With San Francisco set as the only North American stop for the Olympic torch relay this Wednesday, protesters of China's policies toward Tibet are using the activist city as a venue to voice their grievances.
In San Francisco today, protesters will host a Tibetan Freedom Torch Ceremony, which will include a press conference, a march and a rally.
The event comes a day after protesters hung "Free Tibet" protest banners on the Golden Gate Bridge.
In the evening there will be a candlelight vigil by protesters, with actor Richard Gere, a longtime Buddhist activist, and Nobel Peace Prize winner Desmond Tutu set to attend.
California Sen. Dianne Feinstein weighed in on the growing Olympics controversy again on Monday, introducing a bipartisan resolution (there are 13 co-sponsors) condemning violence in Tibet.
“I urge the leadership in China to begin the process of open substantive dialogue with the Dalai Lama on meaningful Tibetan religious and cultural autonomy within the People’s Republic of China,” Feinstein said in a statement.
The torch is set to travel through San Francisco on April 9.
The stops in London and Paris earlier this week, though ended with dozens of arrests, and included the torch being extinguised and placed on a bus in Paris.
Latest posts:
About Comments
Reader comments on Sacbee.com are the opinions of the writer, not The Sacramento Bee. If you see an objectionable comment, click the "report abuse" button below it. We will delete comments containing inappropriate links, obscenities, hate speech, and personal attacks. Flagrant or repeat violators will be banned. See more about comments here.