Destructive engagement

Free speech suspended for your own good - Suspended, because the people in charge are wise, caring, humane, more conversational, blah, blah, blah…

« Protesters will neither be seen nor heard during the visit of Chinese prime minister Wen Jiabao to France this week, according to an order given by the French government.

The order, given last week, is seen by critics as the latest in an attempt to hide embarassing human rights violations through censoring overseas protest.

During a visit by Chinese leader Hu Jintao in January 2004, a number of foreign Falun Gong practitioners were detained by French police because they where wearing yellow, or had a logo which read "Falun Dafa is Good" on their clothing. The French government seems equally anxious to hide human rights protesters from Communist officials this time around.

The French government is also one of the most vocal supporters of a lifting of the arms embargo imposed in the wake of the Tiananmen Square massacre.»