Tibetans hold protest at Ancient Olympia

[Ellinas]

A group of Tibetan activists held a torch-lighting ceremony in Ancient Olympia yesterday in what they called a symbolic protest against their country’s occupation by China, the host of this year’s Olympic Games.

Police prevented some 10 activists from entering the ancient stadium, so the ceremony took place outside the museum. Tibetan women in traditional outfits handed a lighted torch to a Tibetan athlete who began her run but was stopped by police who extinguished the torch.

The activists said they wanted to highlight their cause now that all eyes are on China ahead of the Games. “The Chinese regime will try to use the Games to advance its own political agenda,” a spokeswoman said. Local authorities were not happy. “Olympia is a site of peace, not a place for political conflict or the settlement of disputes,” Mayor Giorgos Aidonis told The Associated Press.

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