Olympic Torch Relay in Paris Halted as Protests Spread ..

[veer]

Olympic Torch Relay in Paris Halted as Protests Spread Sign In to E-Mail or Save This Print Single Page Reprints Share DiggFacebookMixxYahoo! BuzzPermalink By KATRIN BENNHOLD and JOHN F. BURNS Published: April 8, 2008 PARIS — What was supposed to be a majestic procession for the Olympic torch through the French capital turned into chaos Monday as thousands of people from around Europe, many with Tibetan flags, massed to protest the passage of the flame. The torch went out several times, and police officers had to put it onto a bus to try to protect it as demonstrators swarmed the security detail. In the end, organizers canceled the final leg of the procession. Retired French tennis player Arnaud Di Pasquale carried an extinguished Olympic torch to a bus for safe keeping amid pro-Tibet protests in Paris on Monday. More Photos » A French police officer approached a protester during the Olympic torch relay in Paris on Monday. More Photos > A police spokeswoman, speaking on the condition of anonymity in accordance with policy, said the torch went out “for technical reasons†unrelated to the protests, without offering further clarification. CNN reported that the torch was extinguished at least twice amid the melee, and The Associated Press said officials were forced to extinguish the flame five times to carry it in the safety of the bus. Despite tremendous security, at least two protesters got within almost an arm’s length of the flame before they were grabbed by police officers, The A.P. reported. Officers tackled numerous protesters to the ground and carried some away. It was yet another unscripted moment in the passage of the Olympic flame, and the second time in two days that the torch relay had been disrupted in a European capital. Some 3,000 police officers in Paris — on foot, horseback, in-line skates and motorbikes and even in boats on the Seine — tried to prevent a repeat of the scenes in London on Sunday, when the torch’s progression through the streets turned into a tumult of scuffles. One man broke through a tight security cordon in the London protests and made a failed grab for the torch, and 35 people were arrested. China’s official Xinhua news agency on Monday condemned the “vile misdeeds†of protesters in London. Before the torch encountered problems in France, a spokeswoman in Beijing for the city’s Olympic organizing committee said at a hurriedly organized news conference that the relay would continue on its international route regardless of protests. “The torch represents the Olympic spirit, and people welcome the torch,†said Wang Hui, the spokeswoman. The news conference was apparently intended to address Sunday’s protests in London. Ms. Wang blamed the disruptions in London on a “few Tibet separatists†and described their actions as the work of saboteurs. She said Beijing’s Olympic organizers “strongly condemned†the Tibetan protesters. “The general public is very angry at this sabotage by a few separatists,†she said. “During the torch relay, we met with some disturbances, but we believe that all the peace-loving people in the world will support the torch relay.†Jacques Rogge, the president of the International Olympic Committee, used a meeting in Beijing to criticize the London protests, but also to call for a rapid and peaceful solution to confrontations in Tibet. French authorities appeared determined to try to spare China — and Paris —embarrassment or disorder similar to London’s, resorting to measures normally reserved for a visiting head of state. A police helicopter circled overhead, for example. Their efforts drew scorn from the French protesters who angrily noted the heavy police presence. Officers with machine guns guarded sensitive Metro exits along the 17-mile route. “One would almost think oneself in Lhasa,†said Jean-Paul Ribes, leader of the Support Committee of the Tibetan People in France, who was among the thousands massed on the Trocadero square, across the Seine from the Eiffel tower, where the flame began its passage through Paris. “It snowed last night, now the sky is blue — and police are everywhere,†Mr. Ribes said. Many protesters — demonstrating against China’s human rights policies in general, or for a free Tibet, or simply for a boycott of the Olympics in Beijing — echoed a headline emblazoned across the front page of the left-wing daily Liberation, under a picture of the Olympic rings restyled as handcuffs: “Liberate The Olympic Games!†Protesters came from all around Europe, including four busloads from Belgium. Lobsang Dechen, a 29-year-old Tibetan refugee living in Belgium for 4 ½ years, said Europeans should help the cause of Tibet by boycotting the Games. ‘’China does not deserve to be the host,†she said. ‘’They have to first learn to respect human rights in Tibet.’ Skip to next paragraph Enlarge This Image Christophe Ena/Associated Press Security men tackled a protester, left, as Stephane Diagana, right, the 400-meter world champion in 1997 who is now president of France's national athletics league, carried the Olympic torch at the beginning of its relay at the Eiffel Tower in Paris on Monday. More Photos > Multimedia Photographs Protesters Disrupt Paris Torch Relay Related Protests of China Make Olympic Torch Relay an Obstacle Course (April 7, 2008) Olympic Torch Begins Its Journey in Beijing (April 1, 2008) Corporate Sponsors Nervous as Tibet Protest Groups Shadow Olympic Torch’s Run (March 29, 2008) China Won’t Alter Olympic Torch Path (March 20, 2008) Times Topics: Olympic Games (2008) Times Topics: Tibet Video: Report | More Footage Enlarge This Image Protesters with Tibetan flags at the Place du Trocadero opposite the Eiffel Tower before the arrival of the Olympics torch relay on Monday. More Photos > Kevin Khayat, 19, a design student in Paris and a member of the International Federation for Human Rights, said sports should be separated from politics. “I am against a boycott, and in favor of human rights,†he said. He handed stickers to demonstrators urging: “Let’s keep our eyes open.†In London on Sunday, the torch was relayed on a seven-hour journey from the new Wembley soccer stadium in the city’s northwest to the principal site for the 2012 Summer Olympics in Stratford in the east. Along the way, numerous protesters seeking to reach the torch were wrestled to the ground by police officers. One man carrying a fire extinguisher narrowly failed to reach the person carrying the torch, but he set off the extinguisher anyway, dousing police officers with foam. The torch’s London relay was the fourth stop of a global itinerary that began last month in Greece, where pro-Tibetan demonstrators briefly interrupted the torch’s lighting and its subsequent progress through Athens. Tibetan organizations have said they plan protests at every stop on the torch’s 21-nation tour. After Paris, it moves to San Francisco, its only American stop, on Wednesday. The monthlong tour is scheduled to end in Vietnam; it is to be followed by a six-week, 46-stop tour of China. The tour could prove jarring for Beijing. What organizers had billed as an occasion to celebrate the Olympics’ sporting ideals of peace and harmony is turning into a contest between China’s supporters and critics. In London, more than 2,000 police officers were deployed; the security cordon around the torch was so dense that the flame and those carrying it were often barely visible to crowds. Caught in the middle are foreign governments. Both Britain and France sought to protect delicate trade and diplomatic relations with China while supporting the Games and yet to also placate those who oppose holding the Olympics in a country with a harsh record for punishing dissent. The centerpiece of the torch parade Sunday was 10 Downing Street, where the Chinese contingent was greeted by Prime Minister Gordon Brown. Mr. Brown, like President Bush, has said he plans to attend the Games’ opening ceremonies in Beijing in August. That stand has drawn contrasts with the French president, Nicolas Sarkozy, who has hinted he may not attend if China’s recent crackdown on Tibetans does not relent. Under pressure from human rights groups in Britain, Mr. Brown has voiced sympathy for the Tibetan protests. He has also said that he will meet the Dalai Lama in Britain next month, and that he has informed China’s leaders. The most intense scuffles in London occurred as the torch moved through the heart of the city. The torch, which was carried by a chain of British sports heroes and television celebrities, was protected by an inner guard of Chinese security men in blue and white Olympic tracksuits and an outer cordon of yellow-jacketed British police officers. Some were on foot, while others rode bicycles, motorbikes or horses. For one long stretch, where streets narrowed and crowds were heavy, the torch was placed in the back of a single-decker bus and driven past the crowds until the police judged it safe for the runners to resume. The warmest reception for the torch came as it passed through the Chinatown area of central London -- a diversion adopted to let the Chinese ambassador to Britain carry the torch. A Chinese spokesman, Qu Yingpu, said Chinese officials were grateful to the police “for their efforts to keep order.†He added: “This is not the right time, the right platform, for any people to voice their political views.†One protester who broke through the police cordon, David Allen, said his anger flared at the sight of British sports stars being guarded in London by Chinese security men. “It makes us complicit in the regime’s repression,†Allen said. â€You have to ask: Where were these security men last week? Beating up people in the villages of China, no doubt.â€

[veer]

This is really getting serious.. Its difficult to see that no government is willing to take on this giant.. :nervous:

[Cricketics]

some protestors are just disgusting.. why would they protest now when Olympic is about begin.. why didn't they protest when China was given the license to host Olympics.. so much work has been put now and now they are protesting when it's about to begin..

