By John Han
April 11, 2008
Hours before the Olympic Torch Relay opening ceremony began at McCovey Cove Wednesday, I interviewed Chinese-American Xiao Tan who supports the Tibetan struggle for independence. Like thousands of Olympic Games supporters, Tan attended the opening Olympic torch relay ceremony to celebrate the spirit of the Olympic Games.
While echoing sympathy and support for the plight of Tibetans during an interview I was conducting, several Chinese nationalists were clearly intolerant towards Tan and his point of view. The nationalists attempted to interrupt the interview, pushing and shoving Tan and his friend while incessantly shouting “China! China! China! Liar! Liar! Liar!” through a bullhorn into our faces.
Tensions rose to the point of near physical confrontation. Needless to say, I was prevented from continuing with the interview.
Tan and his friend decided it was time to leave, but a crowd of thirty or more nationalists followed along with a swarm of press. After Tan and his friend managed to distance themselves from the bullhorn, the nationalists continued to hound Tan and his friend while grabbing at their shirtsleeves and attempting to pull them to the ground.
Concerned for their safety and wondering how far the nationalists would go if they managed to wrestle Tan and his friend to the ground, I ended the interview and ushered Tan and his friend into a taxicab parked nearby. Undaunted, the nationalists continued to hound Tan and his friend, attempting to prevent them from getting away.
Some may say this was just a minor incident during a heated issue. And after all, this is San Francisco, right? But what makes this particular incident unique is that the pro-Chinese nationalists were not merely in a shouting match with Tan over opposite points of views.
My participation as a reporter was the difference. They put the bullhorn into my face as well suppressing the right of a journalist to gather information for the purpose of reporting news.
This has some significance because China, in addition to coming under criticism for its human rights record, has also come under intense criticism for practicing censorship, whether by blocking information on the internet or preventing media to independently report on what is happening in Tibet.
It may have been a relatively minor incident, and it’s one that will pass away quickly if it hasn’t done so already. But what happened on Wednesday speaks to a much larger issue.
If this is how the Chinese government suppresses the voices of millions of oppressed people in Tibet, punishes its own people who cannot speak out against their own government, supports genocide in Darfur and a ruthless dictatorship in Burma, then calls to boycott the Beijing Olympic Games opening ceremony is wholeheartedly appropriate.
This writer joins Senators Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton, British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, French President Nicolas Sarkozy, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper, European Union President Hans Gert Poettering, the leaders of the Czech Republic, Estonia and Poland, Reporters without Borders, and Amnesty International in calling for an international boycott of the Beijing Olympic Games opening ceremonies.
We cannot stand idly by while the Chinese government continues its deplorable acts of oppression, suppression and repression.
The Hunger Site
April 11, 2008 at 12:55 pm
Well put John, but then what else can we expect from the bussed in, brainwashed unfortunates, their actions only serve to make the case for the opposition. Having been present both days I did witness some ‘heated’ exchanges but most were passionate though peaceful, except when the rabid red-coats intervened.
However in most other instances it was my observation that whenever personal insults, profanity, actions and gestures that seemed intent on provoking violent confrontation occured, the Tibetan “supporter'” was generally a young anglo male who just seemed to be looking for bother.