No doubt arguable, but this may be the prime example of communication dictating action to counter the knowledge collectively disseminated by people who realizing that they outnumber their oppressors.
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/803542c6-4...#axzz1Go9CcRZO
China authorities block democracy campaigns
By Kathrin Hille in Beijing
Published: February 25 2011 06:17 | Last updated: February 25 2011 23:39
Chinese authorities have put up big blue metal fences demarcating a “construction site” on a pedestrian street in the capital where campaigners have called for a protest to be held on Sunday, the latest sign of official nerves in the wake of the revolutions in the Middle East.
The pop-up roadworks follow a series of interventions by the country’s internet censors seeking to damp down an anonymous campaign to hold weekly pro-democracy gatherings inspired by the “Jasmine” revolutions in Egypt and Tunisia.
EDITOR’S CHOICE
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David Pilling: What is Beijing afraid of? - Feb-23
Condemnation over Egypt’s internet shutdown - Jan-28
LinkedIn looks for boost with IPO - Jan-28
China cracks down on lawyers and activists - Feb-22
LinkedIn, the social networking site, was blocked for more than 24 hours before being made available again on Friday afternoon. A user calling herself Jasmine Z had set up a discussion group on the site, saying she hoped for democracy in China.
“This appears to be part of a broader effort in China going on right now, involving other sites as well,” LinkedIn said during the outage.
The temporary cut-off is typical of the web censorship felt by sites that Beijing considers sensitive. Access to Google has been patchy since the internet company relocated its Chinese search operation to Hong Kong last year because it was no longer willing to censor results.
In spite of the online calls for pro-democracy gatherings every Sunday in more than a dozen cities, the first attempt last weekend in downtown Beijing produced a large turnout of police and foreign media, as well as a crowd of onlookers, but no visible protest.
The fencing erected on Friday appeared to be a sign that the authorities were not taking any chances. A notice said the road surface had caved in, making urgent repairs necessary.
The fences would force a large crowd to divide on both sides of the street and make it easier for police to control access to a nearby McDonald’s restaurant, where the organisers have called people to assemble.
Attempts to post content containing the term “Jasmine” on Sina Weibo, a popular news and social networking site, failed on Friday. The Chinese name of Jon Huntsman, the US ambassador who was spotted near the McDonald’s last Sunday, has also become a sensitive term. The ambassador was coincidentally passing through the area, the US embassy said.
In spite of the crackdown, Beijing’s decision to restore LinkedIn is being seen as a reassuring sign that the authorities are unwilling to cut web access drastically. “The internet is far too important for China’s economy,” said Bill Bishop, an independent analyst.
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