And China Gets the All-Clear

I'm more bothered by this now than I thought I would be.

China did not, as promised seven years ago when it was awarded the Games, improve its human rights record. If anything, the events of the last couple of weeks show that not only is China content to disregard its own people, it's equally content to manhandle guests - not that that's a worse crime, but it points out, I think, their inviolability.

I couldn't and wouldn't watch the opening ceremony today. It's criminal that so much money - $100,000,000 could be spent on the opening ceremony while the government couldn't and wouldn't rehouse those whose homes were destroyed to build the stadia and other facilities for the games. Some of those people are now in prison because they had the temerity to stand up for themselves.

I'm listening now to Colm O'Gorman speaking about this on the radio - an excellent radio column so far.

Yesterday - despite the fact that the media was extremely well represented there, it got very little coverage in the papers - Amnesty International presented 3,000 postcards to An Taoiseach, asking him to call on the Chinese authorities to abolish the death penalty, abolish the use of forced labour camps that by-step any system of justice and are used to silence those who oppose the government and many marginalised people to ensure that human rights defenders are free to carry out peaceful actions, to end censorship of the internet and to release those who have been imprisoned for internet use and to allow the UN or other independent observers into Tibet.

But nothing has happened. No statement has been forthcoming from the Irish government; not from Brian Cowen, not from Micheál Martin. And I am torn between fury and shame which are only exacerbated by the fact that George Bush could take a high moral ground that our leader couldn't do.

What has happened with the uninterrupted and uncriticised 'spectacular opening ceremony' as Anne Doyle just described it, is that China has been given carte blanche to continue with its disregard for human rights. It means that they got away with not just flouting the conditions of the award but with actually doing more damage than heretofore.

For me, the Olympic Games is now a victory for inequality, indignity and the absolute disregard for human rights.

Every athlete who competes is complicit in this, as is every media outlet who promotes and covers the Games and every person who watches it. It's a crime. The Chinese must be laughing away to themselves, being, as they are, the real winners.

Kate P wrote:

For me, the Olympic Games is now a victory for inequality, indignity and the absolute disregard for human rights.

Vote With Your Remote and don't watch it.

Lestat wrote:

Kate P wrote:

For me, the Olympic Games is now a victory for inequality, indignity and the absolute disregard for human rights.

Vote With Your Remote and don't watch it.

That's annoyingly easy for me, and leaves me without an obvious simple way to mark my disgust. I am sorry it is not being boycotted.

You could start switching off other peoples tvs. However, you would then be in risk of emulating the totalitarian regime. It's a slippery slope really

ibis wrote:

That's annoyingly easy for me, and leaves me without an obvious simple way to mark my disgust. I am sorry it is not being boycotted.

Send envelopes of Mycil Powder to Irish athletes.

I won't be watching any of the coverage of the games and if everyone who felt strongly about that rotten regime did the same someone may notice.

I wonder - and ibis, you might come into your own here - if it was possible to launch some kind of internet campaign (I hate that idea already) or do something online... It's a big audience out there.

But not watching is the least I'll be doing. I could camp outside the Taoiseach's office but, as we all know, he's busy posing for photos in Ballyconneely.

Are any country boycotting it?

First off, the games mean enormous scrutiny has been placed on China. This is a good thing I would imagine.

I would look to Aragon for a spiel about how George Bush has done as much harm for human rights as any, making it a bit hypocritical for him to be giving out. All I can say is not every country thast hosted the games got the criticism and scrutiny China got.

I myself don't think that their hosting of the games constitutes some sort of validation of China's record. Nazi Germany held the Olympics once and it didn't do thier credibility any good. It might be seen as an honour, but a lot of it is politics.

I can understand Kate P's anger though. I was pretty pissed off when I went on the internet and found Google celebrating the Olympics with China, it just emphasised their own shoddy censorship deal with them.

Scrutiny doesn't really matter a crap though, does it? It hasn't made any difference - a couple of foreign journalists got roughed up last week even with the eyes of the world on China.

And it's nothing big to cheer about if they behave themselves for three weeks and go back to their usual behaviour once they've shipped everyone else out.

