渥太华413集会引起加拿大英文媒体的关注。CTV、加通社、Ottawa Citizen及CBC均有关于此事件的报道,在新闻(附链接)之后的评论中,支持与反对的读者和观众争论激烈。下面是汇总的英文媒体报导和加国无忧网编译的主流社会和西人媒体怎么看413集会。
413集会:主流社会和西人媒体怎么看?
加国无忧网编译 作者:小牧/昨天(4月13日),成千上万的加拿大华人聚集在渥太华国会山庄前的广场,举行 “宣传西藏真相,维护祖国统一”集会。当地时间中午12时半左右人们就开始陆续抵达,而整个集会于下午3点半按原计划圆满结束。参加者中有白发苍苍的长者,也有尚在襁褓中的婴儿。虽然天气寒冷,但与会者终始保持着高涨的热情,爱国的口号声和歌声响彻云霄,无数中加两国国旗和醒目的标语横幅把广场变成了一片红色的海洋。
这次集会不仅是华人社区的大事,震撼着每一个爱国华人的心,更是惊动了主流社区和媒体。集会过后3小时左右,CTV和《渥太华公民报》先后登载了关于集会的新闻,而其他主流媒体相关的报道相信今天也会陆续出来。
据CTV报道,此次参加集会的人数有“6000多人”(有热心网友提供消息说,在集会后期参加人数“绝对超过了1万人”),绝大多数都是加拿大的华人移民。他们挥舞着旗帜、高唱着爱国歌曲,表示对中国完整不可分割的支持。前些日子中国镇压了西藏抗议者(crack down on Tibetan protests),各地激进人士纷纷号召各国政要抵制北京奥运,而此举正是引发这次集会的直接原因。
集会者号召将政治和奥运分开,并指责西方媒体对西藏问题、以及中国现状的扭曲报道。而许多人则对记者表示,在这次西藏事件是西藏人预先策划好的暴力事件。西藏抗议者早已知道中国政府想成功、和平地举办奥运,所以他们乘机破坏,从而希望全世界能注意到他们。
另一位集会者Adam Wang则对CTV记者表示,应从整体和发展的角度看待中国人权。虽然目前中国还有不少问题,但是人权状况已经比以前好了很多,而且还在不断改善。Sally Chen则对记者重申了奥运的精神是友谊及和平,而不是争斗,并且提醒主流“眼睛不要只盯着其他人。”
而据《渥太华公民报》报道,在1点左右,大约15名藏独支持者曾到达国会广场,并一度和集会者对峙。但是他们随即被集会者“包围”,而他们的声音也被集会者的口号所淹没,一声声“骗子(liars)”让他们的“西藏要自由(free Tibet)”消灭得无影无踪。对此,参加对峙的“西藏之友(Friends of Tibet)”成员Nicole Demers很是郁闷,他对记者抱怨道:“在这个自由的国家,他们(集会者)居然不让我们说自己的观点!”
后来在警方的建议下,这些藏独支持者退至街口,在那里他们得以在警方的保护下继续喊口号、挥旗帜。
而15人中的另一位、卡尔顿大学学生Russ Hillie则对记者表示,在对峙过程中,集会者对他们说话的口气“充满憎恨”并“带有挑衅性”。而集会上的发言也如同政党纲领,丝毫无法伸张真理和正义,“和中国政府说的话没有什么两样。”
而公开反对的声音也不仅仅来自那15名藏独支持者。昨天下午,加拿大国会西藏之友会主席(Canadian Parliamentary Friends of Tibet)、参议员迪尼诺(Consiglio Di Nino)对CTV的记者表示,西藏事件其错误方为藏人而非中国政府的观点太过谬误。他表示:中国政府坚持西藏问题为中国内政的观点,在世界范围内广受争议。而且,内政也不是压迫藏人的借口,更不是否认自由和人权的理由,因自由和人权没有国界。
集会的消息一传出,立刻在主流社区引起轰动。CTV的新闻评论板上,3小时内评论数将近100条。要不是晚上10点左右编辑关闭了评论板,按照这个速度和趋势说不定就能创下评论数量的最高纪录。
从评论的情况看来,大多数网友对集会都比较认可,不过也有比较偏激的观点。比如A. Hartshorn就用很激烈的言辞说道:我希望奥运会全部都被抵制!中国的人权太差劲了。他们连自己国家的人口都养活不了,还是第三世界国家,而那些愚蠢的奥委会委员根本就不应该让这类国家举办奥运会。西藏万岁,台湾万岁!期盼着中国的自由!
