The Passage of the Torch: In a Word, a ‘Fiasco’
April 9th, 2008 by WILLIAM KERN
Soul-searching over the passage of the Olympic Torch through France and through the West in general has reached a fever pitch, and the question on the minds of many is: As justified as the protesting in London, Paris and now San Francisco may be, what good will come of it?; and will it help those who today suffer under the iron fist of Beijing’s one-party dictatorship?
Yves Thréard writes for France’s leading newspaper, Le Figaro, “Olympism, its values and symbols were put to a bitter test yesterday in Paris. It was predictable given the opposition that the Beijing Games have encountered, especially in France. The passage of the torch looked perilous. In the end, it was more than that. In a word, it was a fiasco. … The relay by the unfortunate French athletes transformed into a way of the cross which was marked by the boos, jeers and whistles of angry crowds.”
But Thréard goes on to warn, “Beijing’s government will use the pandemonium in London and then in Paris - and soon in San Francisco - to further strengthen its ruthless dictatorship. … if we want these Games to serve the cause of the Chinese people, the best thing we can do is try to engage them once we are there. We must find a way.”
EDITORIAL By Yves Thréard
Translated By Kate Davis
July 7, 2008
France - Le Figaro - Original Article (France)
Olympism, its values and symbols were put to a bitter test yesterday in Paris. It was predictable given the opposition that the Beijing Games have encountered, especially in France. The passage of the torch looked perilous. In the end, it was more than that. In a word, it was a fiasco.
The demonstrators achieved their goal, because the public authorities were overwhelmed. The considerable security measures taken to resist the onslaught of party crashers proved inadequate. The relay by the unfortunate French athletes transformed into a way of the cross which was marked by the boos, jeers and whistles of angry crowds. Hostages of a controversy for which they aren’t responsible; they were also the targets of an increasingly uncontrollable movement. There is much to be said about the organization of this day. Should it have happened?
The most regrettable thing is that in their country, the Chinese didn’t see any of it. In this era of the globalization of information, the Middle Kingdom remains impervious to the outside world. Images are censored and digital networks are closely monitored. Even worse, Beijing’s government will use the pandemonium in London and then in Paris - and soon in San Francisco, to further strengthen its ruthless dictatorship. The Tibetans will suffer, but so will millions of Chinese who are kept in a state of fear and whose nationalism is exalted as an antidote to any outside influence whenever a threat surfaces. Yesterday, from China’s point of view, the demonstrators weren’t human rights activists, but dangerous uneducated savages without morals. Enemies of sport, of peace and of fraternity. Therefore as soon as it arrives, the message will thus be the opposite of that being sent.
So should we hope for other similar demonstrations of anger? …
READ ON AT WORLDMEETS.US, along with continuing translated foreign press coverage of the Olympic torch relay as it passes through the United States.
This entry was posted on Wednesday, April 9th, 2008 at 6:58 am and is filed under Nicolas Sarkozy, Cartoons, Communism, Human Rights, Foreign Policy, Hypocrisy, Newspapers, Domestic Surveillance, Law Enforcement, Democracy, Cartoon Commentary, Freedom of Speech, Foreign Affairs, United Kingdom, France, Civil Liberties, Ideology, Foreign Politics, China. Both comments and pings are currently closed.
