[IMC-UK-Features] Tibet Feature Proposal

Mon Apr 7 14:54:12 PDT 2008

I've done some more work on a feature on the Olympic torch protests and
it's sort of ready:

http://docs.indymedia.org/view/Local/UkOlympicTorch

(Text attached below.) This is my first time writing a national feature so
feel free to suggest/make any corrections/improvements.

The main question is when it should go live. The Harmondsworth feature
will be up sometime tomorrow (I think) and it'd be good to give it some
time in the sun rather than replacing it almost immediately with another
feature.

Love, peace and stuff,
Rich

*****

Title: Olympic Torch in London Greeted by Tibet Protests

Image: http://indymedia.org.uk/images/2008/04/395731.jpg

<blockquote>

On April 6 the Olympic torch was to be paraded through the streets of
London in what Culture Secretary Tessa Jowell <a
href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7331388.stm">described</a> as a
celebration of the "Olympic spirit." Protesters angered by recent Chinese
repression in Tibet sought to undermine this Chinese propaganda exercise.
As it made its way through London, the flame was greeted by a wave of
protest.

Demonstrators disrupted the torch's journey along the thirty one mile
route. There were attempts tp seize the torch, extinguish the flame and to
prevent it making its way through the city with 37 people being arrested.
Although Tibet was the main focus of protests, attention was also drawn to
Chinese support for Sudanese atrocities in Darfur and Burma's <a
href="http://www.burmacampaign.org.uk/pm/weblog.php?id=P339">brutal
military dictatorship</a>.

<p><strong>Video:</strong> <a
href="/en/2008/04/395684.html?c=on#c192833">Video of the attempted Olympic
flame grab!</a></p>

<p><strong>Photos:</strong> <a href="/en/2008/04/395855.html">Olympic
Relay Free Tibet Rally</a> | <a href="/en/2008/04/395822.html">Olympic
torch protests in London - pics</a> |  <a
href="/en/2008/04/395815.html">Tibetan Freedom Torch Relay, London April
6, 2008</a> | <a href="/en/2008/04/395805.html">Olympic Torch Relay:
Heated Arguments in Trafalgar Square</a> | <a
href="/en/2008/04/395795.html">Chinese Torture Torch Relay Shames Olympic
Ideals</a> | <a href="/en/2008/04/395727.html">Police compete in olympic
farce</a> | <a href="/en/2008/04/395706.html">Olympic Torch Chased off the
Streets, pics from Fleet Street</a> | <a
href="/en/2008/04/395691.html">Torch Protest hits Whitechapel</a>

<p>
<strong>Also on the Newswire:</strong> <a
href="/en/2008/04/395875.html">Torch Went Out in London Too!</a> | <a
href="/en/2008/04/395854.html">Olympic torch relay protest timeline</a> |
<a href="/en/2008/04/395745.html">Tibet Protest Great, But....</a> | <a
href="/en/2008/04/395737.html">"Freedom wins" says the Sun</a> | <a
href="/en/regions/london/2008/04/395716.html">Tibetan Freedom Torch
Rally</a> | <a href="/en/2008/04/395700.html">36 people arrested so far
during the Olympic torch relay in London</a> | <a
href="/en/2008/04/395696.html">Police Manhandle Press at Tibet
Demonstration</a> | <a href="/en/2008/04/395684.html">Brilliant pro Tibet
protest ongoing in London today</a></p>
<p>

<strong>Links:</strong> <a href="http://en.beijing2008.cn/">Beijing 2008
Olympic Games (official site)</a> | <a
href="http://www.freetibet.org/">Free Tibet Campaign</a> | <a
href="http://www.sftuk.org/cms/">Students for a Free Tibet</a></p>

</blockquote>

The torch began its journey last week at Olympia in Greece and is to make
its way through twenty countries before arriving in China in time for the
opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympics on August 8. The torch had
already been paraded through Almaty in Kazakhstan, Istanbul in Turkey and
St. Petersburg in Russia and would go on to Paris immediately after
London.

The London leg of the flame's world tour was in trouble almost
immediately after it was begun by Olympic rower Steve Redgrave at 10.30am.
As a schoolgirl Cheyenne Green boarded a bus at 10.35 a protester tried
unsuccessfully to seize the torch. In the resulting clash, three people
were arrested.

At 11.20, another protester attempted to grab the torch from former
Blue Peter presenter Konnie Huq (an event captured on <a
href="/en/2008/04/395684.html?c=on#c192833">film</a>). Although the
protester got their hands on the torch, Huq was able to keep hold of it
and her assailant was wrestled to the ground with two people being
arrested.

At 11.30, two activists equipped with fire extinguishers attempted to
the put the flame out. The men, both of whom were taken away by police
(and presumably arrested) said in a statement that the relay is a
propaganda campaign by China to cover its "appalling human rights
record".

When the torch was passed onto tennis player Tim Henman he was greeted
by a crowd chanting, "Shame on Henman." As a mixed crowd of more than
2,000 pro-Tibet and Chinese protesters gathered outside the British Museum
there were a number of clashes. Police officers came under attack with
flour bombs when they attempted to restrain an impromptu march. The risk
of serious disorder appears to have caused a rethink on the part of the
authorities and in an unpublicised change of route, the Chinese Ambassador
to London, Fu Ying, carried the flame through Chinatown.

Former English ruby international Clive Woodward was confronted by
three protesters before he had even begun his leg of the relay. However,
it was at Trafalgar Square when some of the most violent scenes took
place. As TV new presenter Trevor McDonald held the torch aloft there were
clashes between large groups of protesters from the different sides and
six people are detained.

At around 1.00 Olympic heptathalon champion Denise Lewis stood with PM
Gordon Brown outside 10 Downing Street. At the same time huge crowds
(reportedly numbering more than 1,000) were gathering alongside Whitehall
outside Downing Street. A number of protesters scuffled with police as
they managed to break out of cordons and rush the flame. Reports also
indicate that the police <a href="/en/2008/04/395696.html">manhandled a TV
news crew</a>, apparently not wanting to be outdone by their Chinese
counterparts.

Later the torch was supposed to make the way along Fleet Street to St
Paul's Cathedral by foot, but after it was surrounded by more than 100
protests organisers were <a href="/en/2008/04/395706.html">forced to
rethink</a> and the flame made the journey by bus. Witnesses claim that
during this journey <a href="/en/2008/04/395875.html">the flame was
extinguished</a>.

At 3.30 the torch was carried across Tower Bridge by marathon runner
Paula Radcliffe to a chorus of boos. Shortly after three protesters were
arrested for rushing the flame. A further three arrests took place at
Whitechapel as demonstrators ran at the torch from different directions.
At 4.20 after police had rugby tackled four people within a few hundred
metres of each other, organisers decided to cut the street parade short
and former hurdler David Hemery was ushered on to a bus to be driven to
Canary Wharf.

After visiting London, the torch was put on a Eurostar to Paris where
it fared little better. Despite a massive police operation, large protests
forced officials to <a href="/en/2008/04/395772.html">extinguish the
flame</a> on a number of occasions and ultimately to <a
href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/7334545.stm">cut the parade
short</a>. Further protests are expected in <a
href="/en/2008/04/395777.html">San Fransisco</a>, New Delhi and elsewhere
as the torch continues its 85,000 mile round world trip.