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Anti-Olympics protests held in Tokyo

09 July 2021 15:13 (UTC +04:00)

Amid raging protests across Tokyo against hosting the Olympics. A big setback for the Olympic preparations, as the Japanese government imposed a state of emergency on Thursday to contain the rise in Covid-19 infections. This comes just 2 weeks before the Olympic Games are set to begin. The 4th state of emergency is set to continue until Aug 22 which means the entire stretch of the Olympic Games will continue during a state of emergency, APA reports citing India today.

The Tokyo Olympics, which were postponed last year, is scheduled to get underway from July 23 and run until August 8. Tokyo reported 920 new coronavirus cases on July 7. A record high since mid-May 2021. Japanese health experts continue to warn of a 5th of the infections during the Olympic games. Experts even warned against hosting the games. The Prime Minister even mentioned that more cases of the delta variants have been detected within the country.

From protesters to residents many are scared of the virus spreading during the Olympics with so many people coming in from different parts of the world. They even say that it will be difficult for the organisers to maintain the bubble and it will lead to the spread of the virus. Protesters even said that it's time that the government should realise that public health is of prime importance than hosting the games. Only 15% of the population in Japan have been fully vaccinated as of now.

Protesters have been calling for the cancellation of the games for months now. As the International IOC Chief arrived in Tokyo today there were protests held in Tokyo against his arrival. The protesters are angry that the Olympics will be held during a state of emergency risking their health and lives. They are angry that the games are being held at the cost of their health and lives.

The protesters continue to call for the cancellation of the games. Slogan and posters even said go back ‘Thomas Buch’, ‘Go back IOC’ & ‘No Olympic 2020’. They are also determined to keep up with the protests until the games are canceled. They even plan to hold protest rallies during the opening ceremony and during the course of the games. If the organizers go ahead with the Olympics as scheduled.