Word: darfur
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Dates: during 2000-2009
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...Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman expressed regret over Spielberg's decision on Thursday, while the Beijing Games organizing committee noted that "linking the Darfur issue to the Olympic Games will not help to resolve this issue and is not in line with the Olympic Spirit that separates sports from politics." But those responses came nearly two days after Spielberg announced his decision to withdraw, adding yet another news cycle to an issue Beijing clearly wanted to go away. "They need to learn to do a better job of this, there's no doubt," says David Zweig, director of the Center...
...That was made clear this week when director Steven Spielberg announced he was quitting his role as a creative consultant for the Games' opening and closing ceremonies. The Hollywood filmmaker cited Beijing's failure to press its ally and trading partner Sudan to end the fighting in Darfur, where as many as 400,000 people have died and 2.5 million displaced in fighting between rebel groups, the government and government-backed militias. Spielberg, the director of such films as Schindler's List and Saving Private Ryan, had written letters to Chinese President Hu Jintao urging him to take more action...
...opponents are learning to exploit. "The more the government gives political priority to the Games, the more the international political pressure on the Chinese government will increase," says Yan Xuetong, director of the Institute of International Studies at Beijing's Tsinghua University. Indeed, given the success of the Darfur campaign, it is inevitable that other protests will follow on Tibet, the banned Falun Gong spiritual movement and China's support of Burma's ruling junta. Activists have also raised human rights issues like the jailing of Chinese journalists and activists like Hu Jia, who was detained in December over accusations...
...Having succeeded in turning Spielberg to their cause, Darfur campaigners are now trying to convince other stars such as director Ang Lee, who is also an artistic advisor to the Games, and producer Quincy Jones, who has been recruited to write a theme song. A group of Nobel laureates, actors and athletes wrote an open letter to President Hu coinciding with Spielberg's resignation, calling on Beijing to do more to promote peace in the war-ravaged region. And large corporate sponsors, such as General Electric, Microsoft and Coca-Cola, are also being lobbied to urge Beijing to do more...
...conscience will not allow me to continue with business as usual.' Steven Spielberg, film director, announcing he would withdraw as artistic adviser to this summer's Beijing Olympics over China's stance on the conflict in Darfur, Sudan...