MPs Pile Pressure on EU, Canada to Stage Diplomatic Boycott of Beijing Games
European and Canadian parliamentarians have called on their governments to decline invitations to attend the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics following announcements of a diplomatic boycott of the Games by the US, UK, Australia and others.
Members of the cross-party Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China (IPAC) in the European Parliament, Germany, France, Canada, Czechia, Switzerland, Sweden, Denmark, the Netherlands, Norway and Ireland have released a coordinated series of letters calling on senior government ministers not to attend the Games.
The letters, an English translation of which is attached, cites the credible cases of Genocide and Crimes Against Humanity in the Uyghur Region and the crackdown on Hong Kong’s pro-democracy movement. The letters say that leaders attending the Games will risk lending “further legitimacy to the Chinese government’s efforts to whitewash the abuses taking place in the Uyghur Region” and will act as “willing participants in the PRC government’s propaganda campaign.”
Prominent signatories to the letters include Members of the European Parliament Miriam Lexmann and Reinhard Bütikofer, both of whom have been subject to Chinese government sanctions for their advocacy on Uyghur human rights; French Senator André Gattolin; Canadian MP Garnett Genuis and former Czech Presidential candidate Pavel Fischer.
The moves follow successful campaigns by IPAC members in the US, UK, Australia, New Zealand and Lithuania, which have all announced a diplomatic boycott of the Beijing Games in recent days.
Senator André Gattolin said:
“As the atrocities continue in the Uyghur Region, Tibet and Hong Kong, it is unthinkable that our state leaders will condone these Games. Our Government ministers must state clearly that they will not attend the Beijing Olympics. The US, UK and Australia have made the first move. There can be no excuse for Europe not to follow.”
Notes:
- The letters were sent in a coordinated release on the 8th of December 2021.
- An English translation of the letters, addressees and signatures are attached below.
- The letters were sent separately in each legislature but followed the same main text. Individual copies of the letters sent to each government are available on request and will be shared from the IPAC Twitter account twitter.com/ipacglobal
Letter text (English version)
Dear Minister,
Next year’s Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics will take place amidst industrial scale human rights abuses in the People’s Republic of China (PRC) and Hong Kong.
In the Uyghur Region, the PRC government is carrying out a brutal campaign of persecution against Uyghurs and other predominantly Muslim Turkic groups. Abuses include the internment of at least one million individuals, widespread forced labour and mass forced sterilization. A growing number of legal investigations have found credible cases for Genocide and crimes against humanity in the Uyghur Region.
This week, new evidence contained within the Xinjiang Papers have revealed the role of President Xi Jinping, Chen Quanguo and other senior Chinese government officials in directing repressive policies in the Uyghur Region. Meanwhile, the PRC government continues its crackdown on Hong Kong’s pro-democracy movement and persecutes Tibetans and other religious and ethnic minorities.
Against this background, it is unthinkable that the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics should continue as normal. It is right that sport should stay above politics, but this does not permit turning a blind eye to industrial scale human rights abuses.
We call on you to publicly confirm that you will not accept any invitations to attend the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics or its associated events. Failure to do so will only lend further legitimacy to the Chinese government’s efforts to whitewash the abuses taking place in the Uyghur Region and elsewhere. Public figures attending the Games risk acting as willing participants in the PRC government’s propaganda campaign.
Only standing in solidarity with victims of persecution and upholding the cause of human dignity will we stay true to the values which the Olympic Games are founded upon.
We look forward to your response.
Your sincerely,
MEMBERS OF THE INTER-PARLIAMENTARY ALLIANCE ON CHINA
List of addressees
European Parliament
Charles Michel, President of the European Council
Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission
David Sassoli, President of the European Parliament
France
Président de la République, Emmanuel Macron
Premier Ministre, Jean Castex
Roxana Maracineanu, Minister for Sports
Sarah El Haïry, Secretary for Youth
Jean-Yves Le Drian, Minister for Foreign Affairs
Germany
Chancellor Olaf Scholz
President Frank-Walter Steinmeier.
Vice-Chancellor Robert Habeck
Vice-Chancellor Christian Lindner
Minister of Foreign Affairs Annalena Baerbock
Minister Christine Lambrecht
Canada
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau,
Foreign Minister Melanie Joly,
Minister of Sport Pascale St-Onge,
Czechia
Prime Minister Andrej Babiš MP
Switzerland
Federal Councillor Cassis
Federal Councillor Amherd
Sweden
Statsminister Magdalena Andersson
Utrikesminister Ann Linde
Idrottsminister Anders Ygeman
H.M Konung Carl XVI Gustaf
H.K.H Kronprinsessan Victoria
Denmark
HRH Crown Prince Frederik
Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen
Minister of Culture Ane Halsboe-Jørgensen
The Netherlands
Prime Minister Mark Rutte,
Foreign Minister Ben Knapen,
Minister for Sport Hugo de Jonge
Norway
Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre
Ireland
An Taoiseach, Micheál Martin TD;
An Tánaiste, Leo Varadkar TD;
Minister for Foreign Affairs and Defence, Simon Coveney TD;
Minister of State for Sport, Jack Chambers TD.
List of signatories
European Parliament
Miriam Lexmann MEP
Reinhard Bütikofer MEP
Viola von Cramon-Taubadel MEP
Karin Karlsbro MEP
David Lega MEP
Anna Fotyga MEP
Engin Eroglu MEP
Michaela Šojdrová MEP
Riho Terras MEP
France
André Gattolin, Sénateur
Constance Le Grip Députée
Frédérique Dumas Députée
André Vallini, Sénateur
Olivier Cadic, Sénateur
Germany
Michael Brand MdB
Canada
Garnett Genuis MP
Kyle Seeback MP
Tom Kmiec MP
Senator Pierre J. Dalphond
Czechia
Senator Pavel Fischer
Switzerland
Fabian Molina, National Councillor, Canton of Zurich
Lisa Mazzone, Councillor of States, Canton of Geneva
Nicolas Walder, National Councillor, Canton of Geneva
Balthasar Glättli, National Councillor, Canton of Zurich
Sweden
Joar Forsell
Elisabet Lann
David Josefsson
Hampus Hagman
Niels Paarup-Petersen
Kerstin Lundgren
Fredrik Malm
Maria Nilsson
Tina Acketoft
Gulan Avci
Ann-Sofie Alm
Denmark
Uffe Elbaek MP
The Netherlands
Sjoerd Sjoerdsma MP
Tom van der Lee MP
Norway
Guri Melby MP
Ireland
Senator Barry Ward
Senator Malcolm Byrne
Senator Lisa Chambers
Senator Mary Seery Kearney
Senator Michael Mc Dowell
Michael McNamara TD
Senator Erin McGreehan
Senator Jerry Buttimer