Flame of shame
As several have now pointed out, the most shocking aspect of the farcical progress of the Olympic torch through London and Paris was the presence and behaviour of the squad of blue-tracksuited Chinese goons who formed a menacing phalanx between the torch and the British police trotting alongside. Lord Coe has called them ‘thugs’ and Konnie Huq, who carried the torch, provided some vivid and alarming details:
Miss Huq, one of 80 torchbearers said: ‘The men in blue perplexed everyone. Nobody seemed to know who they were officially or what their title was. They were very robotic, very full on, and I noticed them having skirmishes with our own police and the Olympic authorities before our leg of the relay, which was confusing. ‘They were barking orders at me, like “Run! Stop!” and I was like, “Oh my gosh, who are these people?” They kept pushing my hand up higher when I was holding the torch, so they were...interesting.’The big question is — who were they, and by whose authority were they given such a role in the procession? The Times reported:
The Metropolitan Police confirmed last night that the attendants had no executive powers while in Britain, meaning that they had no authority to keep order. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office and the Chinese Embassy have refused to comment on the role and responsibility of the 14-strong squad. Pro-Tibet protesters claimed that the attendants were highly trained Chinese security forces.Elsewhere, the Greater London council says security on the streets was organised by the British Olympic Committee, while the BOC says it was organised by the GLA.
The fact is that this was a perfectly legal demonstration of the kind that characterises Britain’s open society. The question remains — by whose authority were Chinese state thugs given a role in the policing of this demonstration on London’s streets?