Arrested for taking a photo in Chatham High Street

Here is another example of the erosion of liberty.

It is not just the Met Police who seem to have lost sight of what their true role is . Here it occurred in Chatham, a town some 30 miles from London.

The photograher's own account described how he was arrested for taking photographs of an old flyover being demolished and of a fish and chip shop !

Neda: A martyr for freedom (everywhere)

A natural reaction to the sad and shocking of Neda Soltani is to try and give her a purpose far bigger than she would have had if she had lived and far bigger than all of us who are currently still living.

That seems to be an attempt to bring a shred of moral justice to a situation that is so wrong, so at least those who have died young and violent deaths can be elevated above the rest of us who live on in this troubled world.

One thing that is worth noting about her death is she was not a hard core activist but a hesitant participant, little more than an observer who when getting out of a car for fresh air paid the ultimate price that can be paid in the pursuit of freedom.

There is much talk about the harm that meddling can do the cause of freedom in Iran so as someone from a country with a less than perfect past in the region I will not comment this time on the specifics of the election and the key players. At its heart, this crisis is about a people who want freedom that has been denied to them for so long. The regime seems set on retaining power by cheating, lying and ultimately by killing those who appear to pose a threat to them.

Neda was in the wrong place at the wrong time but she is only dead because of the brutality of the regime she lived under.

Without burdening her memory with a host of meanings she would never have intended, let her be remembered for a very long time as someone who paid with their life in the pursuit of freedom. She was someone not very different from most people; not a street fighter but a nervous supporter of freedom.

May she be a symbol of the price that sometimes must be paid for freedom whether in Iran or in any country of the world. Sometimes these struggles end in greater freedom as in Eastern Europe in the 1980s, but sometimes they end in further repression as in China in 1989.

Even in countries that think of themselves as free such as Britain can still experience moments of repression where the innocent get killed at the the hands of rogue elements of the state such as the victims of police brutality in London.

Neda, in her death has transcended the borders of her country and is a face recognised around the world. May she be a symbol of freedom everywhere in the same league as the man who disappeared after standing in front of a column of tanks in Tiananmen Square in 1989. More specifically may she advance the cause of freedom in her own country.

The Demonstration

Most major news outlets are still reporting that a large opposition demonstration will go ahead at 16:00 Tehran time (12.30 London).

There is an air of foreboding about this following the remarks by the Supreme Leader of Iran that:

"The candidates in the election should be very careful what they say and how they behave," he said. "If they want to break the law, they will be responsible for the bloodshed, for the riots taking place and for any form of unrest."

Having had nothing to do with Iran in my life, my interest in this is simply a recognition that a growing number of Iranians want freedom. What passes for democracy in Iran seems anything but and the irony of a state that claims to be based on pious principles is that when an election does not deliver the result it wants, it seems more than willing to fix the result.

We can only hope that the people of Iran in some way prevail against the elite forces that seek to repress them. This may be an Iranian issue to be settled in Iran but it is a cause that all those who value freedom can relate to.

Here is a link to Zahra Rahnavard's facebook page. She is the wife of the opposition leader Mir-Hossein Mousavi. The history of this man is far from spotless but if he recognises the need for greater freedom he is probably the best hope the people of Iran have.

My hope for today is that the forces of repression do not triumph. It is something that seems far from certain. Whatever happens today it is certain that the seeds of freedom have been sowed in Iran and the internet has taken a significant part in that. What harvest is reaped remains to be seen.

Of mice and men

Just for a change, a rather more light hearted look at recent events...........




Picture Credit to http://imgur.com/GbwhK.jpg

Twitter's moment ?

Up until now I have always been rather sceptical about the merits of Twitter. Who wants to know what X-celebrity is thinking at this moment or that Y is currently visiting Tescos ?!

However the uprisings in Iran may turn out to be Twitter's moment. Twitter offers the opportunity to distribute information, photos and videos in the most convenient way and people can do it from mobile phones and on the move.

