11/02/2008 / CHINA
It's not
possible to solve every social problem and corruption in 50 years. But people
don't realise what's going on because the authorities don't tell us. Although
our system is more developed than the feudal system, it still has a long way to
go. Change is slow. If we had a better social system, people would be more
active. We don't have to change overnight, but we could at least discuss things
more openly. Most people believe that democracy is not suitable for China,
that it would make a mess of society. But where do people get these ideas? Not
from their own beliefs! It's the authorities that make us believe this. The
fact that the government still cheats us means that the authorities are in fact
a struggling dictator. They need to encourage free speech so that people can
tell the government what they want. Then people wouldn't worry so much, because
they'd know they've got support from a good institution."
‘2008, looking forward to the Olympic Games and, even more so, a democratic China’
A pair of political activists from Shenzhen (south China) are using the Olympic Games to protest against the authorities despite a crackdown on free speech in the run up to the event. Li Tie and Zou Tao publish newsletters and organise protests, and have even prepared for their seemingly inevitable capture by the police. On Chinese New Year's Eve (6 Feb.) they organised a peaceful protest in Shenzhen City. The pair displayed banners reading ‘2008, looking forward to the Olympic Games and, even more so, a democratic China'.
“Most people believe that democracy is not suitable for China”
We don't know what has happened to Li Tie and Zou Tao since the demonstration. Taking into account the increasing repression of free speech that has seen various dissidents imprisoned in recent times (Hu Jia for example, arrested in December), we can only praise them for their courage. Here is the post Li Tie published about the movement:
It's not
possible to solve every social problem and corruption in 50 years. But people
don't realise what's going on because the authorities don't tell us. Although
our system is more developed than the feudal system, it still has a long way to
go. Change is slow. If we had a better social system, people would be more
active. We don't have to change overnight, but we could at least discuss things
more openly. Most people believe that democracy is not suitable for China,
that it would make a mess of society. But where do people get these ideas? Not
from their own beliefs! It's the authorities that make us believe this. The
fact that the government still cheats us means that the authorities are in fact
a struggling dictator. They need to encourage free speech so that people can
tell the government what they want. Then people wouldn't worry so much, because
they'd know they've got support from a good institution."Unregistered user
Li Tie and Zou Tao
The pair soon attracted support from passers-by who joined in.
»
Sign up via 
The Observers TV show
Observers' Tips
Location
Maps
What we’re working on now...
Most popular
Comments
this is a joke. i live in
Submitted by Anonyme (not verified) on Tue, 12/02/2008 - 19:23.this is a joke. i live in shenzhen and know exactly where the places are. This was clearly done when no one was around, probably in the early morning.
If your going to protest something and say that its significant, dont just do it when no one is around. Try protesting during rush hour.
Unregistered user
Photos
Submitted by Team Observers on Thu, 14/02/2008 - 10:40.Zou and Li tell us that the event took place in the evening. If you'd like to see more photos of the event go here: http://www.helpeachpeople.com/news/2008/20080207.html.
Team Observers
Maybe you should try it my
Submitted by Anonyme (not verified) on Tue, 12/02/2008 - 20:48.Maybe you should try it my friend. If you live in Shenzhen, I guess you know it's a risky thing to do. Easy to be cynical when you don't do anything.
Unregistered user