Oh Shucks

EU member states must agree on a common stance on whether to attend the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games in Beijing, said the European Parliament, on 10 April. A resolution condemning "the brutal repression by the Chinese security forces against Tibetan demonstrators" was adopted in plenary session, in Brussels.



"This is not an attack on the Olympic Games but rather a defence of the spirit of the Games themselves," said Graham Watson (UK), leader of the ALDE group.

Since the outbreak of violence in Tibet, the EU has been struggling to find a common position on the Olympics. Meanwhile, several EU leaders have decided to skip the opening ceremony, including German Chancellor Merkel or more recently British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, who will attend only the closure of the games. French President Nicolas Sarkozy, who will be in charge of the EU Presidency during the Olympics, said he would consult his European partners.
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