China is getting publicity by hosting the 2008 Summer Olympics, but it can’t be the publicity it wanted.

With China’s involvement in Tibet and Darfur, protestors have come out to stand against the Chinese government.

And many people are doing more than just paying attention. They are getting involved with protests and marches designed to focus the spotlight even more on China’s human rights abuses.

There are several things we like about these developments. It’s fantastic to see this is becoming a worldwide issue. There have been protests the past few days in England, France and here in the United States. It shows the concerns regarding China’s handling of the situation in Tibet are not just a problem for a select few. The masses that have turned out to protest show how serious many people are in the Western world about wanting to hold China accountable.

We have a different take than what has been reported about the protestors. Reporters on CNN and MSNBC on Wednesday said the protestors were against the Olympic ideals with the actions they were taking.

We disagree. China’s record on human rights within its own country and Tibet does not represent the Olympic ideal. Neither does its support of the current government in Darfur.

The protestors are trying to raise awareness about these things, and the best way to get the world’s attention is through these torch relay protests. That does not make them anti-Olympic, though the Chinese government would like to portray it that way.

The protests are ultimately designed to get people to hold Chinese leaders accountable. It seems to be working so far. Presidential candidate Hillary Clinton said Monday that President Bush should stay away from the opening ceremony. On Wednesday, British Prime Minister Gordon Brown said he wouldn’t go to Beijing for the opening ceremonies. Hopefully even more world leaders will get on board.

And in a time when so many people only seem to care about what celebrity has been arrested or what the latest iPod can do, it’s refreshing to see so many citizens across the world turn out for a cause worth getting noisy about.