CHINA: Chinese media doubts London Olympics safety after violent rioting in the British capital

Record ID: 332452

  • Title: CHINA: Chinese media doubts London Olympics safety after violent rioting in the British capital
  • Date: 11th August 2011
  • Summary: BEIJING, CHINA (AUGUST 10, 2011) (REUTERS) PEOPLE WALKING PAST NEWSPAPER STAND
  • Embargoed: 26th August 2011 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: China, China
  • Country: China
  • Topics: Crime,International Relations,Politics,Sports
  • Reuters ID: LVA2ORIFCT5CYDE0JUS5PZA0AP0U
  • Story Text: Chinese state television said on Wednesday (August 10) that violent rioting in London "seriously hurt" the city's image and raised doubts about the safety of the 2012 Olympics due to take place four years after Beijing's own Games.
    "In fact, less than two weeks ago, Britain celebrated the one year countdown to the Olympics. Now the riots in London have already spread to the east of the city, where the main Olympic venues are located. The riots have not only seriously hurt London's image, but they have also raised doubts and worries about the safety measures taken for the London Olympics," an anchor on state broadcaster CCTV told viewers.
    The looting has shown the world an ugly side of London less than a year before it hosts the Games, an event officials hope will serve as a showcase for the city.
    CCTV and other Chinese media have closely followed the unrest that brought 16,000 police on the streets of London by Wednesday, and was spreading to other cities across the country.
    In a live broadcast from Hackney in east London, CCTV reporter Yang Shanshan reported on scenes of damaged shop fronts and shattered glass.
    "Less than a mile from Hackney stands London's recently inaugurated Olympic village. In less than a year the London Olympics will officially open. Whether this kind of situation we see here in Hackney continues much longer, and whether this chaotic situation will affect the London Olympics, are both questions worrying locals here," she said.
    The run-up to the 2008 Beijing Olympics three years ago was plagued by suggestions that China was not fit to hold the Games.
    Foreign critics raised concerns on issues from Beijing's thick air pollution to the country's human rights record and cozy relations with Sudan and other nations shunned by the West.
    Security was a top priority for Beijing, which surrounded the Bird's Nest national stadium and other venues with police, paramilitary forces and even anti-aircraft guns.
    Anti-riot forces were beefed up and at the ready with water cannon, the use of which Britain does not allow, but is currently the source of fierce debate following the riots.
    At Beijing newspaper stands on Wednesday, papers put the London riots on their front pages, and carried leads such as "Concerns rise about security during Olympics."
    Meanwhile, people continued to flock to Beijing's Olympic centre, still hugely popular with visitors who must pass through a security check to enter the area.
    Jiang Yan, a masters student taking her mother on a sightseeing tour, said she would be concerned about visiting London during next year's Games.
    "I think I would be worried. I think Beijing did a really good job in this respect. Had there been those kinds of riots in Beijing before the Olympics, I would be worried if I was a foreigner coming to visit. So now, for example, if I were thinking about going to London for the Olympics but hadn't made the final decision yet, I would hesitate and probably not go. I think it's just safer not to go," she said.
    But chemical engineer Liu Jun was confident that London could bring the situation under control.
    "I am not in the least worried. As I just said, despite the fact that the situation has been reported a lot on the TV, I think for such a big city as London, it's a small matter. I have absolute faith that the governments of London and Britain as a whole can resolve the situation properly," he said.
    A visit to London by an International Olympic Committee went ahead on Tuesday (August 9) and the London organisers of the Games said the violence would not hurt preparations for the Olympics.
    Community leaders said the violence in London, the worst for decades in the multi-ethnic capital of 7.8 million, was rooted in growing disparities in wealth and opportunity, but many insisted that greed was the looters' only motive.
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