Let The Olympic Torch Pass Through San Francisco Peacefully
In a little more than 13 hours, San Francisco will host the next leg of the International Olympic Torch Relay.
The Olympic Flame arrived in San Francisco earlier today and is in a secure location. At 1 p.m. Pacific Time on Wednesday, after a brief ceremony, the first runner of the torch relay will run the beginning of the six mile route along the San Francisco Bay.
By now, all of you have heard about the violent protests that have occurred in Paris and London. In San Francisco, three people climbed the Golden Gate Bridge to unfurl two signs and there was a massive demonstration in the United Nations Plaza area of the city with over 1,000 people in attendance.
Since this is the only city in North America that will see the Olympic Torch, protesters from through the United States and Canada have converged on this city to protest.
What are they protesting? There are three main issues:
1. China's horrible human rights record.
2. China's hostile actions towards Tibet
3. China not using its influence to quell the Darfur situation.
In Paris and London, torchbearers have been subject to violence from protesters trying to extinguish the flame or taking the flame away from the bearer. These have no doubt been embarrassing to the cities involved -- but have also lessened the symbolism of the torch relay as a unifying event before the games begin in Beijing, China on August 8, 2008.
The Shadow knows that there will be several hundred protesters in San Francisco on Wednesday during the torch relay. The Shadow strongly urges all to protest peacefully and let the relay go off safely. Let us show the world that the United States of America, while outraged by China's human rights record, does respect the Olympic ideal and will allow this relay to go off without incident.
The Shadow will have more to say about the Beijing Olympics in the coming days. For now, let's keep the protests peaceful and safe for all.
Good night and good luck!
The Olympic Flame arrived in San Francisco earlier today and is in a secure location. At 1 p.m. Pacific Time on Wednesday, after a brief ceremony, the first runner of the torch relay will run the beginning of the six mile route along the San Francisco Bay.
By now, all of you have heard about the violent protests that have occurred in Paris and London. In San Francisco, three people climbed the Golden Gate Bridge to unfurl two signs and there was a massive demonstration in the United Nations Plaza area of the city with over 1,000 people in attendance.
Since this is the only city in North America that will see the Olympic Torch, protesters from through the United States and Canada have converged on this city to protest.
What are they protesting? There are three main issues:
1. China's horrible human rights record.
2. China's hostile actions towards Tibet
3. China not using its influence to quell the Darfur situation.
In Paris and London, torchbearers have been subject to violence from protesters trying to extinguish the flame or taking the flame away from the bearer. These have no doubt been embarrassing to the cities involved -- but have also lessened the symbolism of the torch relay as a unifying event before the games begin in Beijing, China on August 8, 2008.
The Shadow knows that there will be several hundred protesters in San Francisco on Wednesday during the torch relay. The Shadow strongly urges all to protest peacefully and let the relay go off safely. Let us show the world that the United States of America, while outraged by China's human rights record, does respect the Olympic ideal and will allow this relay to go off without incident.
The Shadow will have more to say about the Beijing Olympics in the coming days. For now, let's keep the protests peaceful and safe for all.
Good night and good luck!
posted by The Shadow at 11:49 PM
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