Snappy newsletters. Simple Facebook sharing. Spirited comments. Sweet features are waiting… GET THEM NOW!

Beijing to Set Up Olympic Protest Zones

City tense, locked down over fears of attack

By the Associated Press

Posted Jul 23, 2008 1:08 PM CDT
Email

(AP) – Beijing will set up specially designated zones for protesters during next month's Olympics, a security official said today, in a sign that China's authoritarian government may allow some demonstrations during the games. "This will allow people to protest without disrupting the Olympics," said the director of the Shanghai Institute of American Studies, which lobbied Chinese leaders to set up the protest zones.

Human rights groups, however, dismissed the move as cosmetic, since activists have been denied visas. Worries about terrorist attacks and protests of any kind have prompted one of China's broadest security clampdowns in years.

Chinese paramilitary police rehearse an oath taking ceremony near the Bird Nest National Stadium at the Olympic Green in Beijing, China, Tuesday, July 22, 2008.
Chinese paramilitary police rehearse an oath taking ceremony near the Bird Nest National Stadium at the Olympic Green in Beijing, China, Tuesday, July 22, 2008.   (Ng Han Guan)
Chinese paramilitary soldiers rehearse an oath taking ceremony near the Bird's Nest National Stadium at the Olympic Green in Beijing, Tuesday, July 22, 2008.
Chinese paramilitary soldiers rehearse an oath taking ceremony near the Bird's Nest National Stadium at the Olympic Green in Beijing, Tuesday, July 22, 2008.   (Ng Han Guan)
Chinese paramilitary police rehearse an oath taking ceremony near the Water Cube National Aquatic Center at the Olympic Green in Beijing, China, Tuesday, July 22, 2008.
Chinese paramilitary police rehearse an oath taking ceremony near the Water Cube National Aquatic Center at the Olympic Green in Beijing, China, Tuesday, July 22, 2008.   (Ng Han Guan)
Chinese paramilitary soldiers rehearse an oath taking ceremony near the Bird's Nest National Stadium at the Olympic Green in Beijing, Tuesday, July 22, 2008.
Chinese paramilitary soldiers rehearse an oath taking ceremony near the Bird's Nest National Stadium at the Olympic Green in Beijing, Tuesday, July 22, 2008.   (Ng Han Guan)
« Prev« Prev | Next »Next » Slideshow
To report an error on this story, notify our editors.
A snapshot of the day's best news stories.
 
COMMENTS
Be the first to comment on this story.

Copyright 2012 Newser, LLC. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. AP contributed to this report.

 
China • 2008 Beijing Olympics • Olympic protests

More Newser Stories

Chinese VP Arrives in Washington

Ram, Doe to Marry in China

Tibet Nun, 18, Sets Self Ablaze

Meet Chun Chun, China's Biggest Baby?

Famed China Police Chief May Be Seeking US Asylum
NEWS FROM OUR PARTNERS
Other Sites We Like:   24/7 Wall St.   |   Betty Confidential   |   BuzzFeed   |   Cracked   |   Fark   |   Timelines   |   The Frisky   |   Geek Sugar   |   NewsOne