Sunday, May 04, 2008

Accusations of Genocide Along the West Side Highway

Today I stopped to take some cell phone photos of protestors, protesting against the Chinese occupation of Tibet. Every time I ride downtown, I pass them. A small group of about 30 protestors, are always stationed by 40th street and the West Side Highway. Next to them a group of cops to maintain law and order. Today the group had grown to a few hundred. Maybe the crowd has grown because today was  perfect spring day, or perpahaps it is because the  time for Olympics is growing closer. The protestors were loud and made their presence heard with the aid of megaphones. "50 years of genocide,"  "China lies, people die," They shouted. 


Earlier this week, May 2nd was Holocaust Remembrance Day. Seems lately reminders of genocide are all around me. I just about finished Samantha Powers book "Problem from Hell", and find myself dumbfounded that no matter how many times acts of genocide are brought to light the first response, ( after denial) of the world community, is to argue as to weather or not it is in fact genocide or a mass atrocity. Whatever the case,  I took pause for a moment just as the protestors wanted me to, to think about the people in Tibet and those who fled Tibet, on this beautiful Sunday in NYC. 
Besides images shot from today, are also some shot on Armenia's Remembrance day , April 24th from Yerevan.