Setting the scene* here: Members of the OpenNet InitiativeInitiative attending the United Nations-sponsored Internet Governance Forum (IGF) this weekend in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt, were attacked by UN security officials for simply holding aloft a poster that read, “The first generation of Internet controls consisted largely of building firewalls at key Internet gateways; China’s famous ‘Great Firewall of China’ is one of the first national Internet filtering systems.”

Apparently the Chinese government now has the United Nations doing its censoring for it when people are expressing themselves beyond the Great Firewall. Open Internet Initiative members in their Asia office will be writing a formal complaint to the UN Special Rapporteur for Human Rights about the illegal and uncalled for act of censorship.

“We condemn this undemocratic act of censoring our event just because someone is trying to impress or be in the good graces of the Chinese government. It is ironic that while people are allowed to gather here to discuss freedom of expression online, censorship and surveillance practices on the Internet, we are being restricted in expressing our views.” ‚Äî Al Alegre, Foundation for Media Alternatives, a member of the ONI Network

*Sources: BoingBoing, Open Internet Initiative and Computer World