Beijing: During the inaugural session of the Winter Olympics in Beijing, a Chinese official assaulted a Dutch reporter. Sjoerd den Daas, a journalist for the Dutch newspaper NOS Nieuws, was doing live coverage for the Winter Games on Friday when a Chinese security guard moved in front of the camera and began to push him away.
A clip from the Friday program showed Daas being grabbed, shoved, and screamed at by the red armband-wearing guard before the network pulled away from the camera and returned to the studio host.
A Video footage shared on social media concludes with another guard approaching the camera operator and obstructing the camera’s view of the scene. “Our correspondent @sjoerddendaas was pulled away from the camera by security guards at 12.00 pm live in the NOS Journaal. Unfortunately, this is increasingly becoming a daily reality for journalists in China. He is fine and was able to finish his story a few minutes later,” the news channel tweeted.
It’s hard to determine what caused Chinese authorities to halt van Daas’ broadcast in the middle. The 2022 Winter Olympics have been marred by serious allegations of violations of human rights and mistreatment of Chinese athletes. Beijing has told overseas athletes not to discuss China’s hostility, dictatorship, or genocidal deeds during the games. Fans, athletes, and international bystanders were all forbidden from applauding.
Because of China’s well-documented human rights issues, the games have already elicited global censure. The Chinese media is strictly controlled, and public discussion of human rights issues is forbidden. Chinese officials regularly reject claims of human rights breaches, portraying opponents as liars motivated by anti-Chinese animosity.
The Indian envoy has boycotted the opening or closing ceremonies of the Beijing Winter Olympics. China’s politicization of the Olympics is disappointing, said the Ministry of External Affairs, after China, appointed PLA soldier Qi Fabio, who was engaged in the June 2020 Galwan Valley conflict, one of the torchbearers ahead of the Winter Olympics in Beijing.
The US State Department also agreed with India in condemning the politicization of the Olympics. US State Department spokesperson Ned Price said, “When it comes to a broader issue of India-China border situation, we continue to support direct dialogue & a peaceful resolution of the border disputes.”