Briton held in Beijing over Tibet protest
Five people were detained by Chinese police over a pro-Tibet protest in Beijing
Friday, 15, Aug 2008 02:31
Five people, including a Briton, have been detained by Chinese police over a pro-Tibet protest in Beijing.
Philip Kirk, 24, and Australian-Canadian Nicole Rycroft, 41, climbed the headquarters of the state-owned China Central Television building to unfurl a banner reading "Free Tibet".
The pair, part of the Students for a Free Tibet group, and three other protestors were detained for their part in the demonstration on Friday.
It is claimed that the Chinese authorities forced foreign journalists away from the scene in east Beijing as they tried to end the protest.
The executive director of the group, Lhadon Tethong, said the protest had aimed to "broadcast a message of truth" about the situation in Tibet.
"While the Chinese government has built a gleaming new building for its official mouthpiece and its public relations strategy has become more sophisticated, the propaganda it uses to maintain its iron-fisted control over Tibet remains the same," she said.
Last week, two others Brits Iain Thom, 24, and Lucy Fairbrother, 23, were detained and then deported are unveiling a Free Tibet banner near the Olympic stadium.