SAN FRANCISCO—The Global Human Rights Torch, designed to shed light on the human rights injustices in China, was greeted by hundreds of people as it was passing through San Francisco four days ahead of the official Beijing Olympic torch relay.
San Francisco is the only appearance of the Beijing Olympic torch in North America, but China's poor human rights record sparked escalating protests and controversy at almost every stop of the torch relay en route to Beijing.
Saturday's protest in San Francisco's Union Square drew a significant crowd including local politician Supervisor Chris Daly, 1968 Mexico City Olympians John Carlos (bronze medal) and Lynn Vidali Gautschi (silver medal), renowned Canadian human rights lawyer David Matas, and representatives of Tibet, Burma, Darfur, Falun Gong, Catholicism, and other concerned groups.
During the event—which featured a live concert, a six-kilometer run, a rally, and a panel discussion—human rights activists urged the world to stage protests of the Beijing Olympics in order to put pressure on China's officials.
China had promised to improve human rights to obtain the honor of hosting the 2008 games.
However, in the name of "preparation" for the Olympics, the Chinese government continues to brutally suppress its own people, as well as the people of Tibet, and is aiding the killing in Darfur and Burma, protesters said.
"The Human Rights Torch Relay embodies San Francisco values, values of human rights, values of individual liberty, and the responsibility that injustice is exposed," said Supervisor Daly at the rally.
"Knowing about human rights abuses the Chinese government is notorious about around the world, the people of San Francisco will respond to the Olympic torch with alarm and with protest."
The Global Human Rights Torch Relay—which is a worldwide campaign running through 150 major cities in 37 countries, across six continents—attracted San Francisco tourists, shoppers, and protesters who held signs and banners with slogans of: "The Olympics and crimes against humanity cannot coexist in China," "Free Tibet," and "Darfur–Bloody Olympics."
The international event is initiated by the Coalition to Investigate the Persecution of Falun Gong. Falun Gong is a spiritual practice based on meditation and exercise, banned in China in 1999, whose practitioners have been persecuted and tortured in China.
On Tuesday, a Tibetan Freedom Torch will also pass through San Francisco on its way to Los Angeles to protest the Chinese government's treatment of Tibetans and the exile of their spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama.
Movie star Richard Gere and Archbishop Desmond Tutu are expected to address a candlelight vigil for Tibet outside City Hall in the evening.
A list of prominent figures including French President Nicolas Sarkozy, German chancellor Angela Merkel, and Britain's Prince Charles, and a group of Hollywood celebrities have also voiced their concerns about the Chinese government's treatment of Tibetans and its close ties to the regime in Sudan responsible for the mass killing in Darfur.
"China should not have been awarded the Olympics," said lawyer Matas. "Now we are five months from the Olympics. It may be too late to change the 2001 decision, but it is not too late to make China regret that they ever won the Olympic bid."
"The communist party of China has been using the games to justify and glorify its hold on power," Matas added.
Former Chinese National Basketball player Kai Chen made his way through the packed Union Square bearing the human rights torch to San Francisco. Chen, who also gave a public speech at the rally, is a Western U.S. ambassador for the Human Rights Torch Global Tour.
As the Human Rights Torch proceeded through San Francisco carried by Olympic medalist John Carlos, a crowd of runners followed him chanting: "No human rights, no Olympics!"
"The people of China, they deserve as a whole, the people of China deserve to have the Olympic Games in their nation. That government does not deserve the same right," Carlos declared.
 (Ivailo Anguelov/The Epoch Times)
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 (Ivailo Anguelov/The Epoch Times)
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