Torch of Hope and Human Rights Upstages Olympics-Beats China Thugs To Canberra

In yet another public relations slam for China, the Human Rights Torch beats the Flame of Shame to Canberra, successfully stages peaceful protest in front of the oppressive Chinese Embassy. The torch meant to bring attention to the Human Rights abuses of the Chinese Government is doing a fine job, and out shining the Chinese Torch around the world. Conveniently, Jiang Yu and other Chinese oppressors had no comment on the Human Rights Torch arrival.

Human rights torch arrives in Canberra

Posted Tue Dec 11, 2007 4:46pm AEDT
Updated Tue Dec 11, 2007 5:53pm AEDT

Shun-ai Chen protests during the human rights torch relay in Canberra. (ABC News: Sarah Dingle)

• Map: Canberra 2600

The international relay of a human rights torch has arrived at the Chinese Embassy in Canberra, where a strong police presence kept protesters on the opposite side of the street.

The relay, which started in Athens in August, is aiming to draw attention to abuses of freedom in China ahead of the 2008 Beijing Games.

Catholic Bishop Pat Power says it is important that China realises their human rights violations are not being ignored overseas.

"What they're doing is quite in contravention to what the Olympic spirit is all about," he said.

"The Olympic spirit is about tolerance. It's about different nations coming together respecting differences and so on and that's certainly something that's not happening in China at the moment."