Chinese protesters demonstrate outside the CNN building in New York yesterday. They called for Jack Cafferty, a news commentator employed by the media company, to be sacked.

A Chinese American of about 60, was very angry with a CNN news commentator's remarks that the Chinese are a "bunch of goons and thugs".

The man, who only gave his surname Xie, took to the streets of New York on Monday to join some 200 Chinese protesters in expressing their anger and indignation over the derogatory remarks of Jack Cafferty, who also described Chinese goods as "junk" and pet food imported from China as "poisonous".

"I was undoubtedly offended by his remarks," Xie said.

"We Chinese must express our indignation over Cafferty's remarks.

"If CNN does not sack him, we will continue our protests until he is sacked, as we want to send a clear signal to the world that no one is allowed to insult or smear the Chinese at will."

To shouts of "Shame on you, CNN, "CNN must fire Cafferty," "Long live China" and other slogans, and waving both the Chinese and American flags, the protesters kept circling the Time Warner Center, where CNN's studios are located.

"CNN brought infamy to cable news journalism when Cafferty used racial slurs to smear the Chinese, a great people with one of the oldest civilizations," George Qiao said in a statement on behalf of the New York Association for the Peaceful Unification of China (NYAPUC).

Speaking in front of the CNN building, Qiao, who is an advisor to the NYAPUC and chairman of the US-China Council of Commerce, said: "Even though Cafferty is known to have an irresponsible, loose tongue, that he could stoop so low as to use the crudest calumny is truly shocking.

"He blatantly violated a journalist's professional ethics. And he has hurt the feelings of the entire Chinese people ... the heart of the matter is his gut hatred for the Chinese."

Faced with "inescapable" responsibilities, CNN may have apologized, "but it was not even half-hearted", Qiao said.

CNN's reporting on China, and especially its recent coverage of Tibet and the Beijing Olympics, is "biased and full of distortion, it includes tampering with photographs and calling Tibet a country in flagrant violation of journalistic ethics.

"We demand CNN offer a full apology and fires Cafferty," Qiao said.

A young Chinese woman with a toddler in tow had braved the chilly spring wind to join the protesters.

"Although I differ in many ways with my American husband, we respect each other," the woman, originally from northeast China, said.

"All people, no matter whether they are white, black or yellow, from the East or the West, Christians, Muslims or Buddhists, should respect each other and seek mutual understanding through peaceful co-existence," she said.

"What surprised me was that the CNN's news commentator could have made such grossly offensive remarks about the Chinese people."

Michael Chu, a Taiwan-born Chinese and president of Asian American News, said it was true that CNN criticized US government policies a lot, but this time its man was using "insulting" words to smear a great nation, similar to "shouting abuse in the street, which is absolutely unacceptable. "Criticism is one thing; a wanton attack is something else altogether," he said.

"It is a fairly serious incident," Chu said, demanding CNN formally apologizes and fire Cafferty. "Otherwise, we reserve the right to sue him."

While protesters were on the sidewalks adjacent to the Time Warner Center, 14 minibuses, with banners posted on their sides demanding the dismissal of Cafferty and a formal apology from CNN, circled the streets around the building, attracting a lot of attention.

Many onlookers and media people photographed the protesters who also carried Olympic banners and anti-CNN posters. The protest lasted about an hour. A copy of the NYAPUC statement was posted on the gate of the CNN building.

(Xinhua News Agency April 23, 2008)