28 April 2008

Olympic Torch Relay & Defending Human Rights

By Kathryn Nesbitt - The Body Shop Store Manager - QVB Sydney.

Image: Gabrielle Liddle The Body Shop NSW Trainer at the Olympic Torch relay in Canberra.

On Thursday 24th I was lucky enough to join Amnesty International on their trip to our capital city Canberra.

The aim of this trip was to attend the Olympic torch relay and highlight the human rights abuses in China and Tibet.

It is easy in Australia to take for granted the freedoms we enjoy,free press, uncensored internet access,a transparent legal system,the right to peaceful protest and even the right to choose the number of children you have. None of these things are available in China.

We have all heard about the disturbing abuses of human rights in Tibet but we will not be able to fully ascertain their extent until the Chinese authorities allow independent observers, including the UN, access to the region.

I have visited both China and the northern regions of Nepal,home to large numbers of Tibetans, so this is an issue I feel passionate about.

The day of the torch relay itself saw emotions running high on both sides. Human rights supporters were hugely outnumbered by a large often hostile group of pro China supporters.

After one quite ugly incident where our group of 45 were surrounded by hundreds of angry pro Chinese screaming at us to "go home" and "stop lying" we had to have a police escort to a meet up with other human rights supporters where it was felt there would be safety in numbers. I had never experienced anything quite like this and have to admit it made me both angry and fearful.

I have come away from that day with an even stronger conviction to speak out against what I see as major human rights abuses. Free speech is both something to respect and use. Please take the time to check out the Amnesty International website at www.amnesty.org.au
or check out their Uncensor China Campaign website or join the cause on Facebook.

As a very wise woman* once said "IF I WANTED TO BE QUIET I'D WORK IN A LIBRARY"

I don't!

~ Kathryn

Defending Human Rights at The Body Shop
By Adam Valvasori - Values Manager


















As a side note to Kathryn's excellent post. One of The Body Shop's core values is Defending Human Rights. In a show of solidarity with an ever growing, vocal and global community lobbying China to use the Olympics as an opportunity to improve its human rights record... all our staff will soon be wearing one of the above Defend Human Rights badges in our stores.

~ Adam.


* Anita Roddick
Posted by The Body Shop Activist at 9:51 AM
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4 comments:

  1. you are a bloody idiot. if you have been to china or north nepal why don't you post some personal experiences of what you saw there? maybe some photos of people walking on the streets with their mouths taped shut?

    please go do some research. the olympic fire has been extinguished many times by violent anti-china protesters in many countries across the globe, even if a disabled person was holding the torch. if you see rows of cops along the streets to avoid violence in a protest would you accuse them of being hostile?

    and go view some videos of march 14 2008 of tibet. lamas, who claims themselves as wise, peaceful people, are running all over the streets throwing rocks, burning down property, beating innocent people on the streets with rocks, pots and sticks. dalai lama's so called belief in non-violence has resulted in people on the streets were running for their lives, hiding in nearby schools, garages, away from the violence induced by anti-china advocates (dalai lama's supporters). many people were left homeless after their houses were burnt down, is this your definition of peace-calling and human rights?

    if this was happening in australia what would you rather? hide in your basement forever or the government troops to step in and offer you some protection?

    next time you go to china, please visit tibet for yourself and ask any tibetian on the streets are their human rights threatened and are they facing culture genocide.
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