Beijing, 6 Aug – After Tibet, the theme of religious freedom is once again at the centre of a fresh protest in Beijing 48 hours before the Olympic opening ceremony is to get underway. Three US Christian activists, two men and a woman, have put on a protest on the edge of Tiananmen Square against religious repression and the abortionist policy limiting couple to a single child. The three, members of the organization Christian Defence Coalition, unrolled a banner in English and Mandarin saying that “Jesus Christ is King”, according to spokesman Rob Schenck. The demonstration only lasted a few moments, since, while the three knelt down to pray, police intervened and tore down the banner, taking the activists away in a police van according to Shenck, who said that since then he has not been able to contact them. The three are: J. Mahoney, Brandi Swindell and Michael McMonagle. This morning four pro-Tibetan activists, two Americans and two Britons, raised a banner saying “Free Tibet” in front of the “Bird’s Nest” stadium, the heart of the Olympics, before being arrested.
