Edward McMillan-Scott MEP: Why we should boycott Beijing

Earlier this week ConservativeHome highlighted Edward McMillan-Scott's concerns about UK participation in the Beijing Olympics.  In this article the Tory MEP for Yorkshire & Humber, Vice-President of the European Parliament and founder of the EU’s Democracy and Human Rights Initiative lists his concerns about China and why it might be necessary to shun the 'Genocide Olympics'.

The year-long countdown to the 2008 Beijing Olympics was celebrated by the Chinese regime with a firework display in Tiananmen Square – the focus of the June 1989 massacre of thousands of human rights activists.  Massed dancers performed under the bland portrait of Mao Tse-tung, who murdered without qualms more than 70 million of his own people, 38 million through starvation.

Outside China, numerous reports were produced by human rights organisations such as Amnesty International.  Reporters without Borders said “despite the explicit undertakings it gave to the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in 2001, the Chinese government has done nothing to improve free expression or human rights in general.... Every year several thousand Chinese are executed in public, often in stadiums, by means of a bullet in the back of the neck or lethal injection.”

Simon Clegg, chief executive of the British Olympic Association, said he would not succumb to pressure from human rights groups or politicians over participation in what promises to be the most controversial games since the US boycott of the 1980 Moscow Olympics.

However, this view that sport and politics don’t mix defies the Olympic Charter itself. Article 1 says it “seeks to create a way of life based on the joy of effort, the educational value of good example and respect for universal fundamental ethical principles”, surely the most universal of which is the UN Human Rights Charter?

It was the IOC itself which decided to exclude South Africa from the games in 1964 as part of a world-wide campaign against apartheid.

Britain's prime minister Gordon Brown, with the help of French president Nicolas Sarkozy and with all-party support at home, has shown a new foreign policy activism by making the genocide in Darfur his first priority.  It is Chinese support for the murderous Sudanese government which has led Mia Farrow to call the Beijing games the “Genocide Olympics”.

But there is still genocide inside China. Hundreds of thousands are in ‘administrative detention’.  The world’s biggest country is becoming explosive, with tensions arising from huge distortions in wealth leading to corruption, a collapsing environment and universal repression of any dissent – including the ‘great firewall of China’.

Of all the iniquities, possibly the greatest is the assault on religious activity in recent years.  Ironically, as in the ex-Soviet bloc, religion could be the regime’s downfall.

The Vatican has until now accepted the appointment of its senior clerics by the Communist Party of China but is becoming restive; several million Catholics secretly appoint their own bishops. Underground Anglican churches too abound.  Muslims have been shot for “separatism” and those with passports have had them removed this year, to prevent them from making the Haj.

Patient and proud, Tibetans have suffered humiliation since Chinese troops occupied their lovely country in 1951. Beijing rules with a heavy hand, enforcing strict controls on religious activity.  It routinely vilifies the 71-year-old Dalai Lama, and imprisoned his chosen successor, the ‘soul boy’. Beijing has recently sacked hundreds of Tibetan officials and replaced them with Han loyalists.

The Falun Gong movement, a spiritual Buddhist group, has had the worst treatment after it grew in only seven years of existence to 100 million adherents. Over 3,000 Falun Gong have been tortured to death since 1999 by a regime which demands that they recant.  Survivors say that they are the only prisoners who get a health check.  Why? One had seen his friend’s cadaver in the prison hospital with holes where body parts had been removed. China’s booming organ transplant industry – run by the Peoples Liberation Army – is harvesting Falun Gong prisoners’ vital organs to order.  They sell at a premium as practitioners neither drink nor smoke.

The Genocide Convention means any acts ‘committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial or religious group’.  Tragically, China today abounds in examples of continuing internal genocide.  Let us give the regime until Christmas to put the past aside, or we must apply the Olympic spirit and shun their games.

Comments

[Sally Roberts]

Edward, I sympathise very much with what you say and what you are trying to achieve! The scandal of the way Falun Gong practitioners are being treated and the disgusting phenomenon of "body part harvesting" is particularly appalling. But - and it's a big BUT - I do not approve of any boycotts on principle! Perhaps I'm just a "natural rebel" but I well remember that years ago when supermarkets were leafleted by those trying to exhort us to boycott goods produced by the the then apartheid-South Africa I deliberately loaded up my trolley with all the goods on the list!!! I am also actively opposing the anti-Israel boycott.
No, I believe there is a better way of demonstrating to the Chinese our antipathy towards their human rights abuses and that is for every single "Official" and other visitor who attends their games to protest in vociferous terms - perhaps causing a "diplomatic incident" if necessary? It may be that it is better for non-official visitors not to indulge in this, in case they put themselves at risk - but are the Chinese REALLY going to arrest every single Government Minister, MP, MEP or other who attends? Can you imagine the scandal which would be caused if they did?

[Andrew Bradley]

It is absolute unadulterated nonsense to talk about boycotting the Beijing Olympics. Perhaps Mr Scott-McMillan isn't aware that London is holding the 2012 Olympics. Engage brain please and just think of the consequences if we withdraw from Beijing and try and live in the real world which clearly Eddie doesn't being based in Brussels.

[Tapestry]

China is a shocking country to visit from our viewpoint. I saw police beating up a street vendor. I saw a traffic accident where the victims were seriously injured and traffic just kept driving past and no one stopped.