The Iran Unrest Twazzup Twitter page is thoroughly recommended. It includes contributions from Iran and around the world and includes constantly updating advise on which proxy servers to use to evade the censors as well as collaboration on cyber attacks on Iranian government websites.

The outcome of these events is very far for certain but it seems that Twitter is offering a tool to the man in the street in the ongoing fights against big and repressive governments everywhere.

A desire for freedom

From a country where barely 30 % turned out to vote in the recent Euro elections, the scenes from Tehran are a reminder of how those without real freedom will take enormous risks to try and gain it.

The Iranian election results are to say the least dubious. I found this clip which looks like it was shot on a mobile phone. The film-maker seems very brave. It is premature to talk of another revolution but 30 years after the Iranian Revolution, it is clear a desire for freedom remains amongst a significant proportion of the Iranian people.



UPDATE: Here a brief clip from the same youtube contributor:

"Free" rather than "Uncontacted": Leave the Amazon Tribe Alone

There is something inspiring about the Amazon tribe who are described as "uncontacted". "Uncontacted" I understand to mean that they have had no contact with anyone in the "modern world". This probably needs a bit of context as if they are homo sapiens (which they certainly look like) they must by definition have a common ancestor with someone living in Croydon or indeed Tokyo. Therefore it is probably more accurate to say they have over time lost contact rather than being eternally uncontacted.

That said I hope, possibly vainly, that they can be left as they are. To be forced into contact with "modern civilisation" will quite possibly kill them as their immune systems would be unable to cope with modern diseases. If that doesn't the thought of them being exposed to all the drivel of the modern world such as reality TV or being signed up for advertising is too horrific to imagine. Fancy one of them be hauled before Richard and Judy in a few years' time !

They look physically stronger than many of us on this planet and as they are completely self-sufficient they have a state of independence from oil companies, banks and the other shackles of modernity that the rest of us can only dream about.

Leave them to be free. The rest of us can only wonder at such a state of freedom and independence.

Human Rights in China- after "Olympic Comic Relief"

Just when you thought the Olympic torch relay couldn't get any more farcical than the "police marathons" seen in London and Paris, the mayor of San Francisco, one Gavin Newsom, manages to achieve something remarkable.

In one move he managed to (briefly) unite Tibetan protestors, a host of others campaigning on various issues where China leaves something to be desired and a significant number of pro-China supporters from amongst San Francisco's sizeable Chinese community. The outbreak of unity was caused by incredulity at Mayor Newsom's extraordinary handling of the relay in his City.

Faced with a potential rerun of London and Paris, he thought it would be a good idea to hide the torch from everyone, whether friend or foe. For nearly an hour it lay cowering in a warehouse before emerging after a bus ride on the other side of the city, miles from where it was supposed to have been. There then followed an astonishing spectacle of the torch being carried by two runners at a time, for reasons of efficiency so they could get the whole thing over with as quickly as possible.

The runners were protected first by a couple of the thuggish "Flame Attendants" seen in London and Paris. Some credit must go to San Francisco for not allowing the full contingent to attend this time. There then followed a circle of baton waving police who in turn were covered by Police on large Harley Davidson motorcycles who in turn were surrounded by a looser ring of police on pedal bikes.

As the convoy edged through the less well known San Francisco streets the whole thing took on an air of one of President Bush's visits to the Green Zone in Baghdad rather than the lead up to a a sporting event. You wonder why they bothered at all and didn't just run round a military airfield a few times. If the security continues to get tighter each time, you can imagine that by the time the Torch reaches Australia it will be surrounded by tanks and troops with automatic weapons.

In the end everyone was left disappointed and the torch was whisked away for a "ceremony" at San Francisco International Airport before heading away on a flight to Argentina.

Any attempt to pretend this is business as usual has now been given up with even the head of the IOC acknowledging they are in crisis.

In a sense this has been a human rights equivalent of "Comic Relief" or "Children in Need" i.e. an essentially comic event that is intended to raise awareness of a serious cause or issue amongst a wider public who would not otherwise take an interest in the issue.

