China Creating Protest Zones For Olympics
BEIJING — It appears China’s government will allow some public protests during next month’s Olympics.
Beijing is setting up specially designated zones for protesters in three public parks.
But the Chinese still are intent on minimizing any disruptions. The three protest areas are in outlying parks, not near the Olympic green where the largest number of sports venues are.
A security official has reiterated that Chinese law requires that all demonstrations be approved by police in advance. He declines to say whether that applies to the protest zones.
The authoritarian government has boosted security ahead of the Olympics. There have been protests abroad against China’s restrictions on human rights and media freedoms, following an uprising by Tibetans.