Quote :

I myself don't think that their hosting of the games constitutes some sort of validation of China's record. Nazi Germany held the Olympics once and it didn't do thier credibility any good. It might be seen as an honour, but a lot of it is politics.

Fair enough, but I beg to disagree. China was awarded the Games on the condition that it clean up its act and it did not, and the Games are going ahead without even a rap on the knuckles. Lean ar aghaidh lads, ye're doing a grand job. We'll all turn a blind eye, sure. Grrrr.

I do agree with you about George Bush - but in this case he did the right thing... even it's at odds with his own behaviour. It's never wrong to speak out against injustice.

905 wrote:

Are any country boycotting it?

First off, the games mean enormous scrutiny has been placed on China. This is a good thing I would imagine.

I would look to Aragon for a spiel about how George Bush has done as much harm for human rights as any, making it a bit hypocritical for him to be giving out. All I can say is not every country thast hosted the games got the criticism and scrutiny China got.

I myself don't think that their hosting of the games constitutes some sort of validation of China's record. Nazi Germany held the Olympics once and it didn't do thier credibility any good. It might be seen as an honour, but a lot of it is politics.

I can understand Kate P's anger though. I was pretty pissed off when I went on the internet and found Google celebrating the Olympics with China, it just emphasised their own shoddy censorship deal with them.

The Chinese don't give a hoot who is scrutinising them.

It was WW2 that knackered the Nazi's credibility. Prior to that everybody thought they were great. Time magazine even named Adolf Man of the Year for 1938. But at least he only got it once, Stalin got named twice.

Arnaudherve, what's the view in France?

Agreed Lestat, they don't care - and why should they, when there's no authority to respect and no righteousness to fear. What a wasted - dangerously wasted, opportunity.

Scrutiny matters a lot more than a few people boycotting their tellies I think. I'm just saying that lot's of scrutiny is better than no scrutiny at all, not that it outweighs the cons of China's hosting.

My understanding of the selection process was that cities were elected by secret ballot. What's this about China being awarded the Games?

I'll be honest, as much as I dislike China's government (and there are worse) I think the games should be apolitical. I'm living in a fantasy world there and ignoring the very real issues surrounding China's hosting of the games. But I can't help but feel uncomfortable about bringing China's record into what should be a celebration. Therefore excuse any advocating I might do on China's behalf.

Like: what about the Chinese people? Are we ostracising them now too for the sins of their government?

I don't think those protesting and criticising China's human rights abused have ever been afforded a bigger platform for their voices to be heard.

Kate P wrote:

China did not, as promised seven years ago when it was awarded the Games, improve its human rights record. If anything, the events of the last couple of weeks show that not only is China content to disregard its own people, it's equally content to manhandle guests - not that that's a worse crime, but it points out, I think, their inviolability.

I suspect that is partly because, given recent events, the Chinese can take a good look around and afford not to give a toss what the west thinks of them.

905 wrote:

...I'll be honest, as much as I dislike China's government (and there are worse) I think the games should be apolitical. I'm living in a fantasy world there and ignoring the very real issues surrounding China's hosting of the games. But I can't help but feel uncomfortable about bringing China's record into what should be a celebration. Therefore excuse any advocating I might do on China's behalf.

Like: what about the Chinese people? Are we ostracising them now too for the sins of their government?

Their own government is doing plenty more than ostracising the most vulnerable of them:

http://www.iht.com/articles/2008/08/08/sports/08beijing.php

Colm O Gorman hit the right note on a radio piece today that Kate mentioned. He reminded us that human dignity is indivisible. That insisting on respect for basic rights cannot be dismissed as merely 'political'. I hope what he said is findable on some corner of the RTE site.

I have no sympathy for the Chinese government but I would be more convinced
if I was hearing calls for boycotting the American film industry as well. The US execute more people than any other state, nearly all poor and black.

I remember workers housing being demolished in Barcelona for the Olympics.

The Olympic games are the same old bread and circuses as usual, but some moments of wonder can't be avoided.

I can't get it to work now, but if you go to www.rte.ie/radio1 and look to the list on the right of programmes you can listen back to, you'll see Drivetime (which will be forever 5 7 Live in my mind). If you click on that, you should be able to open it - I can't now - and listen to the broadcast. He was on just before the Angelus - so about one hour 25 mins into the broadcast.