# Nepal authorizes deadly force to stop Olympic torch protests **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [April 20, 2008, 11:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nepal-authorizes-deadly-force-to-stop-olympic-torch-protests/446103 "2008-04-20T11:54:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Bergomum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/34f0e0/32.png) [@Bergomum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bergomum)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2008, 11:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nepal-authorizes-deadly-force-to-stop-olympic-torch-protests/446103/1 "2008-04-20T11:54:38Z")
[http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/1104ap\_nepal\_olympic\_torch.html](http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/1104ap_nepal_olympic_torch.html) It’s a _fucking peace ritual_. By definition, you can’t pull it through by “whatever means necessary”. It isn’t more worth than human lives. Turn it into a pompous military parade with everybody goose-stepping along for all I care. These Olympics are officially, literally, bloody dead for me. ---
**Author:** ![Brunhilda](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/cdc98d/32.png) [@Brunhilda](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Brunhilda)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2008, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nepal-authorizes-deadly-force-to-stop-olympic-torch-protests/446103/2 "2008-04-20T22:20:42Z")
Too many human rights violations at this point for me to feel comfortable watching them (and thus supporting the sponsors). I had a feeling I’d be boycotting when they said they’d be in Beijing. ---
**Author:** ![aldiboronti](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9fc348/32.png) [@aldiboronti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aldiboronti)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2008, 11:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nepal-authorizes-deadly-force-to-stop-olympic-torch-protests/446103/3 "2008-04-20T23:05:34Z")
[QUOTE=Bergomum] Turn it into a pompous military parade with everybody goose-stepping along for all I care. [/QUOTE] The whole torch business was a Nazi innovation for the 1936 Olympics anyway so it’s kinda fitting. ---
**Author:** ![Tuckerfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@Tuckerfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuckerfan)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2008, 2:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nepal-authorizes-deadly-force-to-stop-olympic-torch-protests/446103/4 "2008-04-21T02:43:05Z")
[QUOTE=aldiboronti] The whole torch business was a Nazi innovation for the 1936 Olympics anyway so it’s kinda fitting. [/QUOTE] Speaking of Nazi’s, the Olympics and halfwittery, I’d like to submit [this little beauty.](http://www.reason.com/UserFiles/Image/jwalker/protestsign.jpg)😃 ---
**Author:** ![Indistinguishable](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/90ced4/32.png) [@Indistinguishable](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Indistinguishable)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2008, 2:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nepal-authorizes-deadly-force-to-stop-olympic-torch-protests/446103/5 "2008-04-21T02:55:11Z")
[QUOTE=Tuckerfan] Speaking of Nazi’s, the Olympics and halfwittery, I’d like to submit [this little beauty.](http://www.reason.com/UserFiles/Image/jwalker/protestsign.jpg)😃 [/QUOTE] To be fair, [Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1936_Summer_Olympics) indicates that Berlin actually won the bid to host the 1936 Olympics before the Nazis came to power; of course, they weren’t subsequently stripped of it, and I doubt the maker of the sign had any of this particular nuance of history in mind. ---
**Author:** ![Tristan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tristan/32/18058_2.png) [@Tristan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tristan)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2008, 5:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nepal-authorizes-deadly-force-to-stop-olympic-torch-protests/446103/6 "2008-04-21T05:02:43Z")
[QUOTE=Bergomum] > **[Client Challenge](https://www.seattlepi.com/national/1104ap_nepal_olympic_torch.html)** It’s a _fucking peace ritual_. By definition, you can’t pull it through by “whatever means necessary”. It isn’t more worth than human lives. Turn it into a pompous military parade with everybody goose-stepping along for all I care. These Olympics are officially, literally, bloody dead for me. [/QUOTE] Not that I advocate killing protesters, but if it’s a _peace ritual_, why are the protesters trying to disrupt it through violence? I think it’s dumb, because it’s not going to change anything. ---
