Bill Gates Heckled In China

Protester Storms Stage, Calls For Open-Source Programming

POSTED: Friday, April 20, 2007

UPDATED: 9:33 am EDT April 20, 2007

Gates, a popular figure with Chinese campuses, had just finished a speech at Peking University and was handing out prizes to students when a Chinese man walked on stage and unveiled a banner with "free software, open source" written on it.

Microsoft Corp. Chairman Bill Gates was heckled at one of China's top universities in Beijing on Friday as a protester stormed the stage calling for free computer software and open-source programming.

Bill Gates and most of the group appeared shocked at the intrusion, which ended when the man ran off the stage and was tackled by security officials, shouting, "Don't beat me!" There were no reported injuries.

Gates is in China to check on Microsoft's growing operations and take part in several business forums.

Backers of open source computer programming said that users should be allowed to view and edit software codes, including Microsoft's.

According to Web site Sohu.com, the protester was taken away by police for questioning.

Watch Local 6 News for more on this story.

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Bill Gates Heckled In China

Protester Storms Stage, Calls For Open-Source Programming

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