Nancy Pelosi calls for diplomatic boycott of Beijing Olympics in 2022

May 19, 2021 Carley Shaffer US 0

Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., speaks during the signing ceremony of the COVID-19 Hate Crime Act, on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, May 19. 2021. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)

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UPDATED 11:49 AM PT – Wednesday, May 19, 2021

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) has called for a diplomatic boycott of the 2022 Beijing Olympics in protest of China’s treatment of its Uyghur Muslim minority. During a House hearing on Tuesday, the Democrat said, “we cannot proceed as if nothing is wrong about the Olympics going to China.”

She went on to cite a number of countries that have called for action to move or boycott the Games because of human rights abuses. However, Pelosi’s strategy for combating China’s violations of human rights is preventing lawmakers from attending, but allowing athletes to continue to participate.

FILE - In this Feb. 2, 2021, file photo, the Olympic rings are visible atop the Olympic Tower in Beijing. Groups alleging human-rights abuses in China are calling for a full boycott of the Beijing Olympics, which is sure to ratchet up pressure on the International Olympic Committee, athletes, sponsors, and sports federations. A coalition of activists representing Uyghurs, Tibetans, residents of Hong Kong and others, issued a statement Monday, May 17, 2021 calling for the “full boycott,” eschewing lesser measures like “diplomatic boycotts" and negotiations with the IOC or China. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein, File)

FILE – In this Feb. 2, 2021, file photo, the Olympic rings are visible atop the Olympic Tower in Beijing. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein, File)

Meanwhile, Republicans like Nikki Haley are calling for a full boycott of the games saying “it would be a terrible loss for our athletes, but that must be weighed against the genocide occurring in China.”

Human Rights Commission co-chair Rep. Chris Smith (R-N.J.) also weighed in on the matter saying, “in granting Beijing host status for the Olympic Games, we are crowning a barbarous regime with laurels while we should be condemning their abuse and genocide.”

The Beijing Games are scheduled to start in the beginning of February 2022. China has denied all claims pertaining to any crimes against Uyghurs, and continue to back their idea that forced labor camps are workforce training programs.