Spielberg drops out as Beijing Olympics advisor

Director Steven Spielberg has withdrawn as an advisor to the opening and closing ceremonies of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games in protest over China's continuing support of the Sudanese government and the escalating violence in the Darfur region.

Spielberg, who is also the chairman and founder of the USC Shoah Foundation Institute, had been criticized by some Darfur activists, most notably by actress Mia Farrow in a widely disseminated March 2007 opinion piece for the Wall Street Journal, for his role in the Olympics. Farrow accused him of helping to "sanitize Beijing's image," adding, "Does Mr. Spielberg really want to go down in history as the Leni Riefenstahl of the Beijing Games." Riefenstahl was the German filmmaker and propogandist, most famous for "Triumph of the Will," a film of a 1934 Nazi party congress.

In announcing his decision to step down, Spielberg said in a statement: "I find that my conscience will not allow me to continue with business as usual. At this point, my time and energy must be spent not on Olympic ceremonies but on doing all I can to help bring an end to the unspeakable crimes against humanity that continue to be committed in Darfur. Sudan's government bears the bulk of the responsibility for these ongoing crimes, but the international community, particularly China, should be doing more to end human suffering there. China's economic, military and diplomatic ties to the government of Sudan continue to provide it with the opportunity and obligation to press for change."

Spielberg had been brought into the Olympic effort by Chinese film director Zhang Yimou and had gone to Beijing in February 2007 to attend meetings about the Olympic ceremony.

China purchases the vast majority of Sudan's oil and sells arms to the government in Khartoum. The Sudanese government has funneled military support to the Islamic janjaweed militia, which has been launching attacks on civilians. The U.N. estimates that 200,000 to 400,000 people have died in the conflict, with more than 2.5 million people left as refugees.

For the last year, Spielberg has been trying to pressure the Chinese to amend their policies. In April 2007, he wrote a letter to President Hu Jintao of China, condemning genocide in Darfur. "I have only recently come to understand fully the extent of China's involvement in the region and its strategic and supportive relationship with the Sudanese government. . . . I add my voice to those who ask that China change its policy toward Sudan and pressure the Sudanese government to accept the entrance of United Nations peacekeepers to protect the victims of genocide in Darfur."

Soon after Spielberg's letter, China sent a senior Chinese official, Zhai Jun, to Sudan, where he viewed refugee camps and pushed the Sudanese government to accept a United Nations peacekeeping force. In September, Spielberg left the set of the new "Indiana Jones" sequel to meet with China's special envoy to Sudan at the Chinese mission in New York City. In November, he wrote another letter to Hu, stressing that "the decisive hour for Darfur is now. . . . The world needs China to lead here."

Spielberg also contributed a million dollars last May to the Darfur group, Not on Our Watch, and provided seed money for the 2007 documentary "Darfur Now."

In announcing his resignation, Spielberg declared, "It is my great hope that, with renewed and intensified efforts from China, there will be peace and security in Darfur at last."

rachel.abramowitz@latimes.com