by Juliana Birnbaum Fox
Dozens march against China during the stop of the Olympic Torch in SF before heading for Argentina. (photo by Jose Corado)
Amid thousands of protestors against Chinese policy, the Olympic torch procession through San Francisco last Wednesday descended into a farce. The city was chosen as the only U.S. stop for the ceremonial display, called, ironically, the “Journey of Harmony,” partly because it is home to the largest Chinese population in an urban area outside of China.
Through rerouting suggested by Chinese officials and approved by Mayor Newsom, they managed to run the torch through some of San Francisco’s streets, if not the streets along the Embarcadero as originally planned. The torch was lit at a park outside at AT&T Park at 1:17, briefly held aloft by Chinese Olympic offi cials and run into a large waterfront warehouse.
Around 2 p.m., the torch resurfaced about two miles away from the stadium along Van Ness Avenue, where it had been smuggled by bus. Television reports, which through helicopters and various feeds were able to keep track of the fl ame, showed runners surrounded by motorcycles and uniformed police offi cers as surprised people along the improvised route took photos. From there it was bused to SFO where a closing ceremony was held on the tarmac, rather than as planned at Justin Herman Plaza, and the fl ame was fl own to Buenos Aires, Argentina.
The protestors took advantage of the Olympic spotlight to rally against various aspects of Chinese policy: its human rights abuses and colonial rule in Tibet, its support of brutal regimes in Darfur and Burma-Myanmar, as well as its record on environmental, labor, and animal rights issues.
One of the most unique moments of the bizarre event arrived when one of the torchbearers, environmental activist Majora Carter, pulled a Tibetan fl ag from her sleeve and waved it for about fi ve seconds until she was tackled by security.
“I really felt a total, complete sense of oneness with the people of Tibet,” she told the New York Times. She added that as “a civil rights activist in this country,” she could not stand in support of China.
