Two US protesters arrested for anti-Beijing Olympics protest in Athens

Authorities in Greece have arrested two American protesters for breaking into the Acropolis Olympic flame-lighting site in Athens, The Associated Press reported.

Authorities said that Tsela Zoksang, Joey Siu and an unidentified third person entered the Olympic site as paying customers. Zoksang and Sui then climbed up scaffolding at the site to unveil a banner protesting next year’s Winter Olympics in Beijing. 

Zoksang, 18, and Siu, 22, are both American citizens and members of the “No Beijing 2022” movement, New York-based organization Students for a Free Tibet told the AP. 

The protesters remained on the scaffolding and showed a Tibetan flag and a small banner that proclaimed “Free Hong Kong Revolution,” according to the AP. 

The protesters also began shouting slogans including “Free Tibet,” “Boycott Beijing 2022” and “No freedom, no Games.”

The incident lasted for 10 minutes, until authorities arrived and detained the protesters, the AP reported. 

A similar protest took place in March 2008 where Greek and Tibetan activists tried to interfere with the torch relay for that year’s Summer Olympics in China. 

In separate statements, both Zoksang and Siu shared their displeasure with the International Olympic Committee (IOC) holding the upcoming Winter Olympics in Beijing. 

”The IOC is sending the world a message that it is ok to turn a blind eye to genocide and crimes against humanity in Hong Kong, Tibet, East Turkestan and Southern Mongolia,” Sui said. 

The Beijing Winter Olympics is scheduled to begin in February 2022, the AP noted.