In a significant move, China on Wednesday said it has set aside designated parks for holding protests with prior approval during Olympics. Protests are considered a threat to political and social stability in China where Communist party has monopolised power since 1949. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) Charter prohibits demonstrations of "political, religious or racial propaganda" in any Olympic sites, venues or areas. Asked whether foreign athletes would be allowed to demonstrate their political views through non-violent means at the opening ceremony, a senior security official emphasized the Olympic Charter. "People participating in the Olympic Games, including athletes and coaches, should observe the regulations of the International Olympic Committee," Liu Shaowu, Director of the Beijing Organising Committee for the Olympic Games (BOCOG) security department said. He, however, said Beijing had designated several parks for protests. "During the Olympics, in order to ensure a smooth traffic, nice environment and good social order, we would like to ask protesters to go to the designated parks," he was quoted as saying by the state-run Xinhua news agency. He also pointed out that it was a common practice in some countries like England. Past Olympic Games have seen designated "protest pens" as demonstrations of political, religious or racial propaganda are taboo at Olympic sites or venues according to the ICC charter. The Beijing Olympic torch on its global run had become a magnet for protests by Tibetans and human rights activists after the Chinese crackdown in Tibet in the aftermath of severest anti-government protests in two decades in March. Fearing "unsurpassed" terror threat to the Beijing Olympics, China has ramped up security and put its apparatus in the top gear in the recent weeks, reinforcing measures at all levels for a trouble-free Games.
