CHINA TO KEEP PROTESTORS IN PENS DURING OLYMPICS

Here's your new superpower:

China will create three "protest pens" in the capital's parks to allow people to demonstrate during the Olympics, an official said yesterday.

The move follows speculation as to whether the government, which strictly limits protests, would allow public displays of dissent, especially given that the games have already been the target of campaigns on issues ranging from media freedom to Darfur and Tibet.

"This will allow people to protest without disrupting the Olympics," said Ni Jianping, the director of the Shanghai Institute of American Studies, who had lobbied for the creation of the zones.

But Human Rights Watch attacked the decision, arguing that the restrictions undermined the right to demonstrate under international law.

Can we do this with Democrats?