Madam, - How heart-warming it is for all freedom-loving people to see that the London protests against the Beijing Olympics were surpassed by those in Paris. I hope those Paris will in turn be outdone by what happens in San Francisco.
Whatever governments may say, the free people of the world are making clear what they think of the despicable Chinese regime and its Olympics. There is only one thing the Chinese fear and that is loss of "face", and by God they are losing "face" day by day. How long before the evil regime accepts that this ridiculous charade cannot continue?
London provided the clearest example of the wrath of the free world when the Chinese ambassador was only able to run her stage of the relay by a last-minute diversion which ensured that she passed through areas not expecting her. If this does not send an unambiguous message to Peking, what will? - Yours, etc,
IAN KAVANAGH, Suir Road, Kilmainham, Dublin 8.
Madam, - The president of the Olympic Council of Ireland, Pat Hickey, said in an interview on a Newstalk radio on Tuesday: "We [presumably the Olympic Council of Ireland] think it's a shame that the torch and the Olympic values and the ethos of the Olympic movement has been treated in such a manner but it's obviously a well orchestrated campaign."
I agree wholeheartedly. The campaign by the Chinese government to use the Olympics to put a veneer of respectability on its odious regime is a shame and a gross insult to Baron Pierre de Coubertin. - Yours, etc,
PAUL WILLIAMS, Circular Road, Kilkee, Co Clare.