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Beijing Olympic Torch Relay


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Just watched it without cuts in CCTV 4. Nice ceremony, altought i was a little scared since the flame took long time to be ignited at the mirror. No protests for now, i guess because of the high security device by the greeks.

That's the result when you're watching the censored Chinese television channels. If you look at the previous page, you'll notice that there were protests when BOCOG president Liu Qi started his speech shortly before the ignition of the flame.

Here's a first report:

Protest disrupts Olympic flame ceremony

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Just watched it without cuts in CCTV 4. Nice ceremony, altought i was a little scared since the flame took long time to be ignited at the mirror. No protests for now, i guess because of the high security device by the greeks.

Yep, you must have been watching the Chinese official pictures which cut away from what happened. Here's the incident. Pretty hard to miss unless you have cameramen who are told to pan away!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uW0cpLme9OM

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Thanks. Yeah i just knew about that minutes ago (or maybe since i didn't paid much attention to the speeches by the time i was recording). Not even the security could stop it. If this begun so early, i'm expecting a lot of protests during the torch relay worldwide, but surely it will be more difficult to do it when the torch arrives in mainland China.

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I didn't see the ceremony (because here in peru it was at 5:00 am) but after that, in the media the main scene was the protester and a lot of security moved and took him away, what will happen with him? RIP

"RIP"? He isn't dead!

I guess that they've detained him temporarily but he certainly won't be thrown into jail. Maybe he'll be fined for smuggling his transparent into the ancient Olympic compound and interrupting the event, and that's all.

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"RIP"? He isn't dead!

I guess that they've detained him temporarily but he certainly won't be thrown into jail. Maybe he'll be fined for smuggling his transparent into the ancient Olympic compound and interrupting the event, and that's all.

1. He isn't dead, but now...

2. What do you think that chinese won't make nothing "special" to him? :unsure:

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Just for the record: there were 2 Tibetans and one greek photographer arrested. One Tibetan who tried to interrupt the speech of Liu Qi. One who tried to get in contact with Jack Rogue to hand him down a signed protest letter. And a greek photographer who attended the tibetan protester to make "good" pictures.

Later, a tibetan woman painted herself in red paint and lay in front of a runner of the Olympic torch and other protesters chanted "Free Tibet" and "Shame on China"

Well this wil be the most difficult Torch Relay in history. And this already starts with 3 protests in the first day.... Oi... Can you imagine the Flame passing Tibet? I have no idea how this is going to happen!!!!!!

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Nice ceremony! ;)

Here in Spain, TV channel Teledeporte aired the moment when Liu Qi was interrupted. I don't think there will be this kind of protests every day, maybe only while the torch is in Tibet.

Anyway, the Olympic Games don't deserve this: they're not related to politics.

Bon voyage, Olympic flame!

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Nice ceremony! ;)

Here in Spain, TV channel Teledeporte aired the moment when Liu Qi was interrupted. I don't think there will be this kind of protests every day, maybe only while the torch is in Tibet.

I know for a fact there are predicted to be sizeable protests in London. I'd imagine such predictions wouldn't be too far of the mark for places like Paris and San Francisco either.

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Nice ceremony! ;)

I don't think there will be this kind of protests every day, maybe only while the torch is in Tibet.

Perhaps not everyday, but with the torch travelling through London, Paris, San Francisco, Hong Kong, Canberra and Nagano there will certainly be many more protests.

Edited by Stu
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Watch this video (without comment) on the bbc website - here, we can see the first protest on the way of the torch - I never thought that the greek security/ police would act that kind of rouggh and brutal:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7310654.stm

You think that's rough and brutal?

I have seen much much worse in France. The police are just dragging them the way. They are not beaten.

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An update to the arrest:

Police said a total of nine people were briefly detained and at least one woman -- a Swiss national -- and the three demonstrators from the ancient stadium would be charged. But since they face misdemeanor charges they are also expected to be freed later on Monday pending their trial.

The 3 French of Reporters Without Borders

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and others

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Look at those fearsome and brutal policemen.

The Police was very gentle to them and only did her job, as they announced. There was an official press release by the Hellenic Olympic Comittee and the Police Departement for the visitors of the Ancient Olympia with a list of things that are not allowed to bring and rules which ensure a fluently Ceremony. People knew that protesting in the sacred grounds or disturbing the Olympic Flame Relay isnt allowed and that people risk to get arrested. And some of them did. A woman even used red paint to give the impression of blood.