They are crazy about money. I asked someone why they are quite so focused on it. Their reply was simple. In your country and you get old or ill, the state will give you money. In China you just die.

Their society is quite brutal in many ways, and yet they are a kindly people and could be a force for good in the world. It doesn't do to impose our views on everyone round the planet. They could argue that we tolerate appalling crime on our streets and we don't have enough punishments to stop it. They would be right.

[Raj]

If it was right to boycott past Olympics, I think an argument can be made to do the same with Beijing.

Andrew, are you denying the human rights situation in China is bad or that we shouldn't give a damn about it?

[Henry Mayhew - Ukipper / delusional conservative]

Good idea and good timing. Getting a boycott of 2012 going will save us a bundle. We can down-rate the whole thing.

[steve]

It wasn't right to boycott previous Olympicgames and it isn't right now. Nothing was achieved then and nothing will be achieved now. It's just lazy politics from someone who wants to get in the papers.
I suggest Mr Macmillan Scott should spend his time doing two things. One making sure Britain is not getting screwed by the EU andsecondly screwing as much money out of the EU for Britain as possible.That's what he's paid for, not making stupid and pointless gestures.

[Mr Angry]

If Edward McMillan-Scott wishes to organise a boycott of anything I would suggest that he orgnises one of the European Commission. That would at least achieve something worthwhile for the people he is paid to represent.

[Yorks Tory]

I think Edward must have been leading by example - he clearly boycotts Yorkshire, so rare are his visits here - but then he is probably too busy riding the gravy train in Brussels.

I think the Chinese Government and the EU have much in common - I mean the people said no to the EU Constitution and they still pressed on regardless. Mao would be proud.

[rainman]

Boycott make no sense man. The China man not choose its government - it be imposed upon them. An event like Olympic help show the China man the world - and open their eyes.

[Charles Liu]

Falun Gong's organ harvesting allegation has been discredited by multiple undercover investigations.

US government and Chinese dissident investigations:

1) http://www.zonaeuropa.com/20060806_1.htm

http://www.cicus.org/news/newsdetail.php?id=6492

2) http://usinfo.state.gov/xarchives/display.html?p=washfile-english&y=2006&m=April&x=20060416141157uhyggep0.5443231&t=livefeeds/wf-latest.html

http://www.usembassy.it/pdf/other/RL33437.pdf (section CRS-7)

3) http://crc.gov.my/clinicalTrial/documents/Proposal/TCM_Stroke%20TrialProtocol%20synopsis.pdf (page 3)

As you can see, the hospital Falun Gong accused is partly owned by a Malaysian health care company and is subject to oversight beyond Chinese authority.

[Jennifer Wells]

Thank you Edward for running this campaign. i wish you every success with it. China should know that the world frowns on its behaviour.

[David Boothroyd]

There are lots of reasons why providing the Chinese dictatorship with a publicity boost would be a bad idea. The problem with this is that previous Olympics boycotts have had little or no effect beyond skewing the medals tables. The African boycott over South Africa in 1976 is almost forgotten; the US-led boycott of Moscow over the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in 1980 was imperfectly observed, and the retaliatory Soviet bloc boycott in 1984 was just tit-for-tat.

Olympics authorities have also disliked athletes making political stances during the games. Instead perhaps the BOA could arrange for the British team to give symbolic support to the Tibetans and to freedom in China.

[Edward McMillan-Scott]

Most emails received on my emcmillanscott@europarl.eu.int website or through boycottbeijing.eu are supportive.

For Yorkshire Tory, whoever he or she may be (!) please note that in 2006 I was in my constituency on average more than once every fortnight, including our (short) European Parliament recesses.

[steve]

It's a useless initative Mr McMillan Scott which you must know won't achieve anything. Why don't you spend more time doing what you are paid to do?

[Jana]

What happens if we all attend the games and nothing improves- it only gets worse (Like Hitlers persecution of the Jews before and after the Olympics in 1936). We would have condemned many more innocent lives to persecution and death ? Can you live with that on your conscience? I cannot not.

I applaud Edward McMillian Scott and all those who are standing up to the brutal communist regime who seek only to destroy the very best of humanity.

Do you know that China also boycotted the 1980 Olympic Games in Moscow citing political reasons for doing so?

Also Charles Lui needs exposing for his misinformation that he spreads around on million of blogs. He works for the Ccp.

And in case you’ve never heard of Charles Liu, here’s the scoop.
http://organharvestinvestigation.net/media/WesternStandard_040907.htm
http://kevinsteel.org/2007/04/09/sowing-confusion/

[Ian Parker]

It’s an absurd proposition to believe that by awarding a prestigious event like The Olympics to a particular country, the rest of the world can somehow then engage in some sort of moral suasion to engineer change in that country.

As someone rather cruelly, but accurately, points out, how can we boycott the Games when we are next in line with our own white elephant? Therein lies the crux. The Beijing Olympics recognise that China has emerged as a world economic power. Over the past decade, there has been a huge transfer of relative wealth from the West to Asia. As a result, China is better placed to make demands on the West rather than the other way around. All the indications are that they will do just that in relation to the Games.

As for our own position, Britain’s morality is priced strictly in pounds, shillings and pence (for those of you who can remember pre-decimal, although I can probably be prosecuted for using those terms).

You can, of course, make your own individual protest by not watching any part of the Games on TV. Perhaps if enough people boycotted the broadcasts, there may be some commercial repercussions (here, of course, not in China).