Chinese bloggers and netizens are celebrating the tactical withdrawal of the controversial filtering software 'Green Dam' in Communist-run China.
'Green dam hurts media like cancer' according to one anonymous Chinese blogger, quoted on Radio 4's Today programme.
The same journalist decreed that the government's backtracking on 'Green Dam' is nothing less than the 'victory of the netizens'.
Bloggers rejoice
"Chinese web users flooded to a trendy art zone cafe Wednesday to celebrate a last-minute halt to a rollout [of Green Dam]," reports Reuters.
"Dressed in matching t-shirts mocking the widely-derided Green Dam program, about 200 Beijing residents had arrived by mid-morning to eat a traditional Chinese breakfast, talk about censorship and plan for a day-long party."
The original plan was for a worldwide internet boycott today (July 1) to prevent the launch of the filter, but instead the "atmosphere was unexpectedly festive as guests celebrated an unlikely victory against the Chinese state."
A rare victory
"This is a very rare example for the government to suddenly push back an important decision the night before it is due to be rolled out," according to Chinese artist Ai Weiwei.
"When young people who grew up in the 1980s and 1990s found that the computers, which are so vital to their life, might be affected, it very naturally caused a kind of politicization."
However, the fight is not over yet.
"It has not been canceled, just put back, so it's possible that after a certain amount of time it will be pushed back out," said Chinese lawyer Liu Xiaoyuan.
Via Reuters