[veer]

some protestors are just disgusting.. why would they protest now when Olympic is about begin.. why didn't they protest when China was given the license to host Olympics.. so much work has been put now and now they are protesting when it's about to begin..

well thats one angle.. but another is that its a big opportunity to show the world that what China is doing at the right time.. soo they get bigger exposure and bigger support.. i dont think there is anything wrong in choosing this right time..

[Predator_05]

some protestors are just disgusting.. why would they protest now when Olympic is about begin.. why didn't they protest when China was given the license to host Olympics.. so much work has been put now and now they are protesting when it's about to begin..

Protesting isn't protesting unless someone actually sees it. No protest can ever be staged successfully unless it gets publicity. And what better way to attract publicity than by disrupting an event which is covered by media from all over the world ?

[Ram]

I wouldnt be surprised if the govts in the West, where the majority of these protests are happening, are offering clandestine help to the protesters, just to embarrass China. No large-scale protest can be held without the connivance of the local law enforcement agency. Obviously, the they have been ordered by their masters to play mute spectator as these protests happens.

[veer]

I wouldnt be surprised if the govts in the West, where the majority of these protests are happening, are offering clandestine help to the protesters, just to embarrass China. No large-scale protest can be held without the connivance of the local law enforcement agency. Obviously, the they have been ordered by their masters to play mute spectator as these protests happens.

you must be joking.. have you taken a look at some of the pictures of torch relay in france?? the security was damn tight.. they were saying Some 3,000 police officers in Paris - on foot, horseback, roller blades, motorbikes and even boats in the river Seine - tried to prevent a repeat of the scenes in London on Sunday, when the torch's progression through the streets turned into a tumult of scuffles. mute spectators? ---

[Ram]

you must be joking.. have you taken a look at some of the pictures of torch relay in france?? the security was damn tight.. they were saying Some 3,000 police officers in Paris - on foot, horseback, roller blades, motorbikes and even boats in the river Seine - tried to prevent a repeat of the scenes in London on Sunday, when the torch's progression through the streets turned into a tumult of scuffles.

I didnt say that was the case, I said I wouldnt be surprised if it were. And thats because such sort of stuff routinely happens. Protesters are used as a tool to embarrass foreign govts.

[Lurker]

It was bound to happen. For long China has shoved its proverbial finger in World's face. Against better wishes of local population Western countries had to ignore these simply because China is the world's backyard when it comes to cheap goods. Otherwise which country could have escaped the brutal murder of its own people, a la Tiananmen Square Massacre?? Tibet issue has always found enough support in the West, specially amongst free-minded people. So no surprises that the movement is gathering support.

[vroomfondel]

anyone else going to the protest in sf?

[CC1981]

No large-scale protest can be held without the connivance of the local law enforcement agency.

Categorically and utterly false! As a former member of university student government body, i can tell you flat out that you are seriously underestimating the organisational and logistics skills of people. If an 18 year old first year student like myself can organise a 400 people protest event over stupid cafeteria rules, in just two weeks, i am sure that a lot more organisation can be done by people with far more experience in such fields.

[veer]