而Murray Maccallum则用很不以为然的口气评论道:如果中国的成就这么非凡,那他们(华人移民)还来加拿大做什么?我个人并非种族主义者,但是他们(华人移民)应该想想怎么回答这个问题。
Murray Maccallum引起了很多人的注意,纷纷回复。一位署名in4m的本地人士表示:人们选择出国居住并不意味着他们丧失了为祖国说话的权利。何况,他们是在抗议西方媒体的不公正以及维护祖国统一,这和中国是不是一个更适合居住的地方完全不相干。
而说道西方媒体的不公正时,in4m又评论道:我虽然不是一个中国人,但是也能感到西方媒体在报道西藏事件、中国人全问题,和北京奥运时有失公正。虽然在西藏事件发生后,中国不允许西方记者进入采访,但是这并不是西方媒体完全偏听偏信藏独这一方言论的理由。西方媒体啊,如果你们不了解全部的事情,就别报道了!我们需要多听听来自另一方的声音。
Thousands protest to show support for China
Updated Sun. Apr. 13 2008 10:23 PM ET
ctvottawa.ca
More than 6,000 pro-China demonstrators took to Parliament Hill Sunday afternoon to show support for the Chinese government.
The demonstrators sang patriotic songs and waved flags to show support for a united China.
This is in the wake of the Chinese government’s crack down on Tibetan protests and the ensuing calls for a boycott of the Beijing Olympics this summer.
Protesters said they want the world to take the politics out of the Olympics and accuse the media of supporting Tibetans while completely distorting the real situation in China.
Many say it was in fact Tibetans who initiated the violence with political protests, carefully plotted.
“What better time to tarnish China’s image than at a political time like this? (Tibetan protesters) know that China wants a successful and peaceful Olympics. But they don’t want that. They just want the world to focus on their little problem that should be solved,” said Junior We from the Hill.
While China’s human rights record has been harshly criticized, Prime Minister Harper announced this week that Canada will not boycott the Olympics.
“Lots of changes are happening, but to judge China and whether it’s a perfect country for human rights, you have to look at their perspective,” said Adam Wang from the rally.
However, Senator Consiglio Di Nino, Chair of the Parliamentary Friends of Tibet, released a statement disagreeing with comments that Tibetans being at fault.
“China’s claim that Tibet is an internal matter, disputed by various authoritative opinions, is no excuse for oppression, denial of freedoms and rights which are universal values without borders. It is no excuse for denying fair trials for a thousand or more Tibetans who may face summary execution,” he said.
But demonstrators maintain that the Olympics should not be about politics.
“We want friendship, we want peace. That’s the spirit of the Olympics. Don’t see the other side only,” said Sally Chen.
http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20080413/OTT_chinese_protest_080413/20080413?hub=TopStories
YouTube – Pro-China Protest at Parliament Hill in Ottawa (CTV)
YouTube – Ottawa parliament hill pro-china rally(CTV)
Pro-Beijing demonstrators carry message to Parliament Hill
Apr 13, 2008 08:17 PM
THE CANADIAN PRESS
OTTAWA – Chinese-Canadians who support the Beijing government turned out on Parliament Hill on Sunday to complain that western critics have a distorted view of the current political turmoil in Tibet.
Police estimated there were about 3,000 demonstrators, many of whom were bused in from Toronto and Montreal. They waved Chinese flags, sang the Chinese national anthem, and applauded a succession of speakers who denounced “biased” media coverage of events in Tibet.
Several of those who took the microphone, representing a range of Chinese community groups, pointed to reports of Tibetans attacking Chinese shopkeepers in recent weeks.
“Killing people is not human rights,” shouted one speaker, drawing chants of “Shame, shame” from the crowd.
Leaflets distributed to journalists called on Prime Minister Stephen Harper to condemn the “Tibetan separatists” whom they accuse of fomenting violence.
The leaflets also urged the Conservative government to show “common sense” and avoid mixing sport and politics in the run-up to this summer’s Beijing Olympics.
Harper has said he won’t attend the opening ceremonies of the Games. But he’s also said he made that decision before the furor over human rights violations in Tibet, and there are no plans for a Canadian boycott of the Olympics.
Demonstrations by Tibetans opposed to Chinese rule of their homeland, and counter-demonstrations by pro-Beijing Chinese, have proliferated around the world over the last month.
The protesters Sunday unfurled banners and waved placards with slogans proclaiming “No to riots, no to separatism,” “One China, one family,” and “Tibet will always be part of China.”
http://www.thestar.com/article/414167
‘Our country deserves the Olympics’
Maria Cook and Scott Cressman, The Ottawa Citizen
Published: Monday, April 14, 2008
A pro-China demonstration on Parliament Hill yesterday attracted more than 5,000 Chinese-Canadians from Ottawa, Montreal and Toronto, eager to show support for the troubled Beijing Olympics.
“Olympics is nothing to do with politics,” said Jeremy Zhang, a 37-year-old Ottawa chemist who emigrated from China in 2002. “I think our country deserves the Olympics. Sports is a peaceful event to join all people together.”
