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Protesters take center stage in Beijing
By Toni Fitzgerald
Aug 7, 2008 - 8:48:46 AM

The Olympics unofficially opened yesterday with a disappointing performance by the U.S. women’s soccer team, which looked sluggish and listless in losing its opening game 2-0 to Norway.

No such lethargy has been shown by Olympic Games protesters. With the opening ceremonies now just a day away, protesters stepped up their efforts yesterday, demonstrating in China, Nepal and the U.S. to call attention to everything from China’s treatment of Tibet to its religious persecution.

At the same time, President Bush delivered a strong rebuke to China, saying that the country’s repressive regime and limits on free press are inexcusable. Bush still intends to attend tomorrow’s opening ceremonies.

The protests in China were once more led by Americans in small groups of three or four, similar to Tuesday’s incidents. Again, authorities had relatively mild reactions, as the Chinese government attempts to present an image of tolerance to the world.

A small band of Christian U.S. protesters unfurled religious banners and knelt in prayer while decrying Chinese policies such as forced abortions and banning spiritual movements.

Other protests took place near the stadium where the opening ceremonies will take place, including some for Tibetan rights.

But while there were reports of shoving between police and protesters, there were no arrests and surprisingly few confrontations. In the past, the Chinese government has deported or detained such protesters.

The protests haven’t been limited to China. A group of 1,500 Tibetans staged a demonstration in Nepal yesterday as well, including many monks and nuns, wearing shirts with slogans like “Stop cultural genocide.”

The group said that it feared further Chinese crackdowns once the Games are over and the world takes its focus off of China. Some 20,000 exiled Tibetans currently live in Nepal.

In the U.S., a free Tibet protest went awry when a demonstrator rappelled up the side of the Chinese Consulate in San Francisco, only to fall two stories to the ground amid accusations that someone had cut her ropes.

Nyendak Wangden, a member of Students for a Free Tibet, broke a wrist and a bone in her forearm in the stunt, meant to draw attention to China’s human rights record in Tibet.

More than two-dozen protesters were at the consulate when Wangden began to rappel. When she fell, a woman who had been nearby accused the consulate of cutting her ropes, though investigators say nothing has been proven.

This all came amid continued pressure for President Bush to skip the opening ceremonies. On a trip to Thailand, Bush again emphasized the U.S. stance on China, saying, “America stands in firm opposition to China's detention of political dissidents and human rights advocates and religious activists.”

The Chinese have repeatedly responded to such statements by saying politics should be left out of the Olympics.

Meanwhile, the soccer tournament is in full swing. First-round games, which begin two days before the Games in order to fit them all in before the closing ceremonies, continued today with the U.S. men faring much better than the women. They beat Japan 1-0.