http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/04/06/AR2008040600398.html?nav=rss_world/asia
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/08/world/europe/08torch.html?pagewanted=3&_r=1&hp
http://sports.espn.go.com/oly/news/story?id=3334213

With the Olympic Games approaching and four months away, normally the attention would be on the athlete’s training and competitions leading up to their performances.  But with these Olympics, the daily headlines are focused on the protests and human rights.  These Olympics offer a unique opportunity for human rights causes to be heard with China having direct involvement with many of the headlining international crises du jour including Burma, Darfur, and most recently the uprisings in Tibet.  Awareness of China’s human rights record and international political involvement is gaining momentum with every step of the torch relay and gaining more and more publicity with every stop along the worldwide tour.  The Olympic torch relay sparked protests in every stop that it has run through, and this week features some of the biggest yet.  Yesterday in London over thirty people were arrested as they tried to extinguish the Olympic flame and call attention to China’s politics and human rights practices.  In Paris today the run was actually stopped several times as the torch was extinguished and forced inside the bus for safety.  Eventually, the last leg in Paris was cancelled as a safety precaution.  The torch makes its way to San Francisco on its only stop in the United States Wednesday.  Protests are expected to happen on that day, and activists have already jumpstarted the anti-Olympic campaign in the United States today by scaling the Golden Gate Bridge and flying banners emblazoned with “One World, One Dream” , and “Free Tibet”.  The protests have political leaders and athletes alike to choose whether to mix politics and sports together and whether or not China’s human rights practices will affect their decision making towards the Olympic Games.  Many organizations are calling an all out boycott of the Olympics or at least the opening ceremonies, and these calls are being heard and possibly answered by people such as French Prime Minister Nicolas Sarkozy, who may boycott the opening ceremony.  The US Campaign for Burma is greatly appreciative of all the publicity that China’s human rights issues are receiving and encourage a boycott of the Olympic sponsor’s products as well as to not watch the Olympics, especially the opening and closing ceremonies.

-Ryan

USCB intern