Chinese Protest Western Media Bias

This weekend, Chinese citizens living abroad protested against Western media-bias in cities around the globe. Yesterday’s global day of protest, organised by Chinese officials, saw emigrants gather in dozens of cities to condemn the media’s sympathy towards the Free-Tibet Movement and its negative portrayal of China. Protests were held in Paris, London, Berlin, Vienna, New York and many cities throughout China. Activists claimed that media outlets such as the BBC and CNN had presented only one side of the story in their coverage, and feared that biased reporting would stimulate ill-feeling and prejudice towards China.

The BBC’s failure to report these protests yesterday underlined the arguments of the demonstrators. Journalists at the BBC could hardly have missed the group of over 1,000 Chinese students gathered in front of the Beeb’s Manchester offices to voice their anger. While bosses did issue a statement denying their allegations and claiming that BBC coverage had been fair, there was no mention of these protests on the channel’s evening news programmes. As Chinese journalist Lee Siu Hin has pointed out, the network’s lack of coverage doesn’t bode well for it.

Torch Sparks London Protests

London became the centre of heated protests yesterday as the Olympic flame passed through its snow-clad streets. Despite the chilly weather conditions thousands of activists lined the 31-mile route (see map), demonstrating against China’s human rights record and treatment of Tibet. According to the BBC, 35 were arrested as individual demonstrators repeatedly stormed the ring of policemen protecting the torch-bearer. One man even attempted to smother the Olympic flame with a fire extinguisher.

The resulting scenes – security forces wrestling activists, as masses of protestors waved flags and shouted slogans (see original footage) – weren’t far removed from a sporting event. But the political debate, increasingly difficult to extract from this summer’s games, was impossible to overlook. The link between sports and politics was highlighted further by Prime Minister Gordon Brown’s decision not to touch the torch despite greeting it outside 10 Downing Street – a diplomatic move aimed to appease both Tibetan supporters and Chinese officials in equal measures.

Meanwhile in Beijing, China’s state-controlled television networks opted not to show scenes of protest and demonstration. Instead reports focused on peaceful images of the Chinese ambassador handing the torch to a British runner. With another 20 countries left for the torch to travel through, the Chinese censors ought to have their work cut out for them in the coming months. Next stop: Paris, a city well acquainted with the concept of demonstrating and revolting.