Dharamsala, July 26 – Chinese hackers have attacked the website of Melbourne International Film Festival, which earlier rejected request from Chinese consulate in Melbourne to put off a film on exile Uighur leader Rebiya Kadeer.
Australian media reported that hackers have replaced programme information on the site with the Chinese flag and anti-Kadeer slogans, sent spam emails to crash the site yesterday, two days after the biggest film festival in Australia opened.
“We like film but we hate Rebiya Kadeer,” one message posted by the hackers said.
According to the festival director, Richard Moore, his staff had been bombarded with abusive emails. Moore earlier rejected a request from a woman named Ms. Chen from the Chinese consulate to drop “The 10 Conditions of Love”, a film about Kadeer, and cancel her invitation to the festival.
“The language has been vile,” Moore told the Melbourne Age. “It is obviously a concerted campaign to get us because we’ve refused to comply with the Chinese government’s demands.”
The festival had reported the attacks, which appear to be coming from a Chinese internet protocol address, and was discussing security concerns with Victoria’s state police, Moore said. Private security guards are being hired to protect Kadeer and other patrons at the film’s screening on August 8.
Last week, three Chinese directors withdrew films from the Melbourne festival, with two denying they were forced to do so by Chinese authorities. Director Tang Xiaobai, who withdrew her film “Perfect Life” after being phoned by the Chinese foreign ministry and the state administration of radio, film and television, said it was her decision to boycott the festival.
“I do not want to see my film screened on the same platform as a film about Kadeer,” Tang told the state run newspaper China Daily.
The festival started July 24 and will run until August 9.
