First of all, the protests led by the monks in Tibet were peaceful until the military came in, reacting characteristically harshly to any dissent (remember Tiananmen Square?). But even without Tibet as an issue, it’s the stark human rights abuses against the Chinese that provide plenty of reasons to boycott Beijing, including but not limited to “re-education through labor,” no free speech or information access, forced abortions and sterilization, arbitrary executions, the imprisonment of more bloggers and journalists than anywhere in the world, etc. In the run-up to the Olympics human-rights violations have gotten worse, including forced evictions of the poor to clear the way for Olympic facilities, imprisoning Olympic critics, even blocking live feeds from Tiananmen Square during the Games so the rest of the world won’t see if they beat down any peaceful demonstrators. Read Boxun News to get the scoop on what’s happening in China, from reporters in China who risk arrest and imprisonment to get the word out.
Don’t be so callous about the worthiness of the protesters’ cause. Elie Wiesel once said, “I swore never to be silent whenever and wherever human beings endure suffering and humiliation. We must always take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented.”
