Freedom to Protest?

By DCH

Of course you are free to protest in China, officials say. They even set up 3 demonstration zones for the purpose. Funny thing though - nobody wants to protest such a wonderful government.

It’s kind of like pre-war democracy in Iraq — you could vote for whoever you wanted to — as long as you wanted to vote for Saddam.

Would be protesters had to apply to the government for protest permits first — and they were never heard from again. Apparently, they changed their mind.

The NYT has this story from Beijing:

Gao, a 45-year-old farmer from Heilongjiang Province, had been jailed a dozen times. Two beatings by the police left him with broken bones and shattered his teeth, he said, but did little to temper his drive for justice.

The government’s recent announcement that pre-approved protests would be allowed at three sites during the Olympic Games gave him a wisp of hope. Two weeks ago he mailed in his application, and last week he came to Beijing to follow up.

During a visit to the Public Security Bureau on Wednesday, the police interviewed him for an hour and then told him to return in five days for his answer. “They’ll probably arrest me when I go back,” he said afterward.

Gao did not have to wait very long. A few hours later, he was picked up by the authorities and escorted back to Heilongjiang. On Monday, his son, Gao Jiaqing, in the family’s village of Xingyi, said he had not heard from him.

Local police confirmed that Gao is under their “control.” Other applicants are also in custody.

And, with a profile in courage, the International Olympic Committee took a bold stance against China’s repressive policies (NOT!):

Giselle Davies, spokeswoman for the IOC, said she hoped Beijing would follow the path of other host cities and allow demonstrations to take place in designated areas but that the issue was one for local officials to decide.