Pro-China thugs mar Australian torch run.
It seems that the pro-Tibetan protesters in Canbarra (Australian Capital) got the message about peacful protest during yesterday’s torch run. Not so the 10,000 or so Chinese supporters shipped in to Canberra by “insert name of represive anti-human rights country here”. Groups of pro-Chinnese “students”, hassled, kicked, abused and generally intimidated the much smaller contingent of pro-Tibet supporters.
The really distressing stories are from those of parents who tried to comfort their children as these pro-China thuges hureled abuse at the parents and children mearly for holding a Tibetan flag. Several children were clearly traumatised by the event.
The upshot is these pro-China patriots have demonstrated to the average Australian why China shouldn’t be beleived over their actions in Tibet. They don’t understand democratic principles and if they don’t get their own way they use thugary and intimidation to make their point.
The fallout for the Chinnese is that there are now calls in Australia to boycott any company that supports the Olympic Games in Bejing. I doubt that this will be successful in Oz given how sports mad the population is, but it does mean that while the torch has left the country the controversy over the games will continue.
Additional: ABC News: Rival protest groups clash at torch relay
