Olympic torch through London et al

So the Tibetan chap running in front of the torch and happily waving his national flag at the camera who got jumped on by the policeman and had his flag removed was a victim of thuggery? No law against waving a flag that I am aware of and he wasn't interfering with the torch.

The BBC and Sky ran hours of coverage on the protests in London and the ongoing protests in Paris and San Fransisco are keeping the issue at the top of the news. This is not a bad thing is it?. Yes it should be peaceful but that doesn't mean the protesters should apologise for being there. I think most of us know what thuggery looks like and some middle aged chap making a political protest by making a grab for a torch isn't it. The twonk who threw an egg at Prescott a few years ago might be classed as a thug as indeed might be Prescott. Connie Huq was considerably more sorted and philosophical about it than you appear to be. Are you on a wind up or something? :shifty:
 
I think the biggest single gripe the Tibetans have is the seeding of their society with Han Chinese. The Han have never lived there and their culture is quite different from that of the Tibetans. It is ethnic swamping. The Tibetans fear that at the current rate the Chinese are shipping people in or inducing loyal Party Member Chinese people to move to Tibet they will become a minority in their own country and that all the reins of power will be in Chinese hands. When that happens it may well be possible for displaced Tibetans to return as they will represent little threat to Chinese rule. They will, however, return to a Tibet that will be hard to recognise.

If the protests go even a small way to safeguarding some of the cultural aspects of Tibetan life it will be an achievement. The prospects of independence are at best unlikely.
 
In order to give someone a bit of a thugging one has to strike them, verbally abuse them or attack their property. The chap in question was an older middle aged chap of non-thuggish demeanour. He did not hit Konnie or abuse her verbally. He grabbed the torch as a political act and obviously expected to not get far - indeed the surprise was that he got to the torch at all considering the number of police around it. The protest was in the holding of the torch. To compare that to say the anti-globalisation riots where whole streets are trashed seems to me to be something of a dilution of the word thug. It is bit like saying a Mini is big and so is a Hummer. At this rate we could reduce the English language to about three words.

One might question whether direct action makes any difference but equally one could ask whether giving the Chinese lucrative contracts and the Olympic games makes any difference. If our political leaders appear complicit in the oppression of the Tibetan people are we right to sit on our butts and not let them know we are less than happy?

Turning this towards a more positive frame, what are the alternatives. Boycott of all Chinese products? Boycott of all UK companies who buy Chinese products? Boycott of the Olympics?
 
Squeamous said:
I don't think any part of this sorry tour de farce is funny and I never said I did.

Actually the discussion in all the newspapers this morning was about the behaviour of the police, not the protestors who in the end didn't hurt a soul.
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And who unfortunately, due to some thugs, have achieved absolutely nothing for the people of Tibet... no greater publicity or recognition of their plight... not even a spotlight turned onto the behaviour of the Chinese state...

I'm surprised that the protesters themselves aren't angry at the thugs, I would be.
 
Alien5 said:
if you had read or watched the news you would know there were both scuffles and non-violent protests.

have you seen anything other that a "thug" grabbing the torch mate? please read and watch the news reports, you're making a fool of yourself now.

watch the news please, there were protests going on at different places and at different times.

the "thug" you keep talking about was one man on his own, standing in one place at one time of the day. :lol:
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I think you must have confused yourself old chap... I mean scuffling with the police would be the act of a thug and you said there wasn't any thuggery... didn't you ?

So were there scuffles or not, was it non-violent protest (as per your earlier claim) or not, and if there were who did it if not the protesters ?

I'll tell you what why don't you go and make some notes about what you've said before so that you don't keep contradicting yourself ?
 
manicgeek said:
Really! You think assaulting some one isn't behaving badly ? WOW :blink:
And of course it was the same man who Alien5 saw getting injured repeatedly in 'scuffles' with the police wasn't it ? He must be some kind of thicko to repeatedly get himself injured in lots of different scuffles eh ?
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The only people I saw injured in scuffles were the ones launched upon by the police. They are also the only assaults I witnessed. I'm starting to think you were watching Ghandi or something, not the news.
 
Alien5 said:
what im saying is TV & sports personalities were paid to run around with a torch.
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So what you're arguing that them running around with a torch that represents the Olympic ideals is offensive or something ? And so they deserved to be attacked ?

Nah!! I don't think that'll hold up either... I've seen some of the crap programs they create and they're a damned sight more offensive than having them carrying a torch through the streets.
 
Alien5 said:
western news isn't reporting what?
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Anything much about Tibet, they're focusing on the Western protests and the behaviour of the protesters... shame really they could have been reporting about how the masses object to the way China treats the people of Tibet with some indepth stuff about the what China does.
 
Alien5 said:
did you watch the news? there were thugs grabbing the olympics thing from somegirl from blue peter.
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I did....and Harrison Ford grabbed this flaming skewer and threw it at one of the Niponese and it pierced him right through the.....

Hang on. That was Raiders of the Lost Ark :rolleyes:. My bad.
 
Brilliant! That was the part where PC plod launched himself off his saddle onto a man carrying a flag. Bet that was the most physical exertion he'd made since he joined the force.
 
Biggles said:
I think the biggest single gripe the Tibetans have is the seeding of their society with Han Chinese. The Han have never lived there and their culture is quite different from that of the Tibetans. It is ethnic swamping. The Tibetans fear that at the current rate the Chinese are shipping people in or inducing loyal Party Member Chinese people to move to Tibet they will become a minority in their own country and that all the reins of power will be in Chinese hands. When that happens it may well be possible for displaced Tibetans to return as they will represent little threat to Chinese rule. They will, however, return to a Tibet that will be hard to recognise.

If the protests go even a small way to safeguarding some of the cultural aspects of Tibetan life it will be an achievement. The prospects of independence are at best unlikely.
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Hmmm the seeding of an outside culture is a problem, but it has never been something that has prevented countries still retaining their own culture, like Georgia and Kosovo... albeit there could be bloodshed over it :(

If Tito failed to wipe out cultural identity the Chinese don't stand a chance.
 
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