Poll: Most French want President Sarkozy to boycott Beijing Olympics' opening ceremonies
Associated Press | Mar 24, 08 4:43 AM CDT
A French poll published Monday said about 50 percent believe that President Nicolas Sarkozy should boycott the opening ceremonies at the Beijing Olympics but that France's athletes should go ahead and compete in the Games.
When asked by the Liberation newspaper poll about how to protest China's "human rights situation," 53 percent of respondents said they were "rather favorable" to the idea that Sarkozy stay away from the opening ceremonies. Forty-two percent in the poll said they were "rather unfavorable." The remaining 5 percent were not accounted for.
Meanwhile, 55 percent of those polled said they would not support a boycott of the Games by French athletes, while 41 percent favored such a walkout. No details were given about the rest.
Moves to punish China over its handling of violence in Tibet gained momentum last week, with the head of the European parliament and Paris-based media watchdog Reporters Without Borders calling for a boycott of the opening ceremonies.
French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner initially suggested that he was open to the mini-boycott last week, but then backtracked from his comments on French TV and called the proposal "unrealistic."
International Olympic Committee President Jacques Rogge has said he expects many heads of state, including U.S. President George W. Bush, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Sarkozy to attend the opening ceremony.
The poll of 959 people by CSA agency for the daily paper was conducted Thursday and Friday. No margin of error was given.
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