Pro-Tibet protesters climb Golden Gate Bridge cables

Source: Flickr/sfthqphotos

If you were watching the news or checking out the web during lunch today or this afternoon, you probably saw or read about “Pro-Tibet protesters climb Golden Gate Bridge cables:”

“The protesters, two men and a woman, scaled the cables around 10:30 a.m., and unfurled two banners around 11:20 a.m. One banner read, “One World, One Dream, Free Tibet 08,” a play on the official slogan of this year’s Olympic Games, “One World, One Dream.” The other read simply, “Free Tibet.” The protesters also hung two Tibetan flags. The activists used climbing gear to reach a spot 150 feet over the roadway and 370 feet above the water. They rappelled down about 1 p.m. and were arrested by California Highway Patrol officers. Iron workers will remove the banners and flags, authorities said. California Highway Patrol spokeswoman Mary Ziegenbein said police detained another four activists who did not scale the cables. Bridge manager Kary Witt said cameras are trained on the span, but that authorities at first hadn’t realized that protesters were about to climb the cables because they wore “ordinary” clothing and pushed a baby stroller. Their “Team Tibet” T-shirts were covered, and their banners and climbing gear were disguised by the stroller, he said.”

I think this type of protesting is a whole lot better than interrupting the torch relay itself. If you haven’t read or heard the protests that had gone on in London yesterday and in Paris today for the Olympic torch relay, it makes me really wonder how chaotic things are going to be on Wednesday in San Francisco! I really do hope that any demonstrations will be respectful to the torch bearers. I know the protesters are against the Chinese government, and not the Chinese people… but I am not so sure the Chinese really understand this.