From weeping monks to “fake” monks and more violence, scenes of protests calling for Tibet’s independence from China spanned the globe this week, from Tibet to Nepal to Greece.
And while the call for a free Tibet has little to do with the Olympic Games, it has everything to do with the national stage the games will provide to anyone looking to shed light on China’s human rights abuses and more.
It’s likely more than Beijing bargained for when it was awarded the lucrative opportunity to host the games.
What happened this week?
On Monday protesters demonstrating against the Chinese government disrupted the Olympic torch-lighting ceremony in Greece.
On Tuesday thousands of Tibetan exiles protested in Nepal and many were arrested. Separately, French President Nicolas Sarkozy talked of boycotting the opening ceremonies over Tibet.
On Thursday the Chinese government hand selected a group of journalists to tour Lhasa, Tibet’s capital, to tell its side of the story and blame the separatists. Protesting monks, some weeping, interrupted the tour, and there were reports of “fake” monks placed by the government.
How did the Olympics end up in China?
In 2001 Beijing won the chance to host the 2008 Summer Olympics, beating out Istanbul, Paris, Toronto and Osaka. At the time they voted for Beijing, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) said they knew human rights issues were “on the table” and they were “taking the bet” that conditions would improve. One reason they won the bid: China promised to spend billions of dollars to be host-city ready. They've spent about $40 billion.
Tibet isn’t the only challenge for China
As the world’s largest producer and consumer of coal, China’s pollution is a major problem. Until now it has been the main story surrounding the Olympics, and Beijing will close gas stations and may restrict traffic into the city to improve the air quality before Olympic-goers arrive. Last year the United Nations said pollution levels were triple what they should be and the IOC talked about postponing events if conditions were so bad. Some athletes, particularly runners, are concerned. At least one marathoner has withdrawn.
The big picture
By the time the games kick off on August 8 in Beijing, the torch will have traveled 85,000 miles around the world, offering ample opportunity for protesters to make their voices heard about environmental and human rights issues. San Francisco will be the torch’s only North American stop and already human rights organizations say they plan to ship in protesters to stand along the running route. The Darfur Coalition says it will have at least 1,000 people to protest China’s relationship with Sudan. Our guess is it’s going to be a long summer leading up to these games.