**Author:** ![Measure\_for\_Measure](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/measure_for_measure/32/557_2.png) [@Measure\_for\_Measure](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Measure_for_Measure)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2008, 5:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nepal-authorizes-deadly-force-to-stop-olympic-torch-protests/446103/7 "2008-04-21T05:16:50Z")
Well, most of the protesters are not violent. And **Tristan** , this has been a highly effective protest. China wanted to celebrate its past 30 years of economic development with this media event. I don’t recall other countries recently pitching such a controversy magnet. The protesters have successfully rebranded the 2008 Summer Olympic games. It will not be a Chinese propaganda coup. These sorts of optics matter in the Middle Kingdom. ---
**Author:** ![Tristan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tristan/32/18058_2.png) [@Tristan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tristan)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2008, 5:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nepal-authorizes-deadly-force-to-stop-olympic-torch-protests/446103/8 "2008-04-21T05:24:05Z")
[QUOTE=Measure for Measure] Well, most of the protesters are not violent. And **Tristan** , this has been a highly effective protest. China wanted to celebrate its past 30 years of economic development with this media event. I don’t recall other countries recently pitching such a controversy magnet. The protesters have successfully rebranded the 2008 Summer Olympic games. It will not be a Chinese propaganda coup. These sorts of optics matter in the Middle Kingdom. [/QUOTE] And yet, the Chinese knew it was coming, and are making sure the average Chinese citizen has no idea it’s happening at all. ---
**Author:** ![Measure\_for\_Measure](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/measure_for_measure/32/557_2.png) [@Measure\_for\_Measure](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Measure_for_Measure)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2008, 5:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nepal-authorizes-deadly-force-to-stop-olympic-torch-protests/446103/9 "2008-04-21T05:36:55Z")
[QUOTE=Tristan] And yet, the Chinese knew it was coming, and are making sure the average Chinese citizen has no idea it’s happening at all. [/QUOTE] Yeah, but China isn’t North Korea. [The Great Firewall of China is pretty easy to penetrate](http://www.theatlantic.com/doc/200802u/fallows-china-censorship), but most Chinese don’t bother with the inconvenience. Besides, this is power politics: the Chinese are not the only audience. There are the Taiwanese to consider as well, for example. That said, I agree that these protests won’t instigate an internal coup or anything, but few things do. ---
**Author:** ![Tuckerfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@Tuckerfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuckerfan)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2008, 5:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nepal-authorizes-deadly-force-to-stop-olympic-torch-protests/446103/10 "2008-04-21T05:55:04Z")
[QUOTE=Measure for Measure] Yeah, but China isn’t North Korea. [The Great Firewall of China is pretty easy to penetrate](http://www.theatlantic.com/doc/200802u/fallows-china-censorship), but most Chinese don’t bother with the inconvenience. [/QUOTE] IIRC, the IOC has said that the Chinese have to turn off the firewall during the games. Of course, what the IOC will do about it if the Chinese _don’t_ is another matter entirely. ---
**Author:** ![Baldwin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baldwin/32/7264_2.png) [@Baldwin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baldwin)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2008, 11:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nepal-authorizes-deadly-force-to-stop-olympic-torch-protests/446103/11 "2008-04-21T11:55:44Z")
[QUOTE=Tuckerfan] Speaking of Nazi’s, the Olympics and halfwittery, I’d like to submit [this little beauty.](http://www.reason.com/UserFiles/Image/jwalker/protestsign.jpg)😃 [/QUOTE] I like to think that’s the kind of ironic joke that a smartass like me would insert into a serious protest. Ideally the Olympics should transcend politics, but I guess that ship sailed a long time ago. ---
**Author:** ![Ike\_Witt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ike_witt/32/283_2.png) [@Ike\_Witt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ike_Witt)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2008, 12:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nepal-authorizes-deadly-force-to-stop-olympic-torch-protests/446103/12 "2008-04-21T12:44:36Z")
I found [this story](http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/asia/china/article3784932.ece) to be interesting. It seems that Chinese people are protesting at French owned Carrefour stores in direct response to French pro-Tibetan actions during the torch relay. I guess that I would like to know if the Chinese protests are truly spontaneous or if they were organized by the government.