As the Beijing Olympics winds down, I thought this was a fitting story to post today. Remember way back before the Games began how the Chinese government assured us that it would allow protests to take place? Sure, it might be miles away from any other human being, but it was better than nothing.
Well, they've conveniently found a way to get around all that. Lots of people petitioned to protest, following the official procedures put in place--and all have been denied. And now it's too late because the government required 48 hours to approve requests. Since the Games end on Sunday, that would mean protests had to be approved by either yesterday or Wednesday.
And these protests weren't all about Tibet. Many petitioned to protest labor concerns within China, medical needs, evictions and other issues surrounding domestic welfare. Most were from actual Chinese citizens, not foreigners. This article contains some heart-breaking stories.
China, of course, has excuses for all of this. My favorite quote, which I think sums up everything about China's shortcomings and the controversies surrounding the Games, comes from Beijing organizing committee VP Wang Wei:
“This is not realistic,” Wang said. “We think that you do not really understand China’s reality. China has its own version and way of exercising our democracy.”Sorry Wang, your is a reality I hope to never understand.
No comments:
Post a Comment