Authorities Deny Banning Blacks And Mongolians From Beijing Bars During Olympics

Amy Beeman, AHN

- Reports have surfaced that the Chinese Government is forcing bar owners to ban blacks and Mongolians from their bars during the Olympic games next month.

The pledges are said to be secret, but The South China Daily reported that some bar owners, especially those in Sanlitun, an area known for its nightlife, said they were forced by Public Security Bureau officials to sign pledges agreeing not to allow black people into their bars. Mongolians are also reportedly banned.

Some police and bar owners deny this ban is in place, but some Africans reported being charged double what other’s pay as entry fees, and others recently told the World Net Daily that they were forced to show their passports prior to being allowed into a bar. No one else had to show such identification. The South China Daily quoted one bar owner as saying police came to him and made him agree, “not to serve black people or Mongolians.”

It is reported that Chinese officials regard blacks and Mongolians as largely responsible for drug dealing and other criminal activity, and this ban is another measure to control what the rest of the world sees when all eyes are on Beijing for 17 days during the summer games.

On the Chinese website Danwei it was written that these bans are highly unlikely, however, unless they were done by low-level police officers.