# POLITICS /// Ai Weiwei incarcerated for the second time
Published
The New York Times informs us today, Monday that Chinese artist Ai Weiwei is been incarcerated for the second time in less than six months (see previous article) three months after his studio has been destroyed by the Chinese authorities (see other article).
Lebbeus Woods has written on his blog that he will refuse any new projects in China until Weiwei is liberated (he could have canceled the current one but, it’s easy for me to judge).
It is important to remember that Ai Weiwei is in fact one of the Chinese that benefit of the biggest impunity. However, because of this very related freedom of speech he has been having in the past, he can become a symbol (and a leader ?) of the resistance.
The New Yorker also released an interesting article by Evan Osnos that quoted a Chinese Internet user reacting (evanescently as those comment are obviously being censored very quickly) to this news:
When a fat guy lost his freedom, you said, “It has nothing to do with me, because I’m skinny.” When someone with a beard lost his freedom, you said, “It has nothing to do with me, because I don’t have a beard.” When a man who sells sunflower seeds lost his freedom, you said, “It has nothing to do with me, because I don’t sell sunflower seeds.” When they are after everyone—even the skinny, beardless ones that don’t sell sunflower seeds—there will be no one left to speak for you anymore.
TED also released the following video on their blog. It is a short statement by Ai Weiwei when he was first being under House Arrest several months ago (Thanks Hiroko):
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MVnH8ou3Kd4&feature=player_embedded]