Beijing's bid to stop film screening is unacceptable

The 10 Conditions of Love, a documentary by Melbourne filmmaker Jeff Daniels about Rebiya Kadeer, a businesswoman and leader of the World Uighur Congress, is scheduled to receive its premiere at next month's festival. But when details of the screening were published last week, a Chinese consular official telephoned the festival's director, Richard Moore. The official demanded that he justify the decision to include the film in the festival, and to invite Ms Kadeer to attend. Mr Moore replied that he did not have to offer a justification, a response that evoked strident condemnation of Ms Kadeer, who Beijing believes has orchestrated acts of terrorism. She lives in the US, having been granted "medical parole" from prison in return for a promise to refrain from "activities designed to jeopardise China's national security".

All this is depressingly familiar. The attempt to prevent people seeing a film that Beijing finds objectionable is contiguous with the vilification of the Dalai Lama and other leaders of ethnic minorities in China, and with the intimidation of business executives such as Mr Hu. The consular official will only achieve the opposite of what she sought, because her demand will generate publicity for the film. She also reminds the world, yet again, of Beijing's failure to understand that social cohesion is not built on fear and repression, but on respect for diversity and tolerance of dissent.