Reactions to the current furor over protests about the Olympic torch coming through San Francisco have been popping up all over local blogs. Here is a round-up of opinion on those planning to vocally oppose the torch in SF due to Chinese treatment of Tibetan citizens:
Beyond Chron:With Beijing hosting the Olympics in August, “Free Tibet” should be the Bay Area’s battle cry.
Especially with the Olympic Torch scheduled to come through San
Francisco in early April. In fact, San Francisco is the only U.S. city
slated to receive the official relay. San Francisco Supervisor Chris
Daly wants Mayor Gavin Newsom and the Board of Supervisors to make it
clear when the flame arrives that the City is not in agreement with the
Chinese government’s mistreatment of the people of Tibet.
Daly introduced a resolution to put San Francisco on
record condemning human rights violations in the Himalayan country. It
also urges the Chinese government to “genuinely comply with the
principles of tolerance and respect as symbolized by the spirit behind
the Olympic games.”
Daly also wants support for the Freedom Torch, which Tibetan activists
lit at Ancient Olympia in Greece (the site of the original Olympics) on
March 10. They intend to bring it to 50 cities (including San
Francisco) before it arrives in Tibet on August 8, the opening day of
the games in Beijing.
SFBG Politics:
Amid a backdrop of increased bloodshed in Tibet, and an early
morning March 20 arson attack on the Chinese Consulate in San
Francisco, Tibetan supporters gathered last Thursday outside City Hall
for a candlelight vigil to protest San Francisco’s April 9 Olympic
torch relay.
Inside City Hall, Mayor Gavin Newsom spoke to a semi-circle of news
cameras, claiming that hosting the torch brings “pride” to many in the
city, including San Francisco’s Chinese community, and stressing that
the torch should be seen as a symbol of unity, both for the city and
the world.
But during the Olympic Torch’s April 9 relay through San
Francisco—its only North American touchdown as it travels from Greece
to Beijing—the torch will be run along San Francisco’s waterfront, not
through the narrow streets of the city's Chinatown.
SF Curbed:
Gavin, now just might be the time to stop with the smoke and
mirrors, as various protest groups (including the ACLU) become
increasingly irate over the city's staunch refusal to announce the exact route the Olympic torch
will take during its spin through San Francisco on April 9th. Gav &
Co. have hoped that withholding the plans would make it more difficult
for activists to plan disruptions to the festivities, as the initial
torch lighting ceremony in Greece was already derailed by protests,
including a Tibetan woman soaked in fake blood who threw herself into
its path. (Note to San Francisco: We can totally top that.)
SFist:
Tibetan activists and the San Francisco Darfur Coalition (who, by the way, are trying to turn the holy day of "Casual Friday" into "Darfur Friday")
are demanding to know exactly where the torch will be going during its
San Francisco run so they can protest that they can protest the China's
ongoing human rights violations. Grrr.
While other media outlets, including SFist, have already claimed
that the torch will make its way near AT&T Park and the Ferry
Building, Mayor Gavin Newsom "says keeping the route under wraps is
intended to make it more difficult for people to plan disruptions."
8 Asians:
For the life of me, I don’t see how the Chinese picked San Francisco as
the only city in the United States to do the torch relay - they might
have as well picked Berkeley. I think Los Angeles would be a “safer”
choice in regards to local activists protesting against the Chinese
government. Then again, any city in the United States would be ground
zero for anti-Chinese activists. I can only imagine what it will be
like if the protesters steal the day from the Olympic Torch relay - a
huge embarrassment to the Chinese and a diplomatic nightmare for the
United States. But the Chinese can only censor their country’s media,
not the rest of the free world’s.
The Snitch:
In between the protesters supporting oppressed Tibetans and those who
will take advantage of the Chron placard, it looks like we have a good
old-fashioned San Francisco protest shaping up. Newsom still won't say
why the torch isn't making a trip through Chinatown, but I think most
SFers could gold medal in jumping to conclusions, so get to speculating.
