topics
tools
Expatica countries
Index Last Var.(%)
BEL 20 2130.68 0.53
DAX 6407.21 1.06
IBEX 30 6502.1 -0.63
CAC 40 3073.75 0.85
FTSE 100 5399.33 0.89
AEX 295.68 1.00
DJIA 12454.83 -0.60
Nasdaq 2837.53 -0.07
FTSE MIB 13175.91 0.16
TSX Composite 11576.47 0.09
ASX 4120.2 0.96
Hang seng 18798.61 0.46
Straits Times 2792.63 0.72
ISEQ 20 502.38 0.29
You are here: Home News Community News China blocks 'Berlin Wall' Twitter page:...
Enlarge font Decrease font Text size


31/10/2009China blocks 'Berlin Wall' Twitter page: organisers

The site was meant to be a place for people to share memories of the night the Berlin Wall was yanked down 20 years ago, but quickly morphed into a forum for protest against what users described as "The Great Firewall of China."

Berlin -- China has blocked a website inviting users of microblogging site Twitter to comment on the fall of the Berlin Wall amid a deluge of protests at Beijing's Internet censorship, organisers said Thursday.

The site was meant to be a place for people to share memories of the night the Berlin Wall was yanked down 20 years ago, but quickly morphed into a forum for protest against what users described as "The Great Firewall of China."

Of the roughly 3,300 comments left on the virtual wall, around 1,500 have been in Chinese, said Carsten Hein, coordinator of the "berlintwitterwall.com" project.

The site "has not been freely accessible since Monday evening Beijing time," he added, citing "several current sources."

According to the China Digital Times, one user wrote: "Mr Hu Jintao, please tear down this Great Firewall," in a twist on the famous 1987 Berlin speech by then US President Ronald Reagan who implored his Soviet counterpart Mikhail Gorbachev to "Tear down this wall."

Another said: "My apologies to German people a million times (for taking over this site). But I think if Germans learn about our situation, they would feel sorry for us a million times."

One apparently bemused German user wrote on the site: "The Berlin Wall speaks Chinese!"

The hugely popular Twitter site allows users to post a short message of no more than 140 characters which can then be read by other followers of the service.

China regularly cracks down on online content it deems unhealthy, which includes pornography and violence but also information critical of the government.

In June, the government was forced to backtrack on an order to install Internet filtering software on all computers sold in China after it triggered a huge outcry at home and abroad.

China has at least 338 million Internet users, more than any other country in the world, according to state media.

AFP/Expatica



0 reactions to this article

0 reactions to this article

Discussion Forums

Technology in Spain

Sat phones/internet links

English in Spain

What is the best travel insurance cover to Spain?

American in Spain

U.S. citizens, plan to vote in 2012? Did you know...

Relocation to Spain

thinking of moving to madrid

Jobs in Spain

Job Agencies or how to find work.

participate in the forums

Inside Expatica
Editor's Guide: Getting Started in Spain

Editor's Guide: Getting Started in Spain

Expatica's Getting Started section will provide practical information on how you can open a bank account, exchange your driving licence, improve your Spanish, and more.

Groups and Clubs in Madrid

Groups and Clubs in Madrid

Here's a guide to an extensive list of groups and clubs in Madrid for expats, from sports groups to social and family gatherings.

Groups and Clubs around Spain

Groups and Clubs around Spain

A brief introduction to our Tax section for Spain, from help with inheritance tax to accounting advice.

Groups and Clubs in Barcelona

Groups and Clubs in Barcelona

Here's a short introduction to our Banking section for those living in Spain, from what to ask the experts to opening a Spanish bank account.