SPORT: Even oppressive dictatorships need love sometimes

By Mark McLaughlin
Edinburgh Evening News
April 11, 2008

A PRO-CHINA march is due to take place in the city tomorrow, after months of protests over the country's occupation of Tibet in the run-up to the Olympics.

Around 300 members of the Chinese community are expected to take part in the rally, marshalled by police.

Event organisers say the voices of ordinary Chinese people have been drowned out by worldwide protests by pro-Tibetan groups.

The rally - called Proud of Olympics, Proud of China, No Separation, No Distortion - is billed as a non-political show of support for the forthcoming Beijing Games. Yu Bin, president of the Edinburgh Area Chinese Students and Scholars Association, which is behind the demo, said: "There will be about 400 people attending, half of which come from cities other than Edinburgh.

"The aim of our parade is to free the Olympics from politics. We respect the different views of westerners on some issues but we feel the Olympics is not the right platform for them to play political tricks. Olympics were created for world peace not political fighting.

"We could not stand the violence on the Olympic torch which has happened recently. The Olympics is the symbol of Chinese people standing up."

The group has written to the rector of St John's Church in Princes Street calling for a "one-sided and disrespectful" mural to be removed. The mural, which evokes the Tiananmen Square Massacre of 1989, with a Tibetan monk obstructing Chinese tanks, was targeted by vandals last week.

Amnesty International and the Free Tibet campaign have both voiced their approval of the ECSSA's bid to exercise their rights to freedom of speech.

Amnesty's Scottish director John Watson said: "While I appreciate the protest is against the politicisation of the Games, it must be remembered that China boycotted the 1954 games in protest at Taiwan's participation for wholly political reasons."

Matt Whittichase of Free Tibet added: "I hope the group shows its principled opposition to the denial of these fundamental human rights to the people of China and Tibet by the Chinese government."

The marchers will set off from the Royal Mile at 11.15am.

Bus firms warned passengers there would be disruptions to services during the protest.