Friday, 02 May 2008 19:00 Adele Nii SHi Editorial Dept - Asia
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“The 2008 Olympics does not only belong to China, it belongs to the world, and also belongs to Australia,” explained Australian student, Rebekah Tilley who joined the Chinese demonstration on April 26. Chinese student Adele Nii Shi reports.

“I just returned to Perth from China this morning,” Lucy Dean told 3rd Degree, “that’s (some news) untrue. I traveled to nine cities and locations [in China] with my family. China now is peaceful, not in chaos, the Chinese are very friendly.”


A demonstration, "One World, One Dream, One Olympics" organised by Chinese communities of Western Australia and held in Forrest Place, began with the national anthems of Australia and People’s Republic of China.

Under the protection and supervision of WA police, about 2000 people took part in the demonstration which involved members of WA's Chinese community, Chinese students and other international people and local Australians. Demonstrators were praised by police for their peaceful approach.
 

The demonstration aimed to promote to people around the world not to mix the Olympics with political and religious factors. It also strove to protest against what demonstrators called "Western news distortions” and showed gratitude towards Australia’s great support for the Olympic torch relay in Canberra.

President of the Chinese Scholar and Student Association (CSSA) at the University of Western Australia, JinYu Liu, told 3rd Degree: “Today’s demonstration is non-profit and non-governmental. All the expenses were from the Chinese communities, some other organistions and certain demonstrators.

“We love Australia! We love the Olympic spirit!”; “Thank you, Australia!”, and “Welcome to Beijing!” were some of the phrases shouted throughout the demonstration by the Chinese demonstrators.

Many local Australians and foreign travellers even took Olympic flags and joined the demonstration. Meanwhile, several people passing on the street shouted, “I love China!” in response to the demonstrators shrieks of “I love Australia!”

Australian demonstrators, Laish Glassie and her group (pictured) excitedly shouted into a microphone on the stage: “Hello, sexy China!!” drawing appreciative cheers from the crowd.

The demonstration ended with Michael Jackson’s song 'Heal the World', symbolising that the Olympics belong to the entire human race.

After riots on March 14, the situation in Tibet continued to worsen until the Chinese police intervened. Lhasa, the capital of Tibet, is has been a focus of the Olympic flame relay. The Chinese military was not involved.

The death toll from this intervention, as reported in some Western media was dramatically different from the figures reported in the Chinese official media which claimed that the majority were innocent local people who were awfully killed by the rioters.

On the other hand, there are claims that some European news services have made mistakes that have angered global Chinese communities. The N-TV of Germany broadcaster “moved” a protest from Nepal to Tibet. On March 17, BBC online news described a Chinese ambulance marked with Red Cross as a “heavy military presence”(see the photo below).

This sort of news has resulted in a set of troubles for 2008’s Olympics: the torch relay has been confronted with disturbances (see photo below); the Olympics has even become a tool for some pro-Tibet activists to vent their dissatisfaction towards the politics.

With this background, worldwide demonstrations organized by Chinese communities which protest against “media distortion” so as to “heal the Olympics of entire human race” have launched.

Image Provided by Adele Nii SHi

Article Courtesy of A.U.People BBS



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