Special report:   2008 Olympic Games

Special report: Tibet: Its Past and Present

    BEIJING, April 20 (Xinhua) -- Many Chinese expatriates and students in the United States, Japan and Europe rallied on Saturday to express their support to the upcoming Beijing Olympics, and their anger at some Western media's biased coverage of the recent Lhasa riots.

    Thousands of Chinese Americans and overseas Chinese rallied outside the Cable News Network (CNN)'s studios in downtown Los Angeles to protest anti-Chinese remarks by Jack Cafferty, one of the network's commentators.

Over 300 Chinese expatriates and students in the United States attend a peaceful demonstration to express their support for the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games and their anger at distorted media reports about the recent Lhasa riots in front of the Capital Hill in Washington D.C., capital of the United States, April 19, 2008. (Xinhua Photo) Photo Gallery>>>

    The protestors crowded the sidewalks, holding placards which read: "No Racial Discrimination," "CNN, Don't Fool Americans," "No Media distortion" and "True Apology from CNN."

    Singing patriotic Chinese songs and shouting "CNN Liar, Cafferty Fire," the protestors demanded a true and sincere apology from the CNN and Cafferty, as well as his dismissal from his post.

    On April 9, as the Olympic torch relay was underway in San Francisco, Cafferty said in a CNN program that goods from China were "junk," and "I think they're basically the same bunch of goons and thugs they've been for the last 50 years," apparently referring to the Chinese people.

Protestors holding Chinese national flags drive outside the U.S. Cable News Network (CNN)'s studios in downtown Los Angeles, U.S., April 19, 2008. Thousands of Chinese Americans and overseas Chinese rallied there Saturday to protest anti-Chinese remarks by the network's commentator Jack Cafferty.(Xinhua Photo) Photo Gallery>>>

    Over 300 Chinese Americans and Chinese nationals gathered near the U.S. Capitol to protest against some U.S. media's and politicians' biased remarks about the Lhasa riots on March 14, which killed 18 civilians and one police officer.

    The peaceful demonstration in the Upper Senate Park, which lies across the street from the U.S. Capitol Building, attracted Chinese Americans and overseas Chinese of all ages and of various professions.

    "American media, you can muzzle our voices, but cannot smother the truth!" reads one banner.

    The demonstrators are also infuriated by some members of the U.S. Congress, who support the Dalai clique for their own political purposes.

    Meanwhile, hundreds of Chinese students in Japan signed their names on three flags to extend their support for the Beijing Olympic Games.

    The campaign, initiated by the Chinese Students in Japan Friendship Association, plans to collect over 10,000 signatures of Chinese students and scholars in Japan.

    At the opening ceremony of the campaign held in the Tokyo University of Marine Science and Technology, the Chinese students set up banners promoting Olympic spirits and the Beijing Olympics slogans such as "One World, One Dream."

    The flags will then be presented to the Organizing Committee of the Beijing Olympic Games.

People hold boards which means "Love Our China" during a peaceful demonstration at the Place de la Republique square in Paris, capital of France, April 19, 2008. A peaceful demonstration was held in downtown Paris on Saturday, in which nearly 10,000 Chinese expatriates and students in France expressed support for the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games and their anger at distorted media reports about the recent Lhasa riots.(Xinhua Photo/Song Lidong) Photo Gallery>>>

    Nearly 10,000 Chinese expatriates and students held a peaceful demonstration in downtown Paris to express their support for the Beijing Olympics and their anger at a few French media's distorted reports about the Lhasa riots.

    The rally, starting from midday at the Place de la Republique square, was the biggest ever staged by overseas Chinese in France in nearly 20 years, organizers said.

    The demonstrators, dressed in red T-shirts with the slogan "Olympic Games is a bridge, not a wall," waved both Chinese and French national flags and chanted patriotic songs.

    They also protested against the stance of a few French media which have provided misleading information on the Olympic torch relay and the Lhasa riots.

Chinese expatriates and students in Britain attend a silence demonstration at a square opposite to the British Parliament building in London, capital of Britain, April 19, 2008. The demonstration is to protest against the distorted reports by some Western media including BBC on the March 14 Tibet riots. More than 3,000 people joined the demonstration, the first ever staged by the Chinese community in Britain.(Xinhua Photo/Xie Xiudong) Photo Gallery>>>

    In London, over 3,000 Chinese expatriates and students staged a silence demonstration at a square opposite the British Parliament building, in protest of distorted reports by some Western media including British Broadcast Corporation (BBC) on the Tibet riots.

    "Today, we are here to oppose media distortion and media fabrication in the recent events. We are here in a quest for objectivity, fairness and justice," a demonstration coordinator read out a statement.

    "As we heard, we saw, we say the BBC on some of the recent events has misled the British public and the rest of the world by providing intensive untruthful reports and biased coverage."