It was, perhaps, one of the more unlikely meetings of politics, sport and culture. Last March, the actor and activist Mia Farrow wrote an article for the Wall Street Journal, a place more typically home to fulminating neocons than film industry liberals. Farrow used the piece to take fellow Hollywood liberal Steven Spielberg to task for his role in the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
labeling them "genocide Olympics", Farrow warned the director that he risked becoming known as the "Leni Riefenstahl" of the games, a reference to the German film-maker who documented the 1936 Berlin Olympics.
Spielberg’s crime, in the eyes of Farrow and other celebrity activists, was to take a paid job as artistic adviser for the opening and closing ceremonies of the 2008 games, with the slogan One World One Dream. Spielberg, Farrow argued, was helping to "sanitize Beijing’s image" in the face of criticism that it has supported the Sudanese government, which some consider is engaged in genocide in Darfur. China buys 60% of Sudan’s oil.
A host of celebrities, including George Clooney, Don Cheadle, Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt, joined in the criticism of China’s relationship with Sudan.
After Farrow’s criticism, Spielberg sent a letter to Chinese president Hu Jintao about Darfur, and in September he left the set of his latest Indiana Jones movie to meet in New York with China’s envoy to Sudan. But ultimately whatever reassurances Spielberg received were not sufficient, according to the director’s political adviser, Andy Spahn. "We certainly had the sense they were going to engage Sudan behind the scenes to end the violence," Spahn said. "But the only thing we have to judge by are the conditions on the ground, which continue to deteriorate."
In his statement announcing his decision to withdraw from the games, Spielberg said: "I find that my conscience will not allow me to continue with business as usual. At this point, my time and energy must be spent not on Olympic ceremonies, but on doing all I can to help bring an end to the unspeakable crimes against humanity that continue to be committed in Darfur."
Spielberg’s withdrawal is unlikely to have a profound effect; a team led by Chinese film director Zhang Yimou is well-advanced with preparations for the games’ showpiece, set for August 8. But his withdrawal has a symbolic importance. "His voice and all of the moral authority it gives, used this way, brings a shred of hope to Darfur, and God knows, rations of hope are meager at this time," said Farrow in a statement.
Doubts do not end with Darfur
Darfur
Critics say that because it buys Sudan’s oil and sells it weapons, China must share responsibility for the war in Darfur and its atrocities. In particular they point to Beijing’s decision to block tougher action by the UN security council.
China buys two-thirds of Sudan’s oil, an estimated 500,000 barrels a day, worth about £2bn a year. Amnesty International alleges that in return China sells millions of pounds’ worth of arms to Khartoum in defiance of a UN embargo, with some weapons ending up in the hands of the Janjaweed militia. Beijing denies such a breach.
Several analysts suggest China has begun to exert more pressure on the regime. Last year it appointed a special envoy to Sudan and helped persuade the regime to accept a UN peacekeeping force, including a small number of Chinese soldiers. This week, nine Nobel peace prize laureates – including Archbishop Desmond Tutu and Holocaust survivor Elie Wiesel – wrote to China’s president, Hu Jintao, urging his country to press Sudan harder.
Tibet
The Free Tibet campaign has called on leading figures to stay away from the games in protest at the country’s occupation by China, but has stopped short of asking athletes to do the same.
The Chinese government reacted harshly to recent reports that the Dalai Lama had given his blessing to peaceful protests during the games, with the foreign ministry attacking him for sabotaging national unity, since China views Tibet as a region of China, not a country, and attempting to interfere with the Olympics.
Human rights
Campaigners fear a clampdown on dissent before the world’s attention turns to China in August.
"Promises to improve human rights have not been kept, and if anything things are getting worse – we’re deeply worried that activists and journalists are being locked up or harassed to silence them," said Amnesty International UK.
"And there are concerns that the streets of Beijing are being ‘cleaned up’ by throwing undesirables into ‘re-education through labor’ camps without any trial," a spokesman added. Human Rights Watch says it has documented violations linked to preparations for the games including evictions, land seizures and suppression of petitioners.
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