As I write this, the Olympic torch has landed in San Francisco, under wraps and in darkness.
Judging from last week’s torch lighting ceremony in Greece, the loud demonstrations in London and utter chaos in Paris that forced the Chinese officials to cancel the last segment of the parade, it does not bode well for the Summer Olympics in Beijing.
There are several layers, and many players, in this ongoing saga. Depending on where one stands on a variety of issues, these protests can be seen as the valiant David versus Goliath: a campaign for human rights and human dignity, a fight for Tibetan independence, a cry of indignation against China’s many policies and practices. … Or it can be seen as a “splittist” campaign to embarrass China in its major “coming out” party, a conspiracy by China-haters around the world to deny the People’s Republic of China its rightful place in the global playing field of the 21st century — or simply the old racism and colonialism.
San Francisco, with a large contingency of Chinese Americans and immigrants, and a worldwide reputation for liberal politics and radical protests, has been gearing up to welcome the torch.
Over the preceding weekend, while London seethed and Paris burned, two parades took place, including one for the “Tibetan freedom torch.” On Monday, a group of intrepid climbers scaled the Golden Gate Bridge to unfurl messages in support of the Tibetan people. On Tuesday, about 500 people marched to the Chinese Consulate in protest. Later, Archbishop Desmond Tutu and actor Richard Gere attended a vigil named “Candle Lights for Human Rights.”
Protesters from around the country already converge in the city; many of my Chinese American colleagues struggle with conflicting emotions of pride and embarrassment, the logical extension of the struggle against oppression and the apparent unfairness of the world ganging up on China again … and so on.
Two things are already apparent. One, the protesters are global and innovative. At the events, there are Tibetan spokespersons, but the activists are mostly native to the countries. The three people who scaled the GG Bridge hail from Oakland and Sausalito. We’ve seen this type of global campaign once: during the Vietnam War, aimed at the United States.
Mused a colleague: “It’s already more interesting than the Olympics.”
Vu-Duc Vuong (vuduc.vuong @gmail.com) is a teacher and writer in the Bay Area.