Beijing 2021, Fire and Activism: Pro-tibet Protest During Olympics Flame Ceremony 

Giulia Benzi

Tibet and Human Rights Researcher

Global Human Rights Defence

According to the ritual, the Olympic flame for the Beijing 2022 winter Games was lit at the ancient Greek site of Olympia, but in the absence of the public due to Covid-19, and with a pro-Tibet protest outbreak immediately stopped by security.

The flame was lit shortly after 9 am in the presence of the IOC President, Thomas Bach. During the ceremony, protesters attempted to unfurl a Tibetan flag, before being stopped by a security guard. Three activists were arrested at the Acropolis in Athens after having unfurled a Tibetan flag and a banner praising the "Hong Kong Revolution", with the words "Boycott Beijing 2022" and "Free Tibet". The three protesters were identified as Chemi Lhamo, Jason Leith and Fern MacDougal.

Behind the protests staged during the ceremony of the Olympic flame there is a long history that starts from the Beijing 2008 edition and involves many current and controversial issues in terms of human rights. For several years China has been accused of carrying out highly unfair measures against the Tibetan community. Criticism has included allegations that re-education camps set up by the Chinese government are in fact Gulags. Information that China has repeatedly defined as false, asking any foreign institutional and journalistic entity not to interfere in matters within Chinese borders.

Behind the request for a boycott of the Olympics and Paralympics in Beijing 2022 there is the intention not to hold the Games in Beijing, also in relation to other allegations regarding human rights violations in Hong Kong and against the Uighur minorities. However, it seems highly unlikely that Beijing 2022 will be blocked or even cancelled, although some states around the world are hypothesising a diplomatic boycott.

For further reading and sources:

Bangkok Post (18th October, 2021). Activists Unfurl Tibet Flag at Beijing Olympics Flame Ceremony, retrieved from https://www.bangkokpost.com/world/2199839/activists-unfurl-tibet-flag-at-beijing-olympics-flame-ceremony. 

Ability Channel (18th October, 2021). Olimpiadi e Paralimpiadi Pechino 2022: protesta pro-Tibet e torcia accesa, retrieved from https://www.abilitychannel.tv/olimpiadi-paralimpiadi-pechino-2022-protesta-pro-tibet/.