Heart China - Counter Protests

Counter Protests

After numerous Pro-Tibetan protests in the United States, Great Britain and France, Chinese diaspora staged counter-protests in Toronto and other cities, formed through "smart mob" tactics such as IM and SMS. In April 2008, after the 2008 Olympic torch relay was disrupted by Tibetan independence advocates in London and especially Paris, where some protesters attempted to wrest control of the torch from torch bearers, Chinese activists have promoted boycotting the Carrefour supermarket chain because of its French roots. Huge crowds gathered throughout China outide of Carrefour stores, preventing customers from entering the stores.

On the Internet, statistics show that more than one million MSN Messenger users added "(L)China" to the beginning of their display name prior to the torch relay incident in Paris.