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Well, its o.k. and right that they distrurbe the journey of the flame - as long they dont use Violence against the Torch bearer.

If there wont be a Boycott, the protestors have to find other way in communicating their issues. What did the IOC expect: That as soon as the Beijing Flame approaches everyoe shouts "Hurray. here it is; the Symbol of peace!" ???

I am excited what else we will see on the journey of the Flame.

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Well it isnt ok and right at all to disturbe the Torch Relay but even worse the Ceremony of Ancient Olympia. This a sacred Ceremony for us Greeks and for many other poeple around the world. Abusing hellenic hospitality and disgracing our this very special event of our cultural heritage undermines their own idea of a cultural and political independent Tibet. If you ask for respect then you have to proove that you are able to respect others too. They can protest in every damn meter in China. But to come here in Greece and to make a political circus out of our sacred Ceremony is realy outragous.

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I do undestand your position Savas and I know that Olympia is sacred ground - but any kind of protest in this issue is necessary - everywhere in the world. For me that also includes protests in these kind of rituals and ceremonies. The IOC and BOCOG are proclaiming the Olympic Values and in China human rights, the freedom of free speech are trampled.

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Well it isnt ok and right at all to disturbe the Torch Relay but even worse the Ceremony of Ancient Olympia. This a sacred Ceremony for us Greeks and for many other poeple around the world. Abusing hellenic hospitality and disgracing our this very special event of our cultural heritage undermines their own idea of a cultural and political independent Tibet. If you ask for respect then you have to proove that you are able to respect others too. They can protest in every damn meter in China. But to come here in Greece and to make a political circus out of our sacred Ceremony is realy outragous.

You reckon they can protest in China? Of course they can't! :o

Saying that, I have some sympathy with your view but also empathise with the protesters. I think it was the austereness of the ceremony which maybe made protests seem a little inappropriate. I'll have no such qualms about people protesting in London, Paris, San Franscisco etc. and I hope to see some protests when the torch comes to my country; nothing violent of course but people waving flags, banners and chanting along parts of the route would not be criticised by me.

Edited by Rob ♪
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You reckon they can protest in China? Of course they can't! :o

Saying that, I have some sympathy with your view but also empathise with the protesters. I think it was the austereness of the ceremony which maybe made protests seem a little inappropriate. I'll have no such qualms about people protesting in London, Paris, San Franscisco etc. and I hope to see some protests when the torch comes to my country; nothing violent of course but people waving flags, banners and chanting along parts of the route would not be criticised by me.

OK, but I hope that the protests are a little more civilised and less dramatised than those shown in the BBC video. I think that the protesters don't do themselves a favour when they resist the police, splatter themselves with artificial blood or cry ostentatiously.

However, it will be the roughest ride the Olympic Flame ever had. I suppose that BOCOG isn't too happy now about its decision to perform another global torch relay. Especially with all those democratic countries on the route, they'll receive the full load of anger and disdain about their regime's policy. And just think of the relay segment in Nagano: I suppose that the Japanese still have unfinished business with the Chinese anyway.

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OK, but I hope that the protests are a little more civilised and less dramatised than those shown in the BBC video. I think that the protesters don't do themselves a favour when they resist the police, splatter themselves with artificial blood or cry ostentatiously.

However, it will be the roughest ride the Olympic Flame ever had. I suppose that BOCOG isn't too happy now about its decision to perform another global torch relay. Especially with all those democratic countries on the route, they'll receive the full load of anger and disdain about their regime's policy. And just think of the relay segment in Nagano: I suppose that the Japanese still have unfinished business with the Chinese anyway.

Those protests are really making kind of 'FREE TIBET' movement very cheap and tasteless. I think after the olympics, those assholes are waitting for a big feast given by Chinese people whatsoever. And Japan, well yes they do have kind of doggy connections, but not that extreme as you would expect to see.

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After watching all the pics and news, it's sure thing that this will be the most controversial torch relay on history. I also support the statement made by savas, the Olympia ceremony is an important cultural heritage of the greeks and the tibetans, who always speak about respect to other cultures, should have done the same thing. However, is China respecting the Tibet culture and rights? I don't think so.

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