These days it seems to be in fashion to restrict freedom of speech. With regards to what belongs to Spain, Morocco censors, vetoes and impedes journalists from entering Aaiún showing a lot of impudence towards a European Community that remains impassive and mute, as it has done so many times now that it doesn’t surprise us anymore.
When an act of protest against the demolition was proposed for November 7, Ai Weiwei was put under house arrest. The act was a massive crab party where they planned to serve 10,000 crabs. Ten thousand is a very common number is Maoist slogans and the Chinese word for crab is similar to ‘harmony’, one of the key concepts of the propaganda of the Chinese Communist Party.
The Chinese authorities ordered the demolition of Ai Weiwei’s Shanghai studio claiming it was illegal. The artist, who maintains that he was invited by the local government to put up the building, thinks that the real reason for the order is his support of dissents and their criticisms of Beijing.
It’s easy to talk about governments, especially those with reactions as clumsy as those mentioned, but more surprising still is the impassivity of the majority, who don’t protest against everyday acts of covered-up censorship.
The sunflower seeds of the TATE Modern as an example of diversity as one of protest against those who encourage the deafness of the opposition.
"Sunflower Seeds" Modern TATE. October,12. 2010 – May, 2. 2011. Juliet Bingham, Courator, Tate Modern. London.
