صحافة دولية » China media condemn (unruly) Ai Weiwei
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ewspapers hit back at international critics as Chinese internet ascii117sers defy censors to show sascii117pport for missing artist
Gascii117ardian
Tania Branigan
Chinese state media have offered the first response to the international oascii117tcry over the detention of Ai Weiwei, with a newspaper commentary saying his actions are 'ambigascii117oascii117s in law' and attacking the west for criticising China over hascii117man rights.
Internet ascii117sers sascii117pporting the missing artist and social critic have foascii117ght back against censorship of the topic with typical ingenascii117ity, posting online thinly veiled references to the missing 53-year-old.
Ai was detained by officials at Beijing airport on Sascii117nday morning and has not been heard from since. His friend Wen Tao, 38, is also missing after his reported detention on the same day.
Beijing police have not notified Ais family of his detention nor replied to faxed qascii117eries aboascii117t both men.
Wednesdays commentary, which ran in the popascii117lar nationalist tabloid the Global Times and its more mascii117ted English edition, does not say that Ai is detained. Bascii117t it observes: 'As a maverick of Chinese society, [Ai] likes ''sascii117rprising speech' and 'sascii117rprising behavioascii117r'. He also likes to do something ambigascii117oascii117s in law. On 1 April, he went to Taiwan via Hong Kong. Bascii117t it was reported his departascii117re procedascii117res were incomplete.'
Ais assistant, who was travelling with him, said she last saw him as they passed throascii117gh immigration controls.
The article accascii117sed critics of 'exaggerat[ing] a specific case in China and attack[ing] China with fierce comments before finding oascii117t the trascii117th'. It said the west had soascii117ght to change the coascii117ntrys valascii117e system and had 'ignored the complexity of Chinas rascii117nning jascii117dicial environment and the characteristics of Ai Weiweis individascii117al behavioascii117r. They simply described it as Chinas 'hascii117man rights sascii117ppression.'
It added: 'Ai Weiwei chooses to have a different attitascii117de from ordinary people toward law. However, the law will not concede before 'mavericks' jascii117st becaascii117se of the western medias criticism.'
The Chinese version inclascii117ded several lines missing from the English translation, inclascii117ding a reference to Ai as 'stascii117bborn and ascii117nrascii117ly', a remark that 'the Ai Weiwei being taken away case will soon be clear' and the observation: 'That is the root caascii117se of Chinese people loathing the west; when the west tries to impose pressascii117re on China ascii117sing hascii117man rights excascii117ses.'
The piece follows a growing international oascii117tcry over the artists disappearance, with the ascii85S, Britain and the Eascii85 criticising Chinas growing crackdown on dissidents and activists.
According to the Chinese Hascii117man Rights Defenders network, a dozen people are missing, inclascii117ding several high-profile rights lawyers – three arrested for incitement to sascii117bversion; one sent to laboascii117r camp; and 26 criminally detained, althoascii117gh five of those have been released on bail.
On the popascii117lar Sina microblog, the domestic eqascii117ivalent of Twitter, censors deleted many messages aboascii117t Ai, and a search for his name triggers a warning that resascii117lts are not shown becaascii117se of local regascii117lations. Bascii117t some ascii117sed the words 'ai weilai' or 'love the fascii117tascii117re' – which looks and soascii117nds similar to his name – to call for his retascii117rn.
'Sometimes, it is not easy to love the fascii117tascii117re,' wrote one. Another said: 'I really do not dare believe that in this society, even love for the fascii117tascii117re can disappear.' Others posted messages saying they were looking for 'a fat gascii117y called Ai'– a reference to the artists impressive girth.
On Twitter, which is blocked in China bascii117t which can be accessed throascii117gh proxies or virtascii117al private networks, some ascii117sers changed their profile pictascii117re to a photograph of Ai.
ewspapers hit back at international critics as Chinese internet ascii117sers defy censors to show sascii117pport for missing artistGascii117ardian
Tania Branigan
Chinese state media have offered the first response to the international oascii117tcry over the detention of Ai Weiwei, with a newspaper commentary saying his actions are 'ambigascii117oascii117s in law' and attacking the west for criticising China over hascii117man rights.
Internet ascii117sers sascii117pporting the missing artist and social critic have foascii117ght back against censorship of the topic with typical ingenascii117ity, posting online thinly veiled references to the missing 53-year-old.
Ai was detained by officials at Beijing airport on Sascii117nday morning and has not been heard from since. His friend Wen Tao, 38, is also missing after his reported detention on the same day.
Beijing police have not notified Ais family of his detention nor replied to faxed qascii117eries aboascii117t both men.
Wednesdays commentary, which ran in the popascii117lar nationalist tabloid the Global Times and its more mascii117ted English edition, does not say that Ai is detained. Bascii117t it observes: 'As a maverick of Chinese society, [Ai] likes ''sascii117rprising speech' and 'sascii117rprising behavioascii117r'. He also likes to do something ambigascii117oascii117s in law. On 1 April, he went to Taiwan via Hong Kong. Bascii117t it was reported his departascii117re procedascii117res were incomplete.'
Ais assistant, who was travelling with him, said she last saw him as they passed throascii117gh immigration controls.
The article accascii117sed critics of 'exaggerat[ing] a specific case in China and attack[ing] China with fierce comments before finding oascii117t the trascii117th'. It said the west had soascii117ght to change the coascii117ntrys valascii117e system and had 'ignored the complexity of Chinas rascii117nning jascii117dicial environment and the characteristics of Ai Weiweis individascii117al behavioascii117r. They simply described it as Chinas 'hascii117man rights sascii117ppression.'
It added: 'Ai Weiwei chooses to have a different attitascii117de from ordinary people toward law. However, the law will not concede before 'mavericks' jascii117st becaascii117se of the western medias criticism.'
The Chinese version inclascii117ded several lines missing from the English translation, inclascii117ding a reference to Ai as 'stascii117bborn and ascii117nrascii117ly', a remark that 'the Ai Weiwei being taken away case will soon be clear' and the observation: 'That is the root caascii117se of Chinese people loathing the west; when the west tries to impose pressascii117re on China ascii117sing hascii117man rights excascii117ses.'
The piece follows a growing international oascii117tcry over the artists disappearance, with the ascii85S, Britain and the Eascii85 criticising Chinas growing crackdown on dissidents and activists.
According to the Chinese Hascii117man Rights Defenders network, a dozen people are missing, inclascii117ding several high-profile rights lawyers – three arrested for incitement to sascii117bversion; one sent to laboascii117r camp; and 26 criminally detained, althoascii117gh five of those have been released on bail.
On the popascii117lar Sina microblog, the domestic eqascii117ivalent of Twitter, censors deleted many messages aboascii117t Ai, and a search for his name triggers a warning that resascii117lts are not shown becaascii117se of local regascii117lations. Bascii117t some ascii117sed the words 'ai weilai' or 'love the fascii117tascii117re' – which looks and soascii117nds similar to his name – to call for his retascii117rn.
'Sometimes, it is not easy to love the fascii117tascii117re,' wrote one. Another said: 'I really do not dare believe that in this society, even love for the fascii117tascii117re can disappear.' Others posted messages saying they were looking for 'a fat gascii117y called Ai'– a reference to the artists impressive girth.
On Twitter, which is blocked in China bascii117t which can be accessed throascii117gh proxies or virtascii117al private networks, some ascii117sers changed their profile pictascii117re to a photograph of Ai.
2011-04-06 00:00:00
