London Olympic procession dogged by protests: Beijing Humiliated

You probably don't need to be a China watcher to known that Sunday was the day that the Beijing 2008 torch passed through the UK, or that it was set up to be one of the more controversial legs of the torch's journey. You also likely don't need to be a China watcher to know that the day in question turned out to be every bit as controversial, and every bit as embarrassing - for both Beijing and London - as it was predicted to be.

Indeed, protesters lined the streets, 2,000 police officers had to be drafted in to keep the peace. There were running battles near the British parliament as protesters attempted to break through police lines, and number of highly visible incident occurred along the way. All of which occurred in full view of the world's media. Lending further credence to media pronouncements that the wider Beijing 2008 torch procession is shaping up to be "a public relations disaster".

While traveling through London, the torch itself had to be protected by two ring of security. An inner ring of Chinese Olympic security, and an outer ring of British police security. By the end of the procession protests had become so heavy that guards around the torch were running three deep. Even the UK official in charge of the Olympic affairs was forced to admit the strength of public feeling.


Contrary to earlier reports, Fu Ying, the Mainland Ambassador to London was able to take part in the procession. However, the move proved to come at a cost of face to both Beijing and London.

Secure Start

In order to ensure that the opening of the London torch procession was not interrupted by demonstrators, British authorities were forced to hold it behind closed doors. Starting it off inside a closed off sports stadium without a public audience.

Shenanigans?

In an effort to save face over earlier speculation the issue of Ambassador Fu Ying and the torch run, London opted to switched the parade route at the last minute in order to allow the embattled Ambassador to take part. However, instead of carrying the torch between locations symbolic to the UK and UK ideals, the Ambassador was instead forced to travel through London's Chinatown district. Although Overseas Chinese and ex-pats living in the area  were able to attend, the regions white population was mostly absent due to the short notice.

China watchers noted that London failed to notify the public of the change until the last minute. Effectively bypassing British law which permits public protests by denying protesters the right to know the location of the event in advance. Some China watchers dubbed London's actions as being unsurprising but nonetheless humiliating for both Beijing and London: An admission from both parties that they have collectively failed to win the hearts and minds of the wider British populace.

Fruther Shenanigans

In other incidents of official law bending, a number of Pro independence Tibetan groups who had officially liaised with UK authorities in order to carry out organized demonstrations close to the British museum, where Ambassador Fu Ying was due to run, found themselves contained behind double depth crowd control barriers, some distance from the route and unable to get close the procession.

After negotiating with local police authorities, some of the more prominent groups were able to get permission to move closer. At present it is unclear whether the police will face censure for this.

Incidents

Though reports are still coming in, it is known that there were a number of incidents along the route in which demonstrators managed to break through police lines and to come close enough to the torch to embarrass authorities. In one incident a demonstrator attempted to take the torch from children's TV presenter Konnie Huq, a British born Bangladeshi, as she tried to pass it on to the next runner. The demonstrator, a Tibetan independence campaigner, came close enough to Huq touch the torch, but was prevented from going further by security forces.

Huq, who signed up to carry the torch between Ladbroke Grove and Notting Hill had been called on to boycott the procession but decided to take part despite reservations over Beijing's actions. In an earlier interview Huq stated that she stated that she had decided to take part because Britain was the next host of the Olympics, and not out of deference to Beijing. During the interview Huq soundly criticized Beijing, referring to it as a "bad egg": a British English idiom meaning to be dishonest and/or worthless.


Protesters also attempted to grab the torch as it was carried near  the Big Ben clock tower by 17 year-old school boy Scott Earley.

America's CNN new service carried pictures of a protester being wrestled to the ground by a half dozen police officers in the region of Holland Park, after setting of a carbon dioxide fire extinguisher in an attempt to put out the flame. Two people were arrested at the scene.

Plans to carry the torch on foot had to be abandoned at Fleet Street due to the weight of protesters, and fears that police might not be able to contain them, and the torch instead had to be carried to St Paul's Cathedral bus. However traveling by motor vehicle this did not stop further humiliating incidents from occurring.

While attempting to complete the Oxford Street section of the procession, the bus carrying the torch was forced to stop after gay rights campaigner Peter Tatchell blocked its route by jumping into the road while holding a sign bearing the legend "Free Tibet, Free Hu Jia". Tatchell, a well known campaigner in the UK, was detained but not arrested.

Numerous other incidents and protest occurred along the route. It is believer that approximately 35 demonstrators were arrested, while an unknown number were detained or otherwise contained some distance away from the procession.

Similar protests are expected in many other cities taking part in the wider processions. It is not yet clear in all cases how authorities in each individual city plan to proceed, or how much demonstrations they will permit.

Chinese Coverage

As is traditional, the Mainland made no mention of the demonstrations and screened only footage that did not include demonstrators. The opening ceremony was also screened in an a zoomed format, making it difficult for audiences to see that it was being held without spectators.

tags: beijing  2008  olympic  protest  campaign  human rights  tibet  

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