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• 1 Tibet » “Free Tibet” in the skies above Canberra // Apr 23, 2008 at 11:29 pm

  [...] Nigel wrote an interesting post today on â??Free Tibetâ?? in the skies above CanberraHere’s a quick excerptAs the Olympic torch sets off on its path through Canberra, the protest against the Chinese colonisation of Tibet is there for all to see… [...]

• 2 Willa // Apr 24, 2008 at 8:21 pm

  My son and I had planned to walk to Wakefield Avenue to watch the torch relay pass. Nigel and I had encouraged him walk Mt Ainslie to see the fireworks the night before, a welcome to the flame of ‘peace and friendship’. He complained about the brevity of the fireworks spectacle, which was the deciding factor in his refusal to walk to Wakefield Avenue this morning so I went alone. I set out just after the sky written ‘FREE TIBET’ vanished.
  A quiet walk to the Wakefield barricades found plenty of space to get a front row view of the street and the goings on, families with prams and small children eating and sitting in wait, cars being rounded up and ushered back the same way, SES patrolling the fences and road way access and a few policemen on foot moving among the spectators. 2 policemen were stationed on the road directly opposite me, waiting as it turned out, in position for the torch bearer.
  I noticed 3 – 5 people involved with peaceful protests. 2 were close to me, 2, sometimes 3 were close to the policemen stationed on the road. All their signs were painted with varying slogans containing ‘free Tibet’ as part of their commentary. Since the morning sky writer I had thought the slogan ‘free Tibet’ was a little naive as I understand (but know how completely wrong I probably am) Tibet had not asked for sovereignty from China but wanted autonomy, wanted a stop to human rights abuses and a return of their Dali Lama. The protesters however, were quiet; the 2 elderly women, sometimes a man across the road were holding their slogans high.
  On the corner of Wakefield Ave and Northbourne Ave there was a large contingent of people waving their nation’s flag, in fact, the Chinese flag was ever present. Only once did I see a young boy running about waving an Olympic flag as the procession preceding the flame began to arrive. As quickly as he arrived he and his flag disappeared.
  I arrived approximately half an hour before the flame passed by and as the time drew near there were more and more people and Chinese flag bearers congregating on both sides of the street. The antagonism began to set in. A group of young men bearing the Chinese flag aggressively surrounded the 2 older women on the opposite side of the street, yelling abuses at them, crossing their flags in front of their slogans, an intimidating approach. The women moved several times in order to maintain a presence at the front, close to the barricades. As the intimidation continued they progressively got angry themselves and at times pushed the flags away, yelled back and eventually asked the 2 policemen on the road to help. Both policemen stepped in and asked for calm, that the groups separate. It seemed to take a long time for the flag bearers to listen; they quietened and stopped moving their flags in front of the protesting women. They did not, however, give up any ground.
  The flame was about to arrive. The police presence in minutes was overwhelming, cars, motorcycles, paddy wagons, on foot. The big surprise was the Samsung girls! 2 trucks with girls like that you see standing in front of the Formula One motor racing. A loud speaker introducing them to the crowd and playing Michael Jackson, you’ve gotta be starting something, you wantta be starting something… and the girlish waves to the crowd. I was not the only one to ask out loud “What kind of Olympic spirit is this?”
  Next, a van arrived dropping off the next torch bearer, a young woman positioned with the 2 policemen. The crowd of Chinese flag bearers began to loudly chant and again the 2 protesting women held their slogans high. The aggression was palpable and the intimidation began again, the police were however, too preoccupied with the walking torch bearer ready for flame changeover to be able to help subdue the aggression. A one stage the young woman turned and looked to my side of the street, there seemed to be a friend, family member, she was acknowledging in the crowd. She was smiling but to my mind it was a difficult smile.
  And there she came, short dark hair, walking with a noticeable limp and the lighted torch. She too was smiling with the same kind of difficulty. There were only 3 of us clapping her walk to pass forward the flame. I doubt she could hear us over the chanting. Perhaps the absent applause was not so surprising as on either side of the road were two rows of tall, fierce and black clothed police between her and the spectators, a mighty distraction.
  The flame was passed on with the same chanting and lack of applause, the young woman started jogging toward Northborne Ave and quite quickly the crowd began to disperse to follow her, including those who were intimidating the 2 protesting women. As the street became quiet many of us turned around and began to walk away.
  This evenings news reports from the ACT government and the relay organisers have agreed to the success of the Australian leg of the torch relay, qualified by stating that the torch bearers were not interfered with as was the experience in past cities, and that we have learnt from those experiences!
  A foul taste in my mouth was left. I did not see or experience an Olympic relay of peace nor friendship. The torch bearers seemed a little fearful surprised like rabbits caught in the car headlight. They were not appreciated for their promotion of friendship or peace, or their bravery in these circumstances. I would like to ask the organisers, particularly those Chinese in authority recruiting individuals by the bus load wanting to promote a sense of national pride, that they should carry the Olympic flag instead. No, the torch relay should stop now.
  For future notice, I don’t ever want to see such an intimidating aggressive flag waving of another nation on my street ever again.

• 3 Christine James // Apr 24, 2008 at 8:44 pm

  Yes I agree Willa. I left with a sour taste in my mouth from the parade. On Anzac Parade there were many Chinese flag bearers and some local Canberrans (including myself)…I saw only one Tibetan, but had just watched Free Tibet and again Free written in the sky above the trees behind our home. (Which I photographed) I left as soon as the torch was changed on Anzac Parade as many Chinese began chanting agressively and loudly…the policeman and local residents who I spoke with were all of the view that the Chinese government had bussed the Chinese students in. Having lived with Tibetans in north-east India I feel for the plight of Tibet very deeply. It is horrifying to see China given carte blanche to be so nationalistic when they have been involved in cultural genocide for so long. Australians should think of the plight of Tibetans strewn all over India (where they live dignified lives, despite being the object of jealousy by many Hindu families, for the scholastic excellence of many young Tibetans) and the western world. I saw Bob Brown giving a very open challenge to the Chinese government last night on ABC National News. Go Bob!

• 4 Zoe // Apr 24, 2008 at 10:21 pm

  We were on the other side of Limestone Ave, so a little further from the relay itself. There were plenty of mumsndadsnkids, but no Chinese flag wavers – focusing on the high impact media spots no doubt.

  And the Samsung girls were playing “Don’t you wish your girlfriend was hot like me”. Ugh

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