2008 Olympics: Now Mostly Riot-Free!
Is there some really compelling reason that the IOC had to grant the Olympics to a tyranny as unrepentantly repressive as that of China?
With authorities eager to present China as a harmonious nation during the August Games, the government has ordered local officials to defuse petition campaigns by discontented citizens and to prevent “mass incidents”, such as riots and demonstrations, according to the news reports.
“The Beijing Olympics are approaching and properly carrying out petition and stability work, protecting social harmony and stability, and ensuring the Beijing Olympics go safely and smoothly has become a tough battle that every department at every level must win,” said one report of a nationwide video conference on a stability drive that was held on Saturday.
“Now we are entering a state of war,” said the report on a local government website in the eastern province of Zhejiang (http://www.dqnews.com.cn).
If our government had any guts at all, they’d pay these Olympic Games as little attention as possible except to note that while China is putting on its big self-promotion dog and pony show, thousands of people who don’t want anything more than the chance to live with just a little freedom are rotting away in brutal Chinese prisons.
We don’t always have to swing the big stick at tyrants. Sometimes, a few disapproving words, a turned back, and a sympathetic ear for their victims can topple a tyrant from his perch. Reducing these Olympics to a barely-noticed footnote in history would go an awfully long way, I think.
Other Posts of Interest:
Category: 2008 Olympics, No More Tyrants
