Edinburgh Military Tattoo

[ils]

Fellow Beasties....

Im currently spending time in Edinburgh, and the festival season is upon us. The forecourt of Edinburgh castle has been handed over to acts such as Westlife, Tom Jones, Donny Osmond and (Sir) Cliff Richard...But there is a more important event coming up, and that it the military tatoo.

Basically, military bands from all over the world come to perform their shows by marching in the said forecourt at night, while an audience watches on. It is quite a spectacle. (See here (http://www.edinburgh-tattoo.co.uk/tattoo-experience/gallery.html) for some examples)

Which brings me to the Milarepa fund...This year the Tattoo has invited the Chinese People's Liberation Army to perform. Now people, myself included, feel that due to the apalling human rights record of the PLA, they should not be allowed to perform...

My question to the board would be: Do the past actions of the PLA preclude them from performing at a major event like the Tattoo....

[ils]

This article appeared in the Scotsman Today...Original Link is here (http://www.edinburgh-festivals.com/topics.cfm?tid=941&id=862562004)


The organisers of Edinburgh’s Military Tattoo insisted yesterday that they were "100 per cent right" to invite the band of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army to the event, as details of this year’s programme - including a new nightly fly-past - were unveiled.

Brigadier Melville Jameson described the Chinese soldiers as "charming" people who "carry musical degrees not guns". But their inclusion in the sell-out event has prompted human rights groups to plan a string of protests, including likely attempts to disrupt performances on the Esplanade of Edinburgh Castle.

The Free Tibet Campaign has staged several protests in Edinburgh in recent weeks and has threatened to protest at the event.

But Brigadier Jameson, the chief executive and producer of the Tattoo, said: "Having thought about it for all this time, I am convinced 100 per cent that inviting the Chinese was the right thing to do.

"I believe that engaging with the Chinese is hopefully going to do something towards bringing democracy and western ways to China sooner."

He said the move could boost tourism in Scotland as Chinese television networks would be broadcasting the Tattoo to a potential new audience of 500 million people.

Although the Tattoo is braced for protests, Brigadier Jameson said he was confident common sense would prevail. "We are expecting some demonstrations from people such as the Free Tibet movement. So we will take all necessary precautions in view of that. We certainly do not expect and cannot tolerate anything within the arena. I hope common sense will prevail on that front."

Lothian and Borders Police said it had met human rights groups and would enforce a strict policy against protests that could interrupt the Tattoo. It is understood that anyone making a protest from the stands during a performance would be cautioned or arrested, and removed.

Superintendent Stephen Grieve said: "I have met with these organisations and we have discussed the protests. One organisation wants to hand out leaflets to people queuing to get in. We have no problem with that - we have dealt with that sort of thing before.

"But we can’t have anything that would put public safety at risk. It is clear that attempts to disrupt proceedings from inside a packed temporary stadium will not be tolerated."

Anne Callaghan, of the Free Tibet Campaign, insisted that the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) continued to repress the people of Tibet and China, and she was disappointed that the invitation to the Chinese band still stood. She said: "Events such as the prestigious Tattoo provide another platform to present a different view of the PLA, as something almost fluffy, whereas it is still a force of occupation in Tibet and still a force of repression in China."

The PLA band will perform a mix of traditional Chinese music, marching and dance, with a leading Beijing troupe.

Ms Callaghan said: "We do not have a problem with musicians. What we have a problem with are representatives of the PLA. They are still a representative of an army that is a force of repression in Tibet and China."

She accused the Tattoo of putting the interests of tourism above the interests of preventing further human rights abuses.

She said: "The problem with the hand of friendship is the Chinese government needs to hear some tough words on human rights. It does not need events like this which just bolster the regime and its control.

"The regime thinks no-one is paying attention to what is happening in China and Tibet, but real friends tell each other the bad news as well as the good."

Figures show the Tattoo is worth up to £88 million a year to the Scottish economy - of which £56 million goes to Edinburgh.

More than two-thirds of the 217,000 tickets for this year’s Tattoo were sold out by last Christmas. The remainder were all gone by end of January.

As well as the performance by the Chinese army band, the organisers have put together a mixture of Scottish and exotic acts, with more than 1,000 performers from around the globe set to perform on the Esplanade from 6 to 28 August.

The 55th annual event will feature the largest single gathering of military musicians in the United Kingdom and acts from as far afield as South Africa, New Zealand and the Far East.

This year’s special theme is the Royal Air Force, with bands from the RAF and precision drill squad the Queen’s Colour Squadron performing, as well as an RAF fly-past every night - weather permitting. The programme will also mark the 60th anniversary of the D-Day landings.

A special preview yesterday featured the South African Navy Band from Cape Town - whose musicians performed using instruments including water buffalo horns - and the Cheraw Cultural Dance Troupe from India, who struggled through flood conditions in the north of their country to come to Edinburgh.

Other acts in the Tattoo line-up will include an Estonian all-girl gymnastic troupe, Club Piruett, which will perform its routine to the soundtrack of the film Gladiator.

Brigadier Jameson also highlighted the role of the traditional massed pipes and drums, featuring the Royal Scots, the Royal Highland Fusiliers and the King’s Own Scottish Borderers, as well as bands from New Zealand, South Africa and Canada. The Black Watch was booked to perform in the Tattoo but had to pull after being dispatched to Iraq. The brigadier admitted: "We are in a time when the commitments of the army obviously take precedence over something like the Edinburgh Tattoo."

He confirmed that a rousing performance of the popular tune Highland Cathedral would mark the climax of the event. "With more than 600 musicians, we hope it will be the biggest and best Highland Cathedral in Scotland to date," he said.

The show will end with a lone piper performing Donald Blue high on the castle ramparts.

Lesley Hinds, Edinburgh’s Lord Provost and the chairman of the Tattoo Board, said: "I’m particularly looking forward to seeing the South African Navy Band from Cape Town during this tenth anniversary of freedom and democracy in South Africa."