[International
Herald Tribune, France]
Gazeta Wyborcza, Poland
We Didn't Change
China, But Protests Were Worthwhile
"Today's opening ceremony for
the Olympic Games in Beijing will be attended by the leaders of the free world,
the president of the United States first and foremost. It is a day of triumph
for communist China. So was it worth protesting? … It was. Opposition to evil
is a moral duty and a question of conscience."
By Ewa Siedlecka
Translated By Marcin Wawrzynczak
August 8, 2008
Poland
- Gazeta Wyborcza - Original Article (Polish)
Today's opening ceremony for the
Olympic Games in Beijing will be attended by the leaders of the free world, the
president of the United States first and foremost. It is a day of triumph for
communist China. So was it worth protesting?
It was. The worthwhileness of the matter isn’t measured by
"winning" or the chance of winning. Opposition to evil is a moral
duty and a question of conscience, which every one of us must critically
examine for ourselves.
All of those who display
Tibetan flags, demonstrate in front of the Chinese Embassy, protest, sign
petitions and go to Beijing so that for a dozen seconds they can yell slogans
or unfurl a banner before Chinese security drags them away - are living proof
that the world hasn't been completely bought off by China's more-or-less
virtual money.
Out of the protests that
erupted throughout the world following the bloody crushing of the March riots
in Tibet, the world's better, compassionate face was revealed. And that in
itself is a valuable thing.
[The
Telegraph, U.K.]
It's true that in China and
among Chinese people scattered around the world, the protests triggered a
defensive reflex, a sense of offended national pride and solidarity with the
Communist authorities which were attacked by human rights advocates. But this
imperial pride, mixed with a sense of being misunderstood and ignored by the
Western world, had been present among Chinese long before. It was only that the
West didn't realize it.
The Olympic Games were
supposed to change China. And China is changing. But rather, its because the
regime sees profit potential in modernization. Of all of the free world's
values, the Chinese communists have chosen economic freedom, and have used the
power obtained through its use to effectively neutralize pressure from
defenders of human rights. The Beijing regime has no intention of opening the
country up to other democratic values, which was reportedly the purpose of the
IOC when it entrusted China with organizing the 2008 Games.
Posted by WORLDMEETS.US
CHINA'S AMAZING 2008 COMING OUT: A SPECTACLE BEYOND COMPARE BIG
PICS
Though many - perhaps most -
Chinese are satisfied with the change in direction of their country, this by no
means implies that we shouldn't demand that those who still wish to exercise
freedom of speech or religion aren't thrown into prison for doing so.
Today's opening ceremony is
above all, of paramount symbolic significance. We can be proud that the Polish
president and prime minister have refused to attend. And the credit for that
goes to all of those who protested during the pacification of the riots in
Tibet.
I'm not a sports fan, so
watching the Olympics means little to me. What interests me the most is whether
the athletes dare any gestures of opposition. And if they are punished for
that, whether other athletes show solidarity with them.
THE TORCH IS LIT IN DRAMATIC STYLE AT THE 2008 OLYMPIAD: BIG
PICS
Such gestures of solidarity
and opposition - if there are any - will find a more permanent place in the
history of the Olympic Games than the memory of the medal winners.
They won't change China,
won't defend the Tibetans, the Uyghurs, or members of
the Falun Gong, but they will bear testimony to our
values. And that is most important.
CLICK HERE FOR
POLISH VERSION
[Posted by WORLDMEETS.US August 8, 3:05pm]
