is one of them. The Brno native was among the pro-Tibetan activists detained for trying to block a group carrying the Olympic torch in a ceremony in Greece Sunday, March 23, according to the Czech News Agency.

A number of politicians have also gotten involved in local protests, including Green Party leaders Martin Bursík and Kateřina Jacques, and former President Václav Havel. Bursík and Prague Mayor Pavel Bém have both pledged to boycott the opening ceremony in Beijing. And hundreds of people have marched against the oppression in Tibet in recent weeks in Prague, a spontaneous outpouring of support from people who know firsthand about political repression.

It’s good to see Czechs involved in the growing world protest. No voice is too small in this movement, which is picking up momentum. Bernard Kouchner, France’s outspoken foreign affairs minister, has called idea of boycotting the Olympic opening ceremony “interesting.” A former human rights activist, he said he plans to discuss it with other foreign ministers from the 27-nation European Union next week.

A boycott of the opening ceremony could embarrass China to soften its stance on Tibet without hurting the Olympics competition or its athletes. And it would show that the world community is willing and able to mount a united front against egregious human rights violations.

Too bad other world leaders don’t agree. Czech President Václav Klaus and Prime Minister Mirek Topolánek have both said they plan to attend the games, though they have denounced the Chinese government’s violent suppression of Tibetan protests. The list of other leaders who plan to attend, according to International Olympic Committee President Jacques Rogge, includes U.S. President George W. Bush, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Nicolas Sarkozy.

Since the Chinese have spent the past two or three decades trying to exterminate Tibetan culture, it might seem a little late in the game for world leaders to act outraged.

But in the arena of human rights violations, it’s never too late to speak out.

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