Sports

Protest at Real Salt Lake vs. China friendly

JDM070612socflag.jpg
At a soccer match between Real Salt Lake and the Chinese national team last week, protesters waving the flags of Taiwan and Tibet were thrown out of the stadium after the Chinese manager threatened to halt the match.

The story is available at Deseret News.

One fan blogged about his own experience (with photos here):

The Chinese team was about to walk off the field if I did not put my flag down and I was asked nicely by Trino Martinez to put it down. Since I had my five-year-old daughter standing next to me (my wife was sitting in the next section over with my two-year-old daughter), and I did not want to get hauled off. So I put it down.

In about the 89th minute, Colin [Coker], another member of RCB started back with waving the Tibet flag...He was asked to stop and refused and was escorted out of the stadium.

Discussion on fan BBSs centers around what happens when free speech runs into the desire to conduct a "friendly" game free of disruptions DN reports:

Coker admits that he displayed the flag partly to distract and annoy the visiting team, but he said it was mostly a "form of expression about the plight of the people of Tibet."

Both articles have links to video clips of the incident.

There are currently 8 Comments for Protest at Real Salt Lake vs. China friendly.

Comments on Protest at Real Salt Lake vs. China friendly

Die! Separatists.

I don't see how this guy's shenanigans are helping his cause. Just makes him look like a jackass IMHO. Difference between China civil rights abuse and apartheid is that apartheid was a civil code, not a military occupancy. You can't compare the two situations. China is trying to maintain political balance, while South Africa was neither a significant world power, nor was their society threatened to fall apart if African natives were integrated with whitey. They were being simply racist. China, in terms of stability, needs their "anti-japanese" "one China, many systems" and "three represents" for very important social and political reasons. Lets put this independence thing on the back burner for now, and lets enjoy the Olympics. If you have ever been to China you know that most Chinese people are the host to boast.

[POST EDITED FOR RELEVANCE - JG]

It happens everywhere, not just in China. Look...

link

While Chinese bring Chinese flags to ping pong matches all over the world, try waving a European flag at a match in Shanghai. Prohibited.

Should have just let them walk out.

Maybe that wasn't the right venue for what the flag wavers did BUT I see NO reason whatsoever for the Chinese team or their bitch (political commissar) to get personally involved. It is for the stadium management alone to determine what was to be done according to their policies.

I'll bet a thousand kuai that the Chinese team said "This display hurts the feelings of the Chinese people..." (their usual stock response when there is open discussion of how evil their government is)

中国队的反应就是典型中国特色的反应啦。要是他们能够保持平静继续踢球,那这就不会出现在新闻。人人皆知国外有喜欢乱七八糟挥旗帜的人,何必太在乎他们呢?...这样反应总会让事情变得更糟糕而已。

小四说的有道理. When you think of some of the offensive chants you get back home in the UK, a Chinese side playing abroad is going to have to learn to suck it up. A flag or two is nothing.

Link to the fan blog w/pics is blocked...can't connect.

AjS

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