Mute Protests greet Olympic Torch’s Arrival in Argentina

It is said that the national characteristic of people varies from this country to that and it depends on many factors like ethnicity, surrounding climate and also the culture of the very region. Well, this may be the subject of philosophers’ discourses but for centuries have been the dominant factors for the development of a particular ethnic group. This difference has again come to the fore when the Olympic torch began its procession through the national capital of Argentina in the midst of muted anti-China demonstrations, which also appeared mostly to have degenerated early in the torch’s relay. However, there were apprehensions that the scene would be just the opposite, keeping in mind the strong influence of Che Guevara in the region. The arrival of the Olympic torch in Argentina happened to be the latest stage in its international tour, which has been marked by angry protests especially in Athens, London, Paris and San Francisco.

What was witnessed in reality was nothing except the display of a peaceful demonstration involving about 100 people who walked for almost a quarter of mile from the obelisk, one of the city’s monuments, to the square in front of the presidential palace, before the crowd broke up. Well, there was no dearth of slogans and banners, of which one read, “No Freedom of Religion in China.” But without any doubt there was no sign of any violence since there was a huge presence of police officers, even outnumbering the numbers of protesters. In this respect, it is better to note, that the organizers of the anti-China demonstration had affirmed in advance that there would be only peaceful demonstrations and no intention of any violent onslaught against the torch going totally against the experience in other cities. From the arrival of the torch in Buenos Aires the torch was taken under heavy guard, including police officers on motorcycles, to the Sheraton Hotel downtown.