Olympic Torch Extinguished, Relay Canceled
by Allie Comeau on April 7, 2008 
Leave the first comment
The Olympic torch relay hasn’t been going so well in Europe. In London, protesters lined the streets, shouting angry words at organizers and trying to extinguish the flame. Several protesters were arrested, but the torch remained lit due to the extreme efforts of Metropolitan police and Olympic security.
When the torch came to Paris, however, it was a different story. Although the actual Olympic flame used to light the torch remained burning on a heavily-secured bus, the torch itself was extinguished five times, several scheduled stops were ignored, and the final leg of the Paris relay was ultimately canceled.
According to the Associated Press: “Some demonstrators threw themselves at the torch, and at least one tried to snatch it away during the 48-kilometer (31-mile) relay. Another tried to put out the flame with a fire extinguisher. They were quickly pushed back and cuffed by Metropolitan Police, which said its officers made 36 arrests on a variety of charges.”
Protesters are trying to call attention to The Free Tibet debate, which has escalated in recent months, and China’s human rights record.
Chinese authorities have denied those allegations (of violence against Tibetans) and have accused the Dalai Lama of instigating violence among his followers — an allegation he rejects. U.S. and other Western leaders have called on China to provide civil rights and freedoms to those in Tibet and to enter peaceful discussions aimed at resolving the crisis.
It’s unfortunate that the Olympic games, the one event that attempts to unite the world, is being marred by this (also unfortunate) controversy. I think politics should be set aside when it comes to the Olympic games, but when the host country is involved in issues like these, I suppose conflict is inevitable. Hopefully people will remember that the athletes (and organizers) of the Olympic games aren’t the ones making decisions on things like civil rights and Tibet.
What do you think of this situation? Was Beijing a poor choice for the Olympic games?
