China Protests Slam Tibet Push for Freedom

Rallies call for boycott on French goods
By Matt Cantor,  Newser Staff
Posted Apr 19, 2008 7:13 AM CDT
China Protests Slam Tibet Push for Freedom
Protestors hold Chinese national flags during a demonstration against French supermarket chain Carrefour and French goods in Wuhan in central China's Hubei province Saturday, April 19, 2008.   (AP Photo)

Chinese demonstrators today responded to pro-Tibet protests around the world with rallies of their own, blasting Tibet’s calls for independence and demanding a boycott of French goods, Reuters reports. “Oppose Tibet independence, support the Olympics,” said banners hoisted by protesters in at least four cities. A number of protests clustered around French Carrefour supermarkets in China.

French officials have insisted that only a “small minority” is calling for a boycott, and France’s ambassador to China was quoted today in the Chinese media as saying he “deeply regrets” disruptions to the Olympic torch relay in Paris earlier this month. Meanwhile, China continued to slam the Dalai Lama, calling human rights a “trump card” that he “loves to play." (More China stories.)

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