Holly Williams of Sky TV was stopped by police when she and her crew attempted to film in the petitioners village near South Beijing Railway station. The police arrived within minutes and demanded that she hand over the petition papers that locals had given
her. When she refused, the police took her ID into their car and then drove a short distance up the road as Williams gave chase.
“They were clearly trying to intimidate us,” she said. After the petitioners got on their knees, the police eventually left, leaving Sky with dramatic images to broadcast. “To be honest, the police really helped our story. It added drama to our story about whether China had lived up to its Olympic promises.”