China Will Pretend There's Some Sort Of Free Speech At The Games

Seems to be some ruse to fool foreigners into thinking that people have a right to be heard, but don't expect any cameras to be there and watch these "zones" disappear after the hoopla. Jeez, I wonder where they got that idea from?

Beijing sets up protest zones for Games

"Beijing will permit public protests inside three designated city parks during next month's Olympic Games, but demonstrators must first obtain permits from the local police and also abide by Chinese laws that usually make it nearly impossible to legally picket over politically charged issues. (...)

Under Chinese law, citizens must apply to the local public security bureau five days in advance of a scheduled protest. Applicants must appear in person and offer detailed information about their topic, any possible slogans and the expected number of demonstrators. The law prohibits protests that are deemed harmful to national unity and social stability or that agitate for ethnic separatism. These prohibitions can be interpreted so broadly that most legal protests are not approved."

These people get a special little zone:

Mass Arrests as Beijing Prepares for Olympics - "At least two petitioners are thought to have died as Beijing authorities intensify their campaign to “clean up” the capital for the Olympics, with busloads of people taken away each evening."