China to set up protest zones for Beijing Olympics

Areas in at least three public parks have been set aside for use by demonstrators This is the first public confirmation that Beijing may tolerate modest protesting It was not clear how easy access would be to enter the zones BEIJING (AP) -- China will allow a modicum of dissent at the Olympics, setting up special protest zones far from the main sports venues, in a shift that supporters and detractors said Wednesday is meant to safely channel criticism and avoid disrupting the games. The designated protest areas will be in parts of three public parks, none of them closer than several miles from the main Olympic stadium. One zone is in a park that features large-scale mock-ups of the White House and other world monuments, raising the prospect that protesters will appear to be elsewhere in televised images and news photos. In... [read full story]