Bjork's Shanghai Surprise: a Cry of 'tibet!'

First, Stephen Spielberg upset Chinese internet users after resigning as artistic adviser to the Olympics over Darfur. Now, Bjork is under attack after shouting "Tibet! Tibet!" at the end of her song Declare Independence at a concert in Shanghai.

Her remark was not reported in the official media, but led to angry criticism when it began to circulate on the web.

While China's 58-year occupation remains controversial internationally, most Chinese people see Tibet as an integral part of their nation and regard calls for its independence as intrusive and divisive.

One comment, on the Sina website, read: "If she really did this, then this woman really makes people throw up."

Even a fan complained it was "disrespectful" and "very selfish" to raise the issue while visiting.

The Icelandic singer initially dedicated Declare independence to Greenlandand the Faroe Islands, which still have formal links to Denmark. The video for the song shows her in clothing bearing their flags. Its lyrics include: "Don't let them do that to you. Raise your flag!"

While performing in Japan last month, she dedicated the song to Kosovo. Bjork also played at several fund raising concerts supporting Tibetan independence in the US in the 1990s.

Raising the issue on Chinese soil, as she did on Sunday, was bound to prove more contentious.

Stephen Gow, a Briton who was present, told the Associated Press news agency: "The atmosphere was very strange: uncomfortable, compared to therest of the concert."

But another audience member, Gabriel Monroe, told the Guardian most people did not register the remark at first.

"One of my friends thought she was saying 'to bed', because she had mentioned it was the last song," he said.

He said that, up until then, Bjork had delighted Chinese fans by saying "xie xie" (thank you) after every song.

Comments from Chinese discussion boards (translated by the media blog Danwei), however, were mostly outraged. "Those who put on the show should be severely fined and not allowed to bring this kind of trash in for performances," wrote one angry commenter.

Another wrote: "Why do western stars give a shit about Tibet. Isn't Tibet ours?! Mind your own business!"

But at least one spoke up in her defence, arguing: "So what if she sang a few lines about Tibet? We don't need to berate the woman to death."

Matt Whitticase, spokesman for the London-based Free Tibet Movement, said the group was delighted by her remarks, contrasting them with Gordon Brown and David Miliband's "shameful" decision not to raise the issue publicly on their recent visits to Beijing.

"Speaking out while in China has shown it is perfectly possible to make a high-profile visit and raise the ongoing plight of the Tibetan people," he said.

Bjork's spokespeople could not be contacted.

Asked last month about criticism of the Chinese presence and human rights record, the foreign ministry spokesperson Jiang Yu said: "Tibetan affairs aredomestic issues of China. Tibet has been an inseparable part of Chinese territories since ancient times, which is universally recognized by the international community.

"Some overseas forces advocating Tibet independence have been engaged in anti-China separatist activities."