Now the torch has left America, the number of cities where people can be expected to turn out and demonstrate in numbers is relatively low. The likely candidates being New Dehli (subject to how far the Indian Government wants to appease the Chinese) and Canberra. Australian PM Kevin Rudd has the unique distinction of having told the Chinese that only Australians will provide security on Australian soil.

Even America suffered indignities from the Flame Attendants including the Torch bearer Majora Carter being forced out of the procession by the Attendants due to the fact she was holding a Tibetan flag.

All this has proved a wonderfully effective way of raising the issue of Tibet and wider human rights in China.

However it is obvious that the travelling circus will come to an end soon. While the Olympic brand has taken a real knocking it is doubtful if this will have any real effect on the collusus that is China.

In actual fact the one danger for those who favour greater human rights in China face is that this should never turn into an "anti-Chinese" campaign. To do so might actually strengthen the Chinese government by creating external enemies who can be used as part of a Chinese nationalistic campaign. We who campaign for Chinese freedom must emphasise that this is for all Chinese and not just Tibetans. After all far more Chinese have died at the hands of the PRC over the years than have Tibetans.

One area I do take heart in is the number of Chinese contributing on international blogs and discussion pages. While they often seem "vetted" Chinese and appear loyal to their government it is a start to begin creating more openess in China.

The great Firewall of China remains but the more communication of whatever form that occurs the greater the chance of progress being made.

The other area that can make a real difference is if we all express a few more reservations about the current Chinese regime, learn a bit more about Chinese history and become better informed.

Maybe if we can all not buy that very cheap Chinese T-shirt some impact will collectively be felt. There is no need to buy an expensive one ! Cheap ones also come from Vietnam, Mexico, Turkey and a host of countries other than China.

This last week has been a great boost to the awareness of Tibetan oppression. However the "Comic Relief" phase will come to an end. Then it will be a question of whether once the Olympics have been and gone, we all return to "normal" or whether we continue to campaign for human rights and raise awareness of abuses in the world's most populous country. It will certainly be a long campaign (maybe decades) but the cause of bringing so many people freedom seems a cause more worthy than most.

San Francisco

The next Olympic torch protest is scheduled for tomorrow (April 9) in San Francisco.

This may be the biggest protest yet despite attempts to hide the route of the relay from those who want to protest (or indeed watch!)

Whatever happens tomorrow or in subsequent cities it is clear a point has been made.

China's record on human rights is known the world over. It cannot be a full part of the international community until it reforms. This is an issue far wider than Tibet and includes rights for all Chinese citizens, the absence of any recognition of wrongs committed in Tiananmen Square, the absence of any serious recognition of the deaths of 70 million people under Mao and the ongoing daily abuses such as the man recently sentenced to 5 years in prison for organising a petition in favour of human rights.

Many people's eyes have been opened or reopened by recent events. While China's power is enormous the genie is out of the bottle, at least outside China. Even China's cheap goods may find things a little harder. After all China is not the only asian country producing cheap goods. Countries such as Vietnam do this and India is an emerging great power that seems to manage economic growth while without feeling the need to carry out state sponsored murder and forced sterilisation of its minority populations.

Here's hoping San Francisco can remind the world a bit more tomorrow........

http://www.sftorch2008.org/

Farewell Mugabe ?

Robert Mugabe: 28 years of leadership and the life average life expectancy of a Zimbabwean has fallen to 37

It is easy to forget that there are many, rather than just a few, countries around the world that do not enjoy freedom.

One country that is definitely on the list is Zimbabwe. Aside from political freedom there is precious little of any sort of freedom. Life expectancy is in the 30s (seriously) and inflation is running at 100,000 %.

Robert Mugabe has ruled the country since 1980.

Now there is a serious chance to free the country of his tyranny and his incompetence through a general election. It appears that Mugabe has lost the election but the results of the poll that happened on Saturday are still not available. The more time that passes the greater the suspicion that something is being fixed.

