OLY: Greeks plan street protest against Powell visit

AAP General News (Australia)
08-26-2004
OLY: Greeks plan street protest against Powell visit

By Michele Kambas

ATHENS, Aug 25 Reuters - Greeks opposed to U.S. policy in Iraq will march to the U.S.

embassy on Friday to protest against a weekend visit to the Olympic Games by Secretary
of State Colin Powell.

Organisers said today they expected thousands to turn out although the government has
urged them to bear in mind tight security and any impact on Greece's image during the
Games.

"He is a warmonger and we don't want him here. He is coming to watch the Olympics while
American occupation forces are slaughtering hundreds of Iraqis daily," said Yannis Sfakakis,
a representative of the Stop the War Coalition.

"I would like to believe that organisers of such protests will bear in mind that this
is an especially critical period for the country in the middle of the Olympic Games and
that they will safeguard the so far perfect image of Greece," government spokesman Theodoris
Roussopoulos said.

Powell is due to be in Athens from Saturday to Monday and will attend the Games' closing
ceremony on Sunday.

Greece is spending an unprecedented $1.2 billion on security at the first summer Olympics
since September 11, 2001.

Pro-Tibet activists unveiled a mock Olympics flag, replacing its five rings with bullet
holes, citing alleged human rights abuses by the Chinese hosts of the 2008 Olympics.

The activists said they will attempt to give the banner to members of the International
Olympics Committee (IOC) at the Olympic Games closing ceremony on Sunday, when Athens
turns over the mantle of the Olympics to Beijing.

"We are a very peaceful movement. We will try and find a way to get to the IOC at the
closing ceremony to present this flag," said Wangpo Tethong, a representative of the International
Tibet Support Network, an umbrella group for Tibet-related groups.

Chinese troops occupied Tibet in 1950 and Beijing considers the Himalayan region part
of its territory.

Reuters nh

KEYWORD: OLY PROTESTS

2004 AAP Information Services Pty Limited (AAP) or its Licensors.