Activists disrupt Olympic flame-lighting ceremony in Greece
Activists protesting human rights abuses in China disrupted the flame-lighting ceremony for the upcoming Winter Games at an archaeological site in Greece.
The three protesters sneaked into the Temple of Hera in the ancient ruins of Olympia and waved a Tibetan flag and a banner that read “No genocide games.”
The next Olympics are scheduled to begin in Beijing in February.
“How can Beijing be allowed to host the Olympics given that they are committing a genocide against the Uyghurs?” one protester said, referring to China’s treatment of Muslims.
Similar protests occurred at the lighting ceremony for the 2008 Summer Games in Beijing.
The International Olympic Committee has repeatedly said China’s human rights record falls outside the organization’s remit.
At the lighting, IOC president Thomas Bach said the modern Olympics must be “respected as politically neutral ground.”
“Only this political neutrality ensures that the Olympic Games can stand above and beyond the political differences that exist in our times,” he said. “The Olympic Games cannot address all the challenges in our world. But they set an example for a world where everyone respects the same rules and one another.”
After the disruption, an actress playing a pagan priestess used a round mirror to use the sun’s rays to light the new Olympic flame.
The issue, however, does not appear to be going away any time soon.
On Sunday, two protesters were detained at the Acropolis in Athens trying to raise a banner to draw attention to human rights abuses in China.
The Winter Games will run from Feb. 4-20 but only spectators from mainland China will be allowed to attend. Everyone at the Olympics — including athletes — will be expected to be vaccinated, or else have to spend 21 days in quarantine.
With News Wire Services
