Brown Out: British P.M. Will Not Attend Opening Ceremony
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Browne (l) To Skip Opening
Ceremony At Beijing Olympics |
British Prime Minister Gordon Brown yesterday said he would not attend the Beijing Games Opening Ceremony, but a spokesperson for Brown “sought to quell suggestions that the absence was a protest, saying the prime minister wasn’t boycotting the Olympics," according to Alistair MacDonald of the WALL STREET JOURNAL. The spokesperson said, “There is no element of protest in this. He never intended to go.” Brown is planning to attend the Closing Ceremony, where he will be handed the Olympic flag in advance of the 2012 Games in London. MacDonald writes Britain’s stance “carries a special significance" because of the 2012 Games, and LOCOG officials "were expected to be prominent throughout the Games” (WALL STREET JOURNAL, 4/10). In London, Morris & Gumbel write Brown’s stance is “likely to be seen differently in China, where it had been reported he would travel to the country at the start of the Games.” According to a YouGov poll conducted by Channel 4 News in London, 43% of those surveyed think that Brown should not attend the Opening Ceremony. Additionally, 66% believe the London torch protests “damaged” the Chinese government (London INDEPENDENT, 4/10).
COULD BUSH JOIN BROWN? In Toronto, Doug Saunders writes if Brown's decision “spurs other prominent figures, including [President Bush], to stay away, Aug. 8 could turn into a high-profile embarrassment of Beijing’s leaders before a mass audience.” And there are “signs that Mr. Bush may be poised to join Mr. Brown” (Toronto GLOBE & MAIL, 4/10). U.S. Sen. and presidential candidate Hillary Clinton (D-NY), who supports Bush boycotting the Opening Ceremony, "commended Brown for his decision" and has asked fellow U.S. Sens. and presidential candidates Barack Obama (D-IL) and John McCain (R-AZ) "to join in her request" of a boycott. However, Obama last night said in a statement a decision about skipping the Opening Ceremony should be "firmly on the table, but this decision should be made closer to the games" (BALTIMORESUN.com, 4/10). Newsweek Int’l Editor Fareed Zakaria noted the Chinese government is "very sensitive to the idea of being snubbed. They don’t want to be a pariah state” (CNN, 4/9).
BOYCOTT EDITORIALS: A Newark STAR-LEDGER editorial states, “A boycott of the opening ceremonies -- however principled -- is wrong. That kind of official humiliation would simply push China deeper into the nationalism it stokes whenever the outside world feels too threatening” (Newark STAR-LEDGER, 4/10). A WALL STREET JOURNAL editorial states a boycott “could do more harm than good, enraging the Chinese people and playing into the hands of the Communist Party leadership.” Bush “could do more to further human rights in Tibet by attending the Olympics and ... speaking out on the plight of the Tibetan people” (WALL STREET JOURNAL, 4/10).
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