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About the Story: Passport to the World's Celebrations is the theme for the 2008 Rose Parade. One of the announced floats is designed to celebrate the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics. Human rights advocates are outraged. They accuse the Chinese government of continual human rights violations, including the persecution and imprisonment of members of the Falun Gong spiritual movement. Hena Cuevas looks at what happens when parades and politics collide.

: Avery Dennison; Falun Gong Human Rights Working Group; The Foothill Cities Blog’s “Pasadena V. China Brewing?” Article; Pasadena Conversations’ “Links for Following the Falun Gong/Rose Parade Conversation Online” Blog; Pasadena on the Web; Pasadena Tournament of Roses; Pasadena Weekly’s “‘We Need to Speak Out on That’” Article; Pasadena’s Political Underbelly’s “Falun Gong Practitioners And Their Objection to the Chinese Olympic Float” Blog; Status of Chinese People’s “California Rose Parade: Beijing Olympics-Themed Float Causes Concern” Blog; Visual Artists Guild; Tags: Arts, Entertainment, Human Rights, Pasadena, Politics

It’s Not All Rosy

Publish date: September 18, 2007
Last updated: September 23, 2008

Reporter's NOTES

Hena Cuevas
When I was growing up, the Rose Parade was a staple on New Year’s Day. I often wondered how the Tournament decided who got to participate, considering the limited number of slots.

It was surprising to find out that, in more than 100 years, there hasn’t really been that much controversy surrounding those who are allowed to parade. During the Human Relations Commission meeting we attended, one audience member brought up a good point.

If the city and the Tournament ban or change the float this time, where do you draw the line? The commission and the city council know that whatever they recommend will set a precedent for any objections in the future.

UPDATE - 10/19/07:

On September 26, after a series of public meetings, the Human Rights Commission issued its recommendations to the Pasadena City Council. In the 11-page document, the commission concluded that the council “should issue a strong statement that supports the principle of human rights and that reaffirms the need for renewed effort in China to address the human rights issues.”

It also suggested that before taking a final position, the council should organize a meeting between the supporters and opponents of the float to encourage “a meaningful dialogue” between both parties. The report urged the council to take final action no later than October 26, 2007.

Insider Viewpoints

As a company with operations and offices in 51 countries, we believe that it is important to support activities that help bring together the nations of the world. Avery Dennison Corporation, together with the Roundtable of Southern California Chinese-American Companies, is a co-sponsor of a float in the Tournament of Roses Parade to celebrate the 2008 Olympics.

The Olympics is a global event in which virtually every nation of the world participates…Like everyone else, we feel empathy for the victims of human-rights violations—wherever they happen—and our sponsorship of the Rose Parade float does not represent support, approval or opposition to the policies of any government.

We believe that the Olympics are an important global event, no matter where they are held, and help build important bridges between nations and people…By supporting the Olympics, we endorse the belief that when the nations of the world come together in peaceful competition, we all benefit.

Avery Dennison Corporation

We all agree that the Olympics offer a chance for nations to put aside their differences and join together to celebrate sportsmanship and competition. It enriches humanity.

However, it would be nothing less than un-American for a United States parade, like the Rose Parade, to celebrate a nation like China and ignore its horrific realities. China is one of the worst human-rights violators on record.

It continues to persecute Roman Catholics, other Christians and people of faith, as well as deliberately refusing to abide by its own promise to improve human-rights conditions before the Olympics. This parade float by Avery Dennison has a chance to offer hope to the people who suffer. Why not dedicate it to the Monsignor Jias of China or anyone else who struggles for freedom, rather than celebrating China's governmental oppressors and their corporate sponsor?

--Excerpt taken from Pasadena Weekly’s “A Prayer for Pasadena” Article by Ann Noonan

COMMUNITY VIEWPOINTS

11.06.2007 | 12:01 am
Forced demolitions and a reshifting of Beijing’s population is part of the development process as Olympic facilities and about 100 new four-star hotels go up in the city center. The city of 15 million is expecting more than a half-million visitors for the Olympics.

The international group, the Center on Housing Rights and Evictions, reports that 1.5 million residents will have been displaced by the time the Olympics start, and other estimates are twice that–numbers that China disputes. Most of the people who were evicted went against their will, complaining about insufficient compensation for the loss of businesses, homes and 800-year-old neighbourhoods. Will the 1.5 million ex-Beijing residents be happy about the Olympics and the Rose Parade showcasing the China float?

Chao - Los Angeles, California

09.21.2007 | 4:09 pm
I strongly believe that the Chinese Communist Party’s violation of human rights is opposite that of the Olympics spirit. If we allow this to happen, we are aligned with the Chinese Communist Party to violate human rights.

ruichen - San Francisco, California

09.20.2007 | 9:56 pm
I think that the commission and city council should put serious consideration to this issue. The United States stands for liberty, justice and humanity.

China has no real human rights. They persecute Falun Gong Practitioners and Christians.

We should think about that. If the government of the United States were to persecute Christians and Catholics, what would we do?

Qing Ma - Alhambra, California

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