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British Students Arrested in Beijing for Free Tibet Banner Drops.

News Watcher | 06.08.2008 10:37 | Anti-militarism | Culture | Repression | World

Two Britons have been detained in Beijing after a protest about Tibet.

The group, Students for a Free Tibet, said four activists from the UK and the US were arrested after unfurling banners close to the Olympic stadium.

The UK protesters are Iain Thom and Lucy Fairbrother. The campaign group said Mr Thom, 24, is from Edinburgh and Ms Fairbrother, 23, is from Cambridge.

The protest happened before the Olympic torch's arrival in Tiananmen Square. The British Embassy is investigating.

'Critical time'

Students for a Free Tibet named the American protesters on their website as Phill Bartell, 34, from New Jersey and Tirian Mink, 32, from Portland, Oregon. The group added that Lucy Fairbrother is also known as Lucy Marion.

The protesters scaled a 120ft (36.5m) lighting pole early in the morning and unfurled banners reading "One World One Dream Free Tibet" and "Tibet will be free".

Speaking on a mobile telephone, while suspended from the pole, Mr Thom told BBC News: "I'm here today because I've been a long-term Tibet activist and I feel like now is a really critical time for Tibet.

"The Beijing Games have been used by the Chinese government as a propaganda tool to whitewash their human rights record in Tibet."


We have taken non-violent action at this critical time to draw the world's attention to the crisis gripping Tibet
Lhadon Tethong

Students for a Free Tibet

Clandestine Olympic protests

A British Embassy spokesman said: "We are aware of reports of two British nationals being detained."

"We are in touch with the Chinese authorities and are requesting immediate consular access should this information be correct," he added.

Lhadon Tethong, executive director of Students for a Free Tibet, described the protesters as "brave young activists".

She said: "At this very moment, Tibetans are facing the most severe and violent repression they have seen in decades at the hands of the Chinese government, and we have taken non-violent action at this critical time to draw the world's attention to the crisis gripping Tibet."

Dr Kerry Brown, an expert on Chinese issues with London-based think tank, Chatham House, said the Chinese authorities would be "assessing the situation" following the protest.

He told BBC News: "They are very nervous, obviously, because of the opening ceremony tomorrow and they don't want to spoil that."

Activist explains the motive behind his protest

But Dr Brown added that if he was "brutally" honest, most Chinese were less concerned about the situation in Tibet than with their country's economy.

The Olympic torch has travelled 87,000 miles (140,000 km) through six continents since leaving Greece in March.

It's journey has been marked by protests about China's human rights record and its policies in Tibet.

During the month in which the torch began its progress, protests flared in Tibet against Chinese rule before snowballing into the worst unrest in Tibet for 20 years.

The Chinese Embassy could not be reached for comment.

original article -  http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7544416.stm

News Watcher

Comments

Hide the following 3 comments

Does the Free Tibet movement really want a free Tibet?

06.08.2008 14:03

If you support the free Tibet movement you are supporting the return of a theocracy to Tibet. The last time the Dali Lama's people were in power they made the Chinese look like liberals. Appalling poverty, corruption and zero tolerance of dissent were the order of the day. I'm sure Indymedia viewers don't want religious leaders in power. The Nepalese have just broken free of a Hindu theocracy, the South Sudanese from the Sharia of Khartoum and the Spanish people are locked in a battle with the power hungry Catholic church. Theocracies are a big step back.

The USA however has always been interested in the Free Tibet movement. The CIA backed the coup attempt in 1959 (for one piece of evidence go to  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tOhDBo6x2ZY). The National Endowment for Democracy (part of the State Department created as a front by well known democrat Reagan to fund America’s enemies enemies) continues to fund the Tibetan propaganda machine  http://www.ned.org/grants/06programs/grants-asia06.html#chinaTibet
America has a long history of funding undesirables including the Mojahadean in Afghanistan and Noriega in Panama. Only to realise that they were funding criminals or nutcases. I fear the pattern is being repeated.

Ayatollah Watch


I'm with the Ayatollah

06.08.2008 16:44

The Free Tibet movement is a joke. Do any of their supporters understand the situation out there, or do they just pick up an easy 'human rights' cause that they know is never going to get anywhere? The Free Tibet participants have got the T-shirts which make them look 'cool' and 'interesting' in a bar, but why don't they try to affect change with our own governments regarding Guantanamo, 'anti-terrorism' legislation, government snitching and so forth? Are they hypocrites or what? There is something innately detestable about people that come across as holier than thou, telling others how to live their lives without looking at themselves.
Imagine at the 2012 Olympics if a couple of Chinese odd-balls put up 'free Wales' banners. They would be afforded time in the back of a police van and sent on the next plane home. As Ayatollah mentions Tibet wasn't exactly a model of democracy when it was 'free'. In fact the country was at the stone age regarding agriculture, the Chinese put in a railway, opened up trade so the people have more than grain to eat and 'over-ran' the place a lot less than the English in Wales.
Just because the BBC have to make a song and dance about Tibet does not mean there is a real issue, it's just the Western framing. One day the Free Tibet losers will grow out of it, probably to get on the housing ladder rather than to effect change in Guantanamo.

Pol Pot


Two wongs don't make a white but they sure made some gold

26.08.2008 23:02

So a few western interventionists are being returned home - you mean they're not being shot, or stuck in a Guantanomo like facility! After all, if the US can take citizens from other countries and imprison and torture them without trial, why can't the 'evil' Chinese.
As in the past, the 'West' takes the high moral ground and must 'bring human rights to China ', just like its missionaries of old had to bring Christianity to the barbaric savages.
How wonderfully condescending and patronising of these altruistic globo-cops.

Yinyang


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