As outside observers we can only hope and pray that some change comes to Zimbabwe and its people. The one powerful country in the region, South Africa, has by common consent being rather shameful of its lack of criticism of its northern neighbour.

Mugabe has proved a master of exploiting racial politics and his country's history as a British colony. The unfortunate fact for ordinary Zimbabweans is that life has steadily got worse under Mugabe's rule.

The principle opposition to Mugabe, despite much intimidation, is the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC).

I wish them well for if they do win the task of rescuing Zimbabwe from its Mugabe legacy is enormous.

Let's hope it really is time to say farewell Mugabe.

Repression in Chinese Shadows

Last weekend when I was in staying in Hong Kong, I decided to visit nearby Macao. This involved one hour spent in a "fast ferry" that would not be for everyone after a large breakfast.

Nonetheless I made it to Macao, stomach intact, for a day's sightseeing.

I had no real expectations of Macao except that it was a former Portuguese colony and is now home to many casinos. So I supposed a vaguely Portuguese version of Las Vegas ? In many ways that is about right, not forgetting that it is also Chinese controlled.

I found it more Chinese than international Hong Kong. A few elderly Portuguese men could be seen walking to the shops. Occassional wealthy looking young Portuguese zipped past in Mercedes but it was 99 % Chinese.

The casinos old and new were largely ugly and dominating from the outside. Vast new casinos were in the process of being built. This seemed more overtly industrial gambling than Las Vegas. There was little attempt at making the casinos pretty. This was large scale gambling for the serious gambler. I imagine that in time Macao will take more care in its development and future casinos will be less intimidating.

In contrast, the old heart of Macao was a delight. Narrow streets filled with local shoppers and occasional tourists, criss-crossed. Numerous Catholic Churches and a seminary were also to be seen.

I headed for the ruins of Sao Paulo church (photographed in an earlier post) to see if there was any good reason why this was the most photographed sight in Macao holiday literature.

I came to the conclusion that the impressive facade and the open space around it made it one of the few impressive and old sights that was easy to photograph in Macao.

I noticed a small table near to the church and walked over. On the table was a collection of literature, mainly in Chinese, on the alleged abuses of the Chinese Communist Party. An old woman gave me an English language newspaper. She didn't seem to speak any English but gestured as if to say "take it and read". A handful of other locals of various ages spoke to the small group that came up to the stall.

I wondered off into a nearby park and read the paper which made gruesome reading about the millions killed in the Cultural Revolution to the forced organ donations in modern China.

I then became aware of police in the area. They did not appear all at once in a big group but in twos and threes appearing on corners and around the Sao Paulo site.

Then a Chinese man in plain clothes (light suit and black polo neck) stepped out of a minivan with a walkie-talkie. Next I was aware of a young woman wearing an earpiece standing quite close to me in the park. I realised the traffic had stopped on the nearby roads and I saw a police motorcycle blocking the end of a road.

I did not know what all this meant but there was an eerie feeling and people seemed to be leaving the area voluntarily. The woman with the earpiece fiddled with a bulge under her coat. Was she going to pull out a gun, I wondered ?

I gave up my attempt at postcard writing and walked back to the Sao Paulo site to see if I could see the stall. My way was blocked by a uniformed policeman who said "Not allowed here now".

I glanced over to where the stall had been. Nothing was there now. I will never know if they were simply moved on or if they were "taken away" for questioning or worse.

However it is clear that under the surface there is much discontent in places such as Macao and probably China itself. As China becomes more visited and visible the attempts to stifle dissent are becoming more subtle. Potential witnesses are "excluded", roads shut until undesirables have been moved on. This is dictatorship in the age of global media. However the effort to deal with a small stall on a Saturday morning in Macao demonstrates that the Chinese government remains deadly serious about preventing rebellion.

I can only admire the bravery of a small group who came out to distribute literature on a Saturday morning. In the scramble for the Chinese market place, the vast repression in recent Chinese history seems to be forgotten. However until China acknowledges its past, surely its future is ultimately built on sand ?