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| China-Japan-Koreas |
| Chinese Protesters Extinguish the Olympic Torch in Shenzhen? [unconfirmed] |
| 2008-05-08 |
| Repeat, this isn't confirmed. In a stunning blow to China’s prestige, two local protesters shocked hundreds of cheering bystanders when they unexpectedly extinguished the Olympic Torch today near the Window of the World, a theme park in the Shenzhen industrial zone near Hong Kong. I saw something else about it on another site, and the authorities are claiming it was extinguished intentionally. And no more questions need be asked about that. The protesters’ motives were unknown. As the unsuspecting crowd cheered Beijing’s Olympic success, an eyewitness heard one of the two men, both of them Chinese, say “mission accomplished” after the torch was put out. Chinese television, which was filming the progress of the torch, hurriedly cut away. Television presenters said the transmission was having technical problems. However, the eyewitness was able to film the disturbance and made it available to Asia Sentinel. The film is being prepared for publication and was to be put on the site later today. It is unknown what happened to the two protesters, who appeared to be common laborers. Some of the bystanders ended up with blood on their faces, the eyewitness said. It took about an hour of confusion, with the torchbearer being escorted to a military van, before it could be relit and start the procession again. The Chinese could be excused for thinking with a sigh of relief that they were home free. The torch, traveling across the world to open the Olympic Games in July, has become a lightning rod both to enthusiastic Chinese citizens and to protesters who have attempted to pull it away from runners in cities from Paris to Seoul. Many in Asia itself have come to regard the torch processions as a manifestation of Chinese triumphalism rather than a symbol of the international brotherhood of sport. A rising tide of Chinese nationalism has become increasingly apparent as angry crowds of Chinese showed outrage at the treatment of the runners. Local television has been inundated with pictures of the runners, appearing to cheering crowds as they went. Pictures of demonstrators by and large have not been publicized. |
| Posted by:gromky |
| #2 Did they use precious bodily fluids? |
| Posted by: Nimble Spemble 2008-05-08 20:23 |
| #1 They named a theme park that? How tasteless. |
| Posted by: Eric Jablow 2008-05-08 20:13 |