By Here is yet another PR hit for the Chinese government, but they probably could care less:
Actor Christian Bale was roughed up by Chinese security guards as he attempted to visit a blind legal activist whose detention has sparked a domestic and international outcry, CNN reported on Friday.
Bale, who plays crime-fighting superhero Batman, and a camera crew from CNN were jostled by men in plainclothes in Dongshigu village in eastern Shandong province, where activist Chen Guangcheng has been under house arrest for 15 months, according to a video released by CNN on its website.
“Why can I not visit this man?” Bale asked several security officers, while they were pushing him.
“You know, I’m not being brave doing this,” Bale told CNN. “The local people who are standing up to the authorities and insisting on going to visit Chen and his family and getting beaten up for it, and my understanding, getting detained for it and everything. I want to support what they are doing.”
CNN said the guards shadowed its van for more than half an hour.
The fate of Chen, a self-schooled advocate who has campaigned against forced abortions, has become a test of wills, pitting the Communist Party’s crackdown on dissent against activists championing his cause and that of artist Ai Weiwei.
In recent months, dozens of supporters have been blocked from visiting Chen. Many were beaten by men in plain clothes. [Reuters]
9:02 am on December 17th, 2011 1
Ho-hum.
Since he made a film in China that could be considered Chinese propaganda, he is trying to distance himself by getting some self-serving pro-democracy publicity through a staged conflict.
Christian Bale doesn’t kill Terminators and he isn’t the Goddamn Batman. He is an actor… he acts.
If only we could go back in time where actor was between prostitute and grave robber on the social scale…
…instead of their whims being headlines and their opinions influencing public policy.
6:32 pm on December 17th, 2011 2
Why so serious?
7:25 pm on December 17th, 2011 3
Because it’s good sport.
Because I’m not looking for anything logical, like money. I can’t be bought, bullied, reasoned, or negotiated with.
I just want to watch the world burn.
7:27 pm on December 17th, 2011 4
#1,
What’s wrong with wanting to highlight the fact that the movie is an expression of his commitment to defending human rights, not a propaganda film? I would have done the same in order to send a message to the CCP. In any case, I’m not surprised that he did the movie since he starred in Empire of the Sun as a kid, most probably a pivotal moment in his life which would have instilled in him an interest in human rights and the horrors of Japanese colonialism.
8:02 pm on December 17th, 2011 5
What, more anti-Japanese propaganda? S. Korean and Chinese diplomats can watch and celebrate the movie together. I agree with #1 on the cover his butt ploy.
10:35 pm on December 17th, 2011 6
Doesn’t sound like he was “beat down”, just manhandled. But, of course, Christian Bale should know all about beating people up. Just asking his wife and mother.
7:16 am on December 18th, 2011 7
#6,
Shhhh. You’re not supposed to bring that up.
8:15 am on December 18th, 2011 8
@1 – This could be manufactured PR by Bale but regardless it is still yet another PR hit for the Chinese government, but like I said I think they could care less.
@6 –
5:27 pm on December 18th, 2011 9
#8,
It’s probably a little bit of both, a PR stunt for his movie and a message to the Chinese government.
11:25 pm on December 18th, 2011 10
#2,
Nice.
6:16 am on December 19th, 2011 11
You mean they couldn’t care less.