Where the 2008 Olympic torch goes, controversy follows.
Where the 2008 Olympic torch goes, controversy follows.
That controversy seeped into the seemingly far-removed town of San Juan Bautista this week when city officials canceled a Chinese music and arts festival planned for Memorial Day weekend in fear of protests similar to those on the streets of San Francisco, London and Paris.
The Mission is Life Festival – a three-day concert, art boutique and banquet – was supposed to turn Memorial Day Weekend into an international experience that fused American and Chinese culture into a celebration for the whole family.
San Juan Bautista City Manager Jan McClintock, however, said the city received threats of protests. In the interest of public safety, she said she had no choice but to ax the festival. She said she hopes to reschedule the event for this fall.
China, host of this year’s summer Olympic Games, has the international spotlight shining brightly on issues far removed from athletes and gold medals. Protesters worldwide have taken to the streets voicing dissent over China’s human rights record. Tibet, poverty, communism, religious freedom and a host of other issues have come to the forefront as the torch makes its way to Beijing, the site of this year’s Olympics.
“It’s really quite sad, but we just can’t put our citizens at risk,” McClintock said. “Discretion is the better part of valor, and the city and county do not want to be put in the middle of a problem like this.”
The festival – also with similar events planned in Jackson, Miss.; Memphis, Tenn.; Chicago; Atlanta; and New York City – was organized by Las Vegas promoter Frank Beaty. He had put together a similar festival in China and touted the local event as a “cultural exchange” that would introduce two societies, which he said are more alike than they are different.
“The San Juan Bautista event would have been the largest of all the stops,” he said. “If I had my choice, I would have still held the event. But there is definitely the potential for conflict.”
Fights have broken out in London and Paris as people have tried to snuff out the torch’s flame. In San Francisco, a massive anti-Chinese banner was unfurled on the Golden Gate Bridge. And President Bush has been pressured by political heavyweights, including Sen. Hillary Clinton, to skip the opening ceremonies Aug. 8.
McClintock refused to say what groups were threatening to protest. Giovanni Vassallo, president of Bay Area Friends of Tibet, said he had not heard of the event or of anyone planning to protest in San Juan Bautista.
“Once the protests die down, we’ll reevaluate, and depending on the political situation this fall, we’ll hopefully be able to bring the event back,” McClintock said. “An event like this is very valuable because of the cultures exchanging with each other.
“It’s too bad that because of the demonstrators, this exchange won’t happen.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