A group of Chinese community associations organized the event following a week of chaotic protests that disrupted the world relay of the Olympic torch. Protesters in Paris, London and San Francisco have condemned Chinese human rights abuses, including recent violent confrontations in Tibet.
Early in the afternoon, a dozen pro-Tibet protesters crashed the rally. The pro-China faction surrounded them, calling them liars paid to disrupt the event, said Nicole Demers, a volunteer with Friends of Tibet.
“They wouldn’t let us be 15 people voicing our opinion in a free country.”
Police told the counter-protesters that they were not safe and moved them down Wellington Street toward the Ch?teau Laurier. The protesters, some splattered with fake blood or gagged, waved Tibetan flags under police watch.
“The tone was hateful and quite intimidating when there’s a dozen Tibetans up against a thousand Chinese,” said Russ Hillier, a Carleton student and member of Students for a Free Tibet.
The rally aimed to repeat a party line, not promote truth or justice, Mr. Hillier said. “Really, what these protesters are saying is very similar to what the Chinese government is saying.”
The flag-waving demonstrators called for a politics-free Olympics that enjoyed the support of the Canadian government. They expressed indignation at “distorted” media reports and opposed Tibet independence.
“Tibet is part of China,” said Ling Wang, a 30-year-old Toronto medical researcher. “We don’t want anyone separating from our country.”
It was a love-in for China. People waved the red Chinese flag, wore “I love China” T-shirts and sang along to songs that stirred nationalist sentiment.
“We want the Canadian government to treat China fairly and to treat the Olympics in a sporting way,” said University of Ottawa student Hong Chen.
“Don’t boycott it. We know human rights is an issue there. Give China a chance. Let’s sit down and talk about it, not mix it with sports. Let the world come together to celebrate sport.”
One of the rally’s speakers was Henry Lu, chairman of the Chinese Community Association of Ottawa. The excited crowd punctuated his sentences with raucous cheers and flag-waving.
“Open your eyes. If you really want to know China, go there,” Mr. Lu said in an interview. “Don’t say things from outside.”
China would host a strong Olympics despite the disputes, Mr. Lu said. For the sake of long-term relations with China, Canada should support the Games, he said.
China has made real improvements, but the world holds the nation to a different standard, he added. Western media still judge the country too harshly.
“They just try to give China a bad name, a bad image, and they are not doing that on a factual basis,” agreed Adam Wang, an Ottawa translator and spokesman for the event.
“We’re here to protest the violence perpetrated by the separatist movement in Tibet and their supporters,” said Mr. Wang, who has lived in Canada for 20 years. “There is another side to the story, that those people who promote the message of peace actually carry out the violence.”
Mr. Wang, 50, said Chinese Canadians feel proud that China is hosting the Olympics.
“Is China perfect in terms of human rights? No. But it’s changing. Boycotts are not effective and can only hurt the feelings of the Chinese people at large.”
Yun Bo Liu, 24, a Carlton University biochemistry student who came to Canada six years ago, said the torch protests made him angry.
“Tibet is destroying the Games. They make people have the wrong image of the Olympics in China. The Olympics are not just for China. It’s for everyone in the world.”
http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizen/news/story.html?id=b29f24a9-0959-4738-999f-7b3d15de6310&k=72408
No boycott
Thousands rally on Parliament Hill in support of Beijing Games
Maria Cook and Scott Cressman, Ottawa Citizen
Published: Sunday, April 13, 2008
http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizen/news/story.html?id=aba9dafd-f54c-4a55-b1cb-9ede2b3bf3b4&k=39702
Thousands rally in Ottawa against ‘biased’ China coverage
Last Updated: Monday, April 14, 2008 | 11:04 AM ET Comments 26 Recommend 72 CBC News
Thousands of Chinese supporters were on Parliament Hill Sunday to protest the way Olympic protests about China’s treatment of Tibet have been covered in the media.
“The coverage from Western media should be more factual, should not be biased,” said organizer Adam Wang Monday, a day after he estimated 6,000 people, many bused in from Toronto and Montreal, converged in Ottawa for the rally.
One of the goals of the protest was to draw attention to another side of the violence in Tibet, he said.
“Ethnic Chinese, they are targeted by the separatist movement. They’re the victims this time. But nobody seems to care.”
China has said more than 600 people were injured in Buddhist uprisings in Tibet in mid-March, which saw dozens of buildings burnt and destroyed. But China’s figure for the number of people killed — 22 — was been far lower than the 99 reported by Tibetan exile groups.
Torch runs leading up to this summer’s Olympics in Beijing have been marred in recent weeks by demonstrators calling for Tibetan independence from China, forcing detours and delays along the runners’ routes.
