Going to the Bejing Olympics?

The last week or so has seen a seemingly popular uprising by the Tibetan people against their Chinese occupiers. Now we are beginning to witness the news of the brutal repression of this by the Chinese government. This news has dribbled out of Tibet despite the authorities largely efficient efforts to cynically censor this whole affair from the world.

I am against the Chinese government in this, as are, I suspect, the vast majority of people watching these events unfold. I have always wanted Tibet free and the Dali Lama in his rightful place. His exile has gone on too long as has the apparent effort toward ethnic cleansing by the Chinese government.

We should seek to apply as much pressure as we can on our governments for them to do the same to their Chinese counterparts to end this unjust and ill conceived occupation. I don't believe we should include a boycott of the Olympics, one of the few global event which should remain above politics. If the West boycotts Bejing the Chinese will find an excuse to lead a boycott of London's Olympics in 2012, and then we're on the slippery slope to not holding global sporting events. My belief is that these events are amongst the more important glue ingredients for international understanding.

What we should do is go to the Olympics, and while we're there, in the full glare of the media spotlight, make a big noise about Tibet and other human rights abuses in China, of which there are many. What we mustn't do is go to the Olympics and allow ourselves to be dragged in front of the global media for picture opportunities in seeming support of the Chinese government. That would be too much like the English soccer team giving the Nazi salute, out of politeness, at the 1936 Berlin Olympics. We can never live that moment of infamy down, and I fear we might be about to repeat that terrible mistake.

The Chinese political establishment inhabit a very sophisticated society and would clearly understand a well thought out global response to their totally unacceptable human rights position, particularly with regard to Tibet. It's time they got out of that small country and started to behave like a responsible member of the family of nations rather than as the neighborhood bully.