That's what China calls the track-suit-clad bodyguards for the Olympic torch. Sebastian Coe, chairman of the Olympic organizing committee, calls them "thugs" after he was pushed around by them in London. While many have sounded the alarm for their aggressive (and apparently unsactioned, at times) actions, the details on these guards are fuzzy: China says they're trained student volunteers, but won't say what school they attend; Parisian officials said they didn't know who they were; and event organizers said they didn't identify themselves on one route. One torchbearer called them "aggressive and robotic." China says they were selected to protect the torch because of their large stature and training.Images via Cryptome.
Listening to live commentary of the torch relay in London, it seemed like the british police were much much more heavy handed, and at one point the commentator even suggested that the chinese security weren't really doing anything, just standing there.
ReplyDeleteEven since then I have heard no details of how the chinese security were heavy handed, yet the british police pinned protestors to the floor on numerous occasions. Why is everyone out to get the chinese at the moment?