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-   -   Empire State Building lit for China's 60th anniversary, drawing ire (https://www.revscene.net/forums/591148-empire-state-building-lit-chinas-60th-anniversary-drawing-ire.html)

Harvey Specter 09-30-2009 05:51 PM

Empire State Building lit for China's 60th anniversary, drawing ire
 
http://d.yimg.com/a/p/ap/20091001/ca...2j_8zfYjsADw--



Quote:

By MARCUS FRANKLIN, Associated Press Writer Marcus Franklin, Associated Press Writer – 49 mins ago

NEW YORK – Red and yellow lights shone from the top of the Empire State Building at dusk Wednesday, a tribute to communist China's 60th anniversary that protesters labeled "blatant approval" of totalitarianism and criticized as inappropriate for an icon in the land of the free.

The building is routinely lit with different to mark holidays and big events, but opponents questioned whether it's right to commemorate a sensitive political issue, particularly when China has such a poor human rights record.

About 20 supporters of Tibet, which China has ruled since shortly after communists took over in 1949, protested outside the building during a ceremonial lighting of a scale model inside the lobby. They chanted "No to China's empire; free Tibet now," and held signs reading, "Empire State Building celebrating 60 years of China's oppression."

Lhadon Tethong, executive director of Students for a Free Tibet, called the lighting "outright, blatant approval for a communist totalitarian system."

"It's a great public relations coup for the Chinese state," Tethong said as tourists gawked at the protesters. "But on the other hand, it's sure to backfire because the American public and the global public will speak against it."

At the lobby ceremony, building manager Joseph Bellina called the lights a high honor and said he was proud of the relationship between "our countries and our people."

Chinese Consul General Peng Keyu, who pulled the switch on the glass-encased model, said he was "honored and delighted."

He said China's reforms of the past 30 years have led to greater openness and "tremendous change."

Keyu and Bellina didn't address critics and declined to answer questions.

Journalist and blogger Marc Masferrer questioned legitimizing a government that continues to repress its citizens' freedoms, including their access to media and the Internet.

"I don't think one of our great landmarks should be turned into a platform to honor a regime and a system responsible for as much tragedy and all the other things that come with a repressive system," he told The Associated Press.

Masferrer pointed out that this year is also the 20th anniversary of the violently crushed student-led movement in Beijing's Tiananmen Square. The People's Liberation Army is believed to have killed hundreds, possibly thousands, of protesters.

Politicians united in their disdain.

Rep. Anthony Weiner, a New York Democrat, said the lights should not be used to pay tribute to what he called "an oppressive regime" with a "shameful history on human rights."

Rep. Peter King, a New York Republican, said it was "a sad day for New York."

"I am strongly opposed to it or any commemoration of the Communist Chinese revolution. It's one thing to acknowledge the government; it's totally immoral to honor it."

The lights atop the building, which is owned by W&H Properties, are often are changed. For example, Italian colors — red, white and green — commemorate Columbus Day, while green, white and orange are displayed for the India Day parade.

For the Chinese anniversary, the lights were to remain on through early Thursday.

___

Associated Press writer Deepti Hajela contributed to this report.

asian_XL 09-30-2009 06:40 PM

United States of Socialism

bengy 09-30-2009 06:45 PM

Makes sense. Those lights are probably made in China.

Vansterdam 09-30-2009 07:04 PM

nice lights

CP.AR 09-30-2009 08:08 PM

it's a political stunt.
the US needs China's support economically to survive (or so it did through the worst of the crisis last year)

jackmeister 09-30-2009 08:15 PM

20 protesters trying to cause a scene?

tomorrow 500 pro-china supporters will root them out

604Housing 09-30-2009 08:19 PM

Canada needs to improve relationship with China asap.

ZhangFei 09-30-2009 09:04 PM

the chinese has done more for new york than the tibetans have.

jeffh 09-30-2009 10:05 PM

its all part of tehObamachrists socialist agenda, nothing new here people

PiuYi 10-01-2009 12:35 AM

americans really like bashing other nations
seriously, they call everybody oppressive regimes... no wonder nobody likes the states

liu13 10-01-2009 12:43 AM

now that's good diplomacy

china is still considered enemy of state right?

ZhangFei 10-01-2009 08:50 AM

enemy? where have you been? The USA OWES CHINA TRILLIONS !!!

nipples 10-01-2009 08:53 AM

^uh no...china OWNS the us!!

G 10-01-2009 08:56 AM

^I think you read it wrong, he said USA O W E S China Trillions of dollars. not USA Owns China... that will never happen.

tool001 10-01-2009 09:21 AM

in today's economy not only US needs China, but CHINA needs US also. All countries are inter dependant due to globalization.

wouwou 10-01-2009 09:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tool001 (Post 6616920)
in today's economy not only US needs China, but CHINA needs US also. All countries are inter dependant due to globalization.

China and the US are a lot closer than most people realize, sadly in this case those 20 people don't lol

El Bastardo 10-01-2009 05:36 PM

USA should nuke China

/flame suit on

skyxx 10-01-2009 05:37 PM

What happens when the money becomes worthless? Oh wait, it's already worthless. ;)

ZhangFei 10-01-2009 05:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by El Bastardo (Post 6617572)
USA should nuke China

/flame suit on

That's like an unborn baby trying to kill its own mother even though they are joined through the umbilical cord.

StylinRed 10-01-2009 06:43 PM

^^^ not really since a mother wouldnt need the baby to survive (and if we were to pretend that it could survive china would be the baby), they're more like conjoined twins with important organs shared


but i am surprised at how much sucking up other countries are doing, like Canada with the Chinese flag at parliament and this from the states.


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