Free Tibet - While Supplies Last!

Yesterday was to be like any other day except for the fact that it was also to be the day of the Olympic Torch Relay along the waterfront here in San Francisco. Most people would think that the opportunity to see the torch relay would be pretty cool if it wasn't for all the political unrest surrounding the Olympics. Unless you've been living under a rock for the past year or so, and assuming that rock doesn't have internet or cable, you've no doubt heard about or seen some of the protests associated with the 2008 Olympics. Most of the recent protests have been focused around China's occupation of Tibet.

For those who don't know, here is a quick primer on the history of Tibet and why people have cause to protest.

Tibet was occupied by the People's Republic of China (PRC) back in 1949 and has been under its rule since then. A section of Tibet known as the Tibet Autonomous Region, although part of the occupation and governed by officials of the PRC, remains "somewhat" independent. The remaining regions of Tibet are governed just like any other province of the PRC. The Dalai Lama, the spiritual leader of Tibet, along with the Tibet Government-in-Exile have long demanded Tibet's independence. Their reasoning is for the preservation of Tibetan culture and the fact that it was once a sovereign nation. In addition to Tibet's status of sovereignty, many protest what they believe to be human rights violations committed by the PRC against Tibet. The PRC, of course, denies any such violations and maintains that with the signing of the Seventeen Point Agreement, China has legal right to occupy Tibet.

I don't have an opinion on the matter myself because I simply don't know enough about it to make an intelligent argument. However, San Francisco is full of people ready to protest anything and they certainly don't disappoint in that regard. The trouble I found was that while most of the protesters had a legitimate understanding of the situation, there was a large contingent of people protesting because it must have seemed to be the trendy thing to do. I'm not entirely surprised at this, but it was somewhat troubling to hear people shouting slogans that they may not fully understand. Jonathon's protesting lesson for the day: it's important to do your homework before protesting (write that down).

Regardless, the protesters (the informed and uninformed alike) were out in force doing their protesting best. Though the somewhat ironic thing is that the Dalai Lama doesn't even agree with most of what these people were saying! Even in the midst of all the protesting - I managed to sneak beyond some of the barricades - the atmosphere was surprisingly not one of tension. It was much more calm than I had anticipated. I had hoped to be able to capture a little of both sides on film, though the protesters turned out to be much more interesting.

I had also hoped to be able to photograph the actual relay, but city officials changed the route at the last minute robbing me, and many others, the opportunity to see the procession. This was seen by some as a move of desperation, by others as a slight to the protesters. For me, it seemed to be a pointless waste of time and money. I mean, honestly, what is the point of going to all the trouble to host something which no one will ever see. The torch was ultimately taken in secrecy to the middle of the city, put through the paces of a roughly 3-mile run, and then escorted back to SFO for a quick ceremony attended by no one. Granted, it was a tough call to make - the city stated that it couldn't guarantee the safety of the runners given the number of protesters that had shown up, but then why do it at all?

So, I didn't get to see the torch, but I did get some good pictures from it all. Here is a sample - the rest can be viewed here. Enjoy!

-protestin jonathon