Pirate MEP Peksa: A diplomatic boycott of the 2022 Beijing Olympics seems necessary

Brussels, 21/01/2022 – Together with colleagues from the Tibet Interest Group and the European Parliament, the Pirates urge EU Member States to boycott the 2022 Beijing Olympics diplomatically. According to the Chairperson of the European Pirates, MEP Mikuláš Peksa, doing anything less will be seen as tolerating Beijing’s abuses, which the Chinese government would take as an invitation to continue its crackdown on fundamental rights and freedoms.

The boycott has support across the European Parliament and national parliaments in Europe. The main reason for this action is the human rights situation in Hong Kong, East Turkestan, Tibet, Southern Mongolia, Macao, and elsewhere, which continues to deteriorate. Consequently, political prisoners are facing torture and citizens are under constant  surveillance. For the same reason, Tibetans are forced to such extreme acts as self-immolation, says Amnesty International.

„Chinese government’s actions run counter to the fundamental principles of Olympism, which include preservation of human dignity, social responsibility, and respect for universal ethical principles. That’s why I decided to call on EU member states to boycott the 2022 Beijing Olympics diplomatically. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has added human rights requirements for host states in 2017, but now we must make sure the IOC upholds this commitment. We can’t stay quiet in the face of the atrocities committed in the mentioned areas,” says MEP Mikuláš Peksa, Chairperson of the Tibet Interest Group in the European
Parliament, who initiated the letter together with colleague MEP Isabel Santos.

A diplomatic boycott means that athletes will still be allowed to participate, but heads of state and politicians will not come to the Olympics. Furthermore, the boycott should continue unless the Chinese government demonstrates a verifiable improvement in the human rights situation in Hong Kong, East Turkestan, Tibet, Southern Mongolia, Macao, and elsewhere. The EU needs to agree on a unified position on this issue and send a strong signal of support to communities suffering under the Chinese government’s oppressive
policies.

„In a resolution from July, the European Parliament called for a diplomatic boycott. Now, we need to reaffirm this position and make EU governments stand behind it,“ closes Peksa.