On Sunday, protesters in Ottawa waved red flags, banners and placards bearing slogans such as “One China, one family” and “Tibet will always be a part of China.”
They sang the Chinese anthem, and handed out leaflets urging the Canadian government to show “common sense” and avoid mixing sport and politics in the run-up to the Olympics.
On the other hand, the protest itself was political for demonstrators such as local resident Ying Chen.
“Here, people getting together just want to show the Western people the other side of the Tibet issue,” said Chen, who has lived in Ottawa for five years but is originally from China.
Daniel Cheng, who came to the rally from Toronto, said Canadians shouldn’t be so quick to judge China without questioning “our own treatment of aboriginals or the Quebec people who had their independence movement crushed.”
http://www.cbc.ca/canada/ottawa/story/2008/04/14/ot-chinarally-080414.html#storycomments
Canadian rally: Depoliticize Olympics
Published: April 14, 2008 at 8:24 AM
OTTAWA, April 14 (UPI) — A crowd of more than 6,000 people at the Canadian Parliament Building in Ottawa called for keeping the issue of Tibet out of the Beijing Olympic Games.
Carrying banners and placards accusing the media of siding with Tibet and stoking calls for boycotts of the Games, the crowd sang patriotic songs Sunday afternoon, CTV News reported.
Junior We was among the demonstrators who said Tibetans were responsible for staging rallies and politicizing the upcoming Summer Games.
“What better time to tarnish China’s image than at a political time like this?” We said.
In response to the rally, Conservative Sen. Consiglio Di Nino, chairman of the Parliamentary Friends of Tibet, issued a statement in support of the Tibetan protests.
“China’s claim that Tibet is an internal matter, disputed by various authoritative opinions, is no excuse for oppression, denial of freedoms and rights, which are universal values without borders. It is no excuse for denying fair trials for a thousand or more Tibetans who may face summary execution,” he said.
Last week, Prime Minister Stephen Harper announced Canada will not boycott the Games that begin in August.
United Press International
http://www.upi.com/NewsTrack/Top_News/2008/04/14/canadian_rally_depoliticize_olympics/7700/
Olympics and Politics
There have been protests against violence in Tibet, and rallies in support of China, but on Parliament Hill on Sunday protestors gathered to support the Olympic athletes, and urge people to keep politics out of the games.
Adam Wang of the Ottawa Chinese Community Organization organized the event. He says that the games represent a message of friendship and understanding.
While that was the main focus of the protest, the event was also a show of support for Canada’s one-China policy, which recognizes one China, including Tibet.
The protest occurred as former U.S. president Jimmy Carter announced that this year’s Olympic Games is different from the situation in 1980, when 54 nations boycotted the games.
Carter is now an international statesman promoting peace and human rights. He says in 1980 the Soviet Union had just invaded Afghanistan, killing thousands of people, and was threatening to move south with more invasions.
Carter says he hopes that all countries will participate in the Beijing Olympics.
Stay tuned to A-Channel for the latest.
http://www.achannel.ca/ottawa/news_55889.aspx
大概是记者的眼神不好,报道中说参加者只有几百人。
Games no place for politics: Rally
Chinese-Canadians take protest to
By Tracey Tong and Tim Wieclawski
April 14, 2008 12:12
After weeks of pro-Tibet rallies across Canada, more than 5,000 Chinese-Canadians demonstrated on Parliament Hill yesterday to call for an end to the politicizing of the upcoming Olympic Games in Beijing.
The rally protested the violence happening in the Tibet region and also that the Summer Games are being mixed up with politics, according to Adam Wang, a spokesman for the event that was also meant to show support for the “One China” policy — a principle that mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau, Tibet and Taiwan are all part of China.
Derek Chin, a Carleton University commerce student who came from China five years ago, was holding a sign that read “Politics out of Olympics.”
“The news these days are all about people around the world that attacked the torch relay. We need to show support to the Olympic Games because no politics should be involved in the Olympic games. The Games are for the whole world. That’s the slogan we have, one world one dream. I don’t think any people or organization should show any kind of political involvement.”
Wang said the One China policy is a view taken by more than 100 countries, including Canada.
“The message from our community is that China is changing — economically, politically and from a human rights standpoint — for the better,” Wang said. “China is getting more important on the world stage of politics and economy.”
For the most part, the non-Chinese community is well informed on the issues, he said. “But we’re hoping this rally will give them more information. We’re hoping to raise awareness so that people can understand the other side of the story.”
Kai Shen said western media has been biased against China.
“You need to understand the history of Tibet and China before you decide,” said the Ottawa chemist. “Without that knowledge, you cannot say anything.”
“The news these days are all about people around the world that attacked the orch relay. We need to show support to the Olympic Games because no politics should be involved in the Olympic games.” Carleton student Derek Chin
http://www.metronews.ca/ottawa/local/article/39581