SAN JOSÉ—The Human Rights Torch Relay (HRTR) arrived from Argentina to San José, California on Mar. 29, 2008, after passing through 29 countries. This is the first stop of the torch in the U.S., part of an international campaign that seeks to bring an end to all human rights abuses against the people of China.
The relay is sponsored by the Coalition to Investigate the Persecution of Falun Gong (CIPFG), an organization which is dedicated to investigating and ending the Chinese communist regime's eight-year-long persecution of Falun Gong practitioners. The CIPFG's message for the HRTR is: "The Olympics and crimes against humanity cannot coexist in China"
At 12 noon on Saturday, the torchbearer from Argentina entered the plaza filled with supporters in front of the San José Center for the Performing Arts, passing the torch to a woman dressed in flowing robes, symbolizing a Greek Goddess. The Goddess then walked slowly toward Chuck Reed, the mayor of San José, igniting his torch and thus officially beginning the events in this city which is known as the "Capital of Silicon Valley."
Mayor Reed has been a longtime supporter of human rights and spoke strongly against the crimes of the communist regime around the world.
"Today is a special day. We want to remind people, not everybody has freedom. The Chinese people today do not have freedom. They do not have freedom of belief," said Mayor Reed.
The Mayor, known for his honesty and integrity, has an impressive resume. He graduated number one in his class at the United States Air Force Academy, followed by a Master's Degree in Public Affairs from Princeton, and a law degree from Stanford. His service during the Vietnam War gave him a real taste of the nature of the communist party.
As he spoke at the HRTR rally, his words were warmly received by the Tibetans, South Vietnamese, and Falun Gong practitioners assembled there. The Mayor even proclaimed Mar. 29 to be "Human Rights Torch Relay Day in the City of San José."
Nguyen Chi Thien, a prisoner of conscience from Vietnam, also spoke at the rally. His story is one of incredible will and perseverance, having spent 27 years in prison for speaking the truth in the communist-controlled country. He never gave in to the persecution against him, composing hundreds of poems while in prison, and committing them to memory, only to be published at a later date.
"The International Olympic Committee has made a wrong decision and let the Olympics Games be hosted by the Chinese communist party which is a regime that practices genocide… 80 million people have been killed in peaceful times by the Chinese communist party," Nguyen Chi Thien said.
He made a comparison to the 1936 Olympics in Nazi-controlled Berlin.
"In 1936, the Olympic Games held in Berlin, Germany is called the 'Nazi Olympics.' And today the Beijing Olympics will be called the 'Genocide Olympics,'" Nguyen Chi Thien declared.
To read more about Nguyen Chi Thien, please read this two-part Epoch Times story: Part one Part two
The former mayor of Saratoga, California, Stan Bogosian, made a thought-provoking comment during his speech at the HRTR rally: "If things are going so well in China, why doesn't the government allow live broadcasts?"
Bogosian was making a reference to the fact that a delay of several seconds will be maintained during the Olympics television coverage, allowing the broadcasters to prevent any "undesirable" footage to be shown, such as a protest by an athlete or spectator during the games.
Former Mayor Bogosian himself came under pressure from the Chinese communist regime when he helped pass a proclamation in his town that supported the rights of practitioners of Falun Gong to freely assemble. Chinese government representatives urged him to rescind the proclamation, and Bogosian also discovered that his home was being watched by apparent spies.
Many others spoke at the HRTR rally, including former Olympic athlete Susan Jones Roy who competed as a breaststroke swimmer in the 1968 Summer Games in Mexico City.
As the rally concluded, Olympian Roy led the hundreds of people present on a torch relay run through the streets of downtown San José, finishing at San José State University. The group gathered at the site of a statue of Olympic athletes Tommie Smith and John Carlos, who made the famous "black power" salute while standing on the medal podium at the 1968 Mexico City Games. Smith and Carlos had been students at the university.
The Human Rights Torch Relay will continue on to other cities in the U.S. returning to the Bay Area on Apr. 5 at Union Square in San Francisco at 11 a.m.
Additional reporting by Miranda Wijaya.
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