The pen is stronger

than the sword

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Mail sent 14th April

The pen is stronger

than the sword

Encouragement to personally engage in the debate and spread the idea about showing your criticism by using the color orange in Olympic contexts

Dear friends of TheColorOrange,

This is the time! You can make a difference about the human rights in China. Help us spreading the idea and the symbol TheColorOrange, involve in the debate in your country, region and town, write letters to newspapers, contact the press, show up wearing something orange at meetings, sports events, and suggest that those who are going to the Olympics 2008 make use of TheColorOrange.

 It doesn’t have to be long, intellectual letters, a few lines or an Orange note on the wall is often enough to start a debate. Maybe you could gather a group of friends, colleagues, sports- and schoolmates and together do something to spread the idea.

The idea about TheColorOrange can only succeed if the project becomes an integrated part of discussions about the Olympics in China, which it isn’t yet, and we need your help to do this. The press is very interested in the project, and they would often like to write about it, if you put their attention to it.

We, the people from www.TheColorOrange.net have now sent the appeal of support to thousands of parliamentarians all over the world. We’ve had it translated into 17 different languages, check www.TheColorOrange.net/uk/page21. Parts of this appeal would be good for letters etc.

The Olympic Torch is still on its way through the world, and thousands of activists along the route have put an enormous focus on Tibet and the human rights in China. We had 10 activists in Athens, who started a huge debate and a large number of protests. The link to BBC’s broadcast is: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T92fGP-SEVM

A core issue of the debates is about boycotting the Olympics or not. There are good arguments both for and against the boycott. If you choose to show up, it will be a very good idea to use TheColorOrange to signal that you participate, but you still make a symbolic and visual protest against human rights violations in China.

It will be amazing if a large part of the politicians and athletes participating in the Olympics from the opening to the closing are wearing something orange. For example, a CNN journalist was wearing an eye-catching Orange tie while reporting from the torch ceremony in London.

Athletes and journalists wearing the color orange won’t be able to overtly tell why they’re wearing orange, because it would mean suspension from the Olympics. So they could just to give cryptic answers like “I just like the color orange, but I still think that China should do something about their human rights”. Politicians, on the contrary, can clearly tell why they’re wearing TheColorOrange.

We’ve sent out a message to people in every city on the route of the Olympic Torch, that they make peaceful Orange protests as the Torch passes. The message has been sent to official guests, politicians, athletes, NGO’s and to the public, see:

http://www.TheColorOrange.net/uk/page118

We’re leaving to Hong Kong at April 25th to make Orange protests together with the democracy movement. We will paint the 8 metre tall sculpture, the Pillar of Shame, orange (the sculpture has been erected as an accusation of the Tiananmen crackdown). When the Torch comes to China on May 2^nd we will join thousands of Chinese for manifestations in support of the human rights in China. The democracy movement has made thousands of orange bracelets with the Olympic motto: One World, one Dream. Combined with The Color Orange this motto will express the dream about respect for human rights in the whole world, also in China.

We hope you will take the case and the pen into your own hand, and make an effort for TheColorOrange. The Chinese democracy fighters will appreciate your support.

Friendly Orange greetings from

TheColorOrange.net

a cooperation between the Chinese democracy movement (HK) and the artist Jens Galschiot (DK)

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