Public backs boycott of opening ceremony
Almost 60 per cent of respondents to a Sunday newspaper survey are in favour of a Swiss boycott of the Olympics opening ceremony in Beijing on August 8.
However the survey, carried out for the SonntagsBlick, Le Matin Dimanche and Il Caffè, found that two-thirds of the public wanted Swiss athletes to participate in the Games.
The recent violence in Tibet has brought China’s policies to the fore in the final months before the games. The flame-lighting ceremony for the Beijing Olympic Games was interrupted by pro-Tibet protestors last Monday.
Two-thirds of those surveyed said they were in favour of Switzerland seeking a political solution to the conflict in Tibet.
The cabinet is expected to address the issue of the Olympics shortly and will consider the question of a potential boycott of the opening ceremony.
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