Chinese urged to boycott French goods
By Geoff Dyer in Shanghai and David Pilling in Narita

Published: April 10 2008 22:13 | Last updated: April 10 2008 22:13

Chinese consumers have been urged to boycott French goods in response to the raucous protests that accompanied the Olympic torch through Paris.

The appeal, circulated on internet chatrooms and bulletin boards, indicates the protests earlier this week have not only embarrassed the Beijing government, but also ignited a strong nationalist reaction among sections of the Chinese public.

Jacques Rogge, IOC president, said that when China was awarded the 2008 games government officials promised it would “advance the social agenda of China, including human rights”.

He said: “We definitely ask China to respect this moral engagement.”

The protests that have accompanied the torch relay presented a “crisis” for the Olympic movement, said Mr Rogge, who has gone out of his way not to antagonise the host nation.

The Chinese government said the IOC should defend the commitment in the Olympics charter to avoid politics and “bringing in any irrelevant political factors”.

Beijing also said on Thursday it had arrested 45 “terrorist” suspects who had been planning suicide bomb attacks and the kidnapping of athletes. The suspects all come from the heavily Muslim province of Xinjiang on the north-western border.

During a visit to Japan, the Dalai Lama, the Tibetan spiritual leader, struck a conciliatory note. He said the Chinese people deserved the Olympics “despite unfortunate events in Tibet”.

But he welcomed support for the Tibetan cause seen in this week’s protests. “It is their right to criticise. I have no right to say ‘Shut up’,” he said. He supported only non-violent protests, however.

The appeal to boycott French goods appeared on the internet on Wednesday and has spread widely among young Chinese. A web page bearing a petition appeared to have been blocked on Thursday afternoon.

Companies named in the campaign include luxury brands owned by LVMH, such as Louis Vuitton and Givenchy, and the cosmetics group L’Oréal, which has a large business in China.

The torch relay in London was badly disrupted and the route of the San Francisco leg was changed at the last minute to avoid protests, but it is the events in Paris that appear to have angered Chinese most.

Internet postings complained about the banner in support of human rights draped outside Paris city hall. A photograph of a man trying to grab the torch from a Chinese girl in a wheelchair drew many responses. The man wore a hat in the colours of the Tibetan flag.

Several foreign brands in China have suffered damaging firestorms of internet criticism in recent years. A campaign against Japanese companies three years ago had little lasting impact.

Indonesian officials said on Thursday they had cancelled an April 22 Olympic torch relay around Jakarta. After receiving a request from Beijing, they have changed the route to confine the torch to the vicinity of the main sports stadium.

Additional reporting by John Aglionby in Jakarta
Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2008

翻译：中国消费者们抵制法国商品以回应奥运圣火穿越巴黎时遭遇抗议。

这项呼吁在互联网的聊天室和留言板上传播，显示了抗议不单给北京制造了麻烦，同时在中国公众中间燃起了一股强烈的民族主义情绪。 国际奥委会主席罗格表示，中国被授予奥运会主办权时，政府许诺“推进中国社会进步，包括人权。” 他说：“我们明确要求中国尊重这个道德上的承诺。” 公开反对抵制主办国的罗格表示在火炬传递中出现的抗议活动使奥林匹克运动出现了“危机”。 中国政府敦促国际奥委会履行奥林匹克宪章的承诺，防止奥运政治化，“不要掺杂无关的政治因素”。

在周四，北京同时表示已逮捕４５名计划自杀式爆炸袭击并绑架运动员“恐怖分子”嫌疑犯，疑犯统统来自西北边界的穆斯林省份新疆。 在日逗留期间（我没用访问，鄙视！），藏人精神领袖dl喇嘛发表抚慰性的声明，表示尽管在西藏发生了不幸事件，中国人民理应享受奥林匹克。 但他同时欢迎对这段时间藏人骚乱事件的支持。 "批评是他们的权利。我无权让他们'闭嘴' ， "他说。但他表示只支持非暴力的抗议活动。

周三，抵制法国商品的呼吁在互联网上出现并在中国的年轻人中广泛传播。一个网页登载了一份声明书，似乎已经于周四下午被关闭。 受抵制运动的公司中，包括路易威登所拥有的豪华品牌，如Louis Vuitton 和Givenchy，还有在中国拥有很大业务员的L'oreal（欧莱雅）集团。 火炬接力在伦敦被严重扰乱，旧金山的传递路线在最后一分钟改变，以避免抗议活动，但在巴黎的事件表示，似乎已经激怒了多数中国人。

在互联网上张贴的抱怨旗帜，在支持人权的口号外巴黎市政厅。一张照片，一个男人试图抓住火炬从一个中国女孩在轮椅上引起不少反应。该名男子戴的帽子，在色彩的西藏国旗。 最近几年，多家外国品牌由于在互联网上的批评在而在中国遭受损失。三年前一场抵制日本公司的运动几乎没有太久的影响力。 印尼官员说，周四，他们已取消了4月22日绕雅加达的奥运火炬接力活动。接到北京的请求后，他们已经改变了路线，只限于火炬在主体育场附近传递。 John Aglionby

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