Olympics: Clegg urges boycott / Lib Dems to join Sunday protest

The pressure on Gordon Brown to match words with deeds when it comes to human rights is growing:

Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg has urged Gordon Brown to boycott this summer’s Olympic opening ceremony in protest at China’s human rights record. He said the prime minister could not attend the event in Beijing “in good conscience”, given the country’s crackdown on protests in Tibet. In a letter, Mr Clegg said Mr Brown must “take a stand for human rights”. The prime minister has ruled out a boycott. The Olympic torch passes through London this weekend.   [BBC]

Meanwhile, the Liberal Democrats are ramping up their plans for a strong presence at Sunday’s demonstrations as the Olympic Torch passes through London, with thousands of supporters across London having been text messaged urging them to take part in the protests. It’ll be interesting to see how this use of mobile technology to mobilise protesters works.

Details of the protests (taken from the Liberal Democrat Facebook event) are:

You have three opportunities:

1) to join us in Bloomsbury Square from about 11.45am to collect flags, banners and placards and then to congregate at the junction of Bedford Place and Great Russell Street where the Olympic torch will pass at 12.20pm. This will be part of the wider ‘Free Tibet’ demonstration organised by the Free Tibet Campaign who are supplying some of our equipment.

2) to attend the Tibetan Freedom Torch Rally from 2.15pm to 3.30pm at which NORMAN BAKER MP will speak. It is a rally and cultural event at which the Tibetan Freedom Torch will be lit and traditional and modern Tibetan music played.

3) to join the Southwark Liberal Democrats from about 2.45pm in Potters Field Park (outside City Hall near Tower Bridge) to demonstrate as the Olympic Torch is carried from Tooley Street to City Hall.