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The Chinese government stated today that “no force” will stop the Olympic Games.

How intriguing that this one-party dictatorship should use language that suggests it is somehow under attack (perhaps from pro-Tibet protesters?)

And Kevan Gosper, of the International Olympic Committee, has denounced protesters as destructive and “hate-filled”.

Well, here are some further truisms for the Chinese government and Mr. Gosper to heed:

No force - or use of force - will stop the universailty and indivisibility of human rights for every individual.
No force - or use of force - will obscure the origins of the modern Olympic torch relay, which may now, unfortunately, be apposite.
No force - or use of force - will stop people around the world from speaking out against human rights violations perpetrated by the Chinese authorities.
No force - or use of force - will avoid naming the Olympic torch “flame attendants” as being, in fact, Chinese government security agents.
No force - or use of force - will stop Tibetans, and others in China, from speaking out about human rights violtations perpetrated against them by the Chinese authorities.
No force - or use of force - will alter the fact that the Chinese authorities carry out forced sterilisation of Tibetan women.
No force - or use of force - will conceal Chinese investment in Sudan and support for the Sudanese government in the face of genocide in Darfur.
No force - or use of force - will disguise re-education camps in China, which many right-minded individuals would be forgiven were consigned to some Soviet-like past.
No force - or use of force - will hide the fact that foreign journalists are barred from entering into or reporting on Tibet and neighbouring provinces, or any other parts of China, which the Chinese authorities wish to remain hidden.

Oh, and if you’re wondering who is responsible for all of those black flags which depict the Olympic rings as handcuffs, it’s Reporters without Borders - www.rsf.org