Protesters boo Powell during Summit speech

Reuters and SAPA via Independent Online (SA) ^ | Septamber 4, 2002

[Clive]

Whistling and booing environmentalists repeatedly interrupted a speech by US Secretary of State Colin Powell at the Earth Summit on Wednesday.

"Betrayed by governments", read a banner held up by protesters, some of whom were rapidly hustled out by security guards.

Foreign Affairs Minister Nkozazana Dlamini-Zuma, who was chairing the session, urged the group to quiet down.

When the noise abated, Powell replied: "I have heard you", breaking off from his prepared speech to the gathering, which is aimed at enriching poor countries while saving the environment.

He was later booed by other people in the audience as he said Washington was taking action to address climate change.

Powell went on to say the lack of respect for human rights and rule of law in Zimbabwe had pushed millions of people in that country to the brink of starvation.

He said "entire nations" were at risk from drought, famine, wasteful land use and economic mismanagement. - Reuters and Sapa

[Clive]

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[apillar]

Funny how they Boo the one person in the administration that leans toward their views and the only high ranking American official that even bothered to show up at that sham of a conference.

[Prodigal Son]

Little ingrates...

[alex]

I suppose that we have to stop financing these morons and we also have to boot UN out of USA.

[AF68]

Mars is undergoing climate change too and the Martians don't even have SUV's. Could the Sun and the natural fluctuations of planet warming and cooling have something to do with it? Nah, it wouldn't fit the agenda of the extreme leftist eco-wackos who want total U.N. control of everyone's lives.

[Valin]

I thought the same thing.
And here I thought that only conservatives that ate their own.

[Carry_Okie]

Of course, Powell doesn't have the balls to call them the batch of snivelling liars that they are.

That's why he's a diplomat...

[mikeIII]

The Economist had put it nicely: By making the rich poorer, the poor don't get richer!

[Fresh Wind]

When the noise abated, Powell replied: "I have heard you", breaking off from his prepared speech to the gathering, which is aimed at enriching poor countries while saving the environment.

Notice how Reuters distorts and misquotes Mr. Powell. His actual response was: "Thank you, I have now heard you. I ask that you hear me." By skipping the second part of his remark, it gives the impression that he was somehow enlightened by the hecklers' screaming. Very typical of Reuters.