Young Greens stage vigil

HUMAN RIGHTS PROTEST: A CANDLELIT vigil was held in Dublin last night for "victims of the Chinese regime".

HUMAN RIGHTS PROTEST:A CANDLELIT vigil was held in Dublin last night for "victims of the Chinese regime".

In what was described as a "low key contrast to the Olympic Games opening ceremony", members of the Young Greens gathered at the Chinese embassy just hours after the lavish start to the games. "We want to highlight that there are still problems with human rights in China, such as political prisoners, the Tibetan situation, press freedom issues and suffering endured by members of the Falun Gong community", Barra Roantree, campaign officer with the Young Greens said.

Minister for Sport Martin Cullen attended the opening ceremony yesterday. "We hope he will be lobbying inside but we are not optimistic. The reason for Minister Cullen going, that Tibet was dealt with, was weak," Mr Roantree said.

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Genevieve Carbery

Genevieve Carbery

Genevieve Carbery is Abroad Editor at The Irish Times