Olympics: Athens ‘Yes’, Beijing ‘No’!

European Tibet supporters have staged their opposition to the 2008 Beijing Games as the Olympic Torch Relay leading up to the August 2004 Athens Games passes through European cities.

On 30 June, supporters in Germany raised the banner “Peking 2008: Freie Spiele mit freien Tibetern!” (Peking 2008: Free Games with Free Tibetans!) as the torch was passed through Berlin. A leaflet titled “By Awarding the Olympic Games to Peking the IOC has betrayed the Olympic ideals” was distributed to passers by. The leaflet predicted that Peking will misuse the Olympic Games for political purposes as the Nazis did the Berlin Olympics in 1936.

Late last month, Tibet supporters in Amsterdam also voiced their concerns about the Beijing Games by making the statement “Athene Ja, Beijing Nee, eerst Tibet vrij” (Athens Yes, Beijing No: First Tibet is Free). Similar protests have been held as the Olympic Torch Relay passed through London and Lausanne, home of the International Olympic Committee.