There were no diamond-studded stilettos on display for what Drudge called, "The Night of the Golden Statue" last night. as Hollywood stargazers watched their faves arrive for ceremonies in green cars, a worldwide hunger strike to protest China's recent attacks on Human Rights defenders was getting underway.
The Hunger Strike, which only coincided with the academy awards by chance, was intended to coincide with the Chinese Communist Party's annual National Peoples' Congress meeting.
The gossip in Tinsel Town was all about who had the latest chin or tummy tuck and how many Oscars would be going to the producers and stars of Brokeback Mountain.
Here, in Toronto starting at 8 p.m. EST, Torontonians joined tens of thousands of people in asia, North america and Europe for a symbolic 24-hour hunger strike to protest the Chinese Communist regime's "worsening human rights and their recent violent attacks to silence journalists and lawyers who strive to protect Human Rights in China."
Haunting music that served as the scores for the movies nominated entertained the Beautiful People between the opening of envelopes.
The Hunger Strikers could only hope that their calls to the international community to take action and to pay critical attention to China's Human Rights infringements would be heard by the mainline media and by the governments of some countries. Without them, an increasing number of "offenders of the State" face loss of life and imprisonment.
Specifically, more than 51 human rights lawyers, writers and journalists were recently secretly kidnapped, beaten severely or illegally shut down and threatened by the Chinese regime for wanting to defend citizens wronged by the Communist regime.
Ms. Sheng Xue, renowned Human Rights activist and winner of The Canadian association for Journalists award for Investigative Journalism, is organizing the Canada protest. "We the people of the world who hold human respect and the ideal for the protection of human rights, have agreed to hold 24-hour hunger strikes to call on the international community, world democratic governments, human rights organizations, media and all kind-hearted people to strongly protest the Chinese Communist Party's abuse of state power to persecute its citizens," Sheng Xue said.
"Our hunger strike protest is out of absolute necessity, as our compatriots in China are risking their very lives to protect the rights of fellow human beings by an evil, criminal regime. With one mind, we state our support for those Chinese human rights lawyers who have, in recent years, supported civil rights under extreme hardships."
We strongly call for:
1. The immediate release of all illegally monitored or detained writers and journalists, and lawyers.
2. The immediate reinstatement of all human rights lawyers who have had their law offices closed.
3. The immediate release of all those illegally detained and sentenced to imprisonment and forced labor, including Christians, Catholics, Falun Gong practitioners and other believers.
The Hunger Strike continues until 8 p.m., tonight, in front of the Chinese Consulate, 240 St. George St., Toronto.
Canada Free Press founding editor Most recent by Judi McLeod is an award-winning journalist with 30 years experience in the print media. Her work has appeared on Newsmax.com, Drudge Report, Foxnews.com, Glenn Beck. Judi can be reached at: judi@canadafreepress.com
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