Buzz up!Olympic torch arrives in S.F. under heavy security By John Coté, Chronicle Staff Writer Tuesday, April 8, 2008 (04-08) 05:25 PDT SAN FRANCISCO -- The Olympic flame arrived in San Francisco from Paris early this morning under cover of darkness and security typically reserved for head of state visits. A contingent of San Francisco leaders, including City Administrator Ed Lee and business consultant Rose Pak, joined Bay Area Olympians to welcome Beijing Olympic officials bearing the flame in a rectangular gilt and crystal lantern at San Francisco International Airport’s Gate 94. "I was giggling like a teenager," said Pak, one of the most influential figures in San Francisco's Chinatown, after watching the flame arrive shortly before 4 a.m. "I felt immense pride and excitement." The arriving Olympic officials disembarked an Airbus A330 jet designated "Air China 2008" about 3:40 a.m., paused briefly for photographs, went through customs and left the airport through a side entrance. They were then whisked into the city, where the torch will remain overnight in an undisclosed location before Wednesday’s torch run. It's the only North American stop for the Olympic flame, which has generated heated protests during previous stops in London and Paris. Seven protestors were arrested Monday in San Francisco after three of them scaled suspension cables on the Golden Gate Bridge and unfurled banners supporting Tibetan independence 150 feet over the roadway. No protestors were evident at San Francisco International Airport, which was largely deserted except for a heavy police and media presence. Several San Francisco police officers guarded every entrance to the international terminal and patrolled heavily outside. Initially some officers outside wore riot gear. The U.S. State Department, Secret Service and customs official were also part of the security contingent, airport spokesman Michael McCarron said. He declined to comment on how many officers were on hand, saying simply "a lot." San Francisco officials say they are confident the city will host a successful Olympic torch run Wednesday and avoid a repeat of the chaos that engulfed the relay in Paris, where police were forced to extinguish torches and carry the flame in a bus. But Mayor Gavin Newsom said the protests in Paris in London on Sunday would result in changes in San Francisco's plans for the flame when 80 runners carry it through the city's streets. Newsom said the planned 6-mile torch route along the central waterfront and around Fisherman's Wharf could change up to and even during the relay. Police said security plans would include having officers run alongside torchbearers to protect them and the flame from any protesters who might try to disrupt the run. Scenes in Paris and London of demonstrators trying to grab torches from runners and put out the flame with fire extinguishers "obviously play a part in our security approach and will play a part in terms of our making any final decisions," Newsom said. One torch runner in San Francisco has already bowed out because of concern about the run, said David Perry, a spokesman for the city's Olympic torch preparations. Perry declined to go into details about the runner who bowed out, citing privacy concerns. As the flame's only North American stop, San Francisco is attracting protesters from around the country who want to advocate for a range of causes, most notably China's human rights record toward Tibet and Falun Gong practitioners and Beijing's policies toward Burma and the Darfur region of Sudan. City officials were concerned with both the rights of protestors to voice their position and for supporters of the Beijing games to carry out a successful torch run, Perry said. "I like to think in San Francisco we know how to do a protest," Perry said. "Here in San Francisco we’re not the type to jump on people in a wheelchair to try to snuff out the flame."

[veer]

Olympic torch: who let in the Chinese guardians? The guards protecting the Olympic flame had paramilitary training and were chosen by Beijing for their toughness and fitness China’s blue-clad flame attendants, whose aggressive methods of safeguarding the Olympic torch have provoked international outcry, are paramilitary police from a force spun off from the country’s army. The squad of 30 young men from the police academy that turns out the cream of the paramilitary security force has the job at home of ensuring riot control, domestic stability and the protection of diplomats. Questions are now being asked as to who authorised their presence as the torch was carried through London. The Conservatives demanded clarification from the Government last night. The guards’ task for the torch relay is to ensure the flame is never extinguished – although it was put out three times in Paris – and now increasingly to prevent protesters demonstrating against Chinese rule in Tibet from interfering with it. Related Links IOC may scrap Beijing torch relay over protests Rudd warns guards removed for Australia Olympic torch: a perfect response But the aggression with which the guards have been pursuing their brief has provoked anger, not least in London where they were seen wrestling protesters to the ground and were described as “thugs” by Lord Coe. The Olympic medallist and organiser of the 2012 Games was overheard saying that the officials had pushed him around as the torch made its way through the capital on Sunday. He added that other countries on the route should “get rid of those guys”. “They tried to punch me out of the way three times. They are horrible. They did not speak English . . . I think they were thugs.” His comments came after Konnie Huq, the former Blue Peter presenter, who was one of the torchbearers on Sunday, described how she had seen the officials in “skirmishes” with the police. Ms Huq, who was carrying the torch when a pro-Tibet activist tried to snatch the flame, said of the guards: “They were very robotic, full-on . . . They were barking orders like ‘run’ and ‘stop’ and I was like, ‘Who are these people?’.” David Davis, the Shadow Home Secretary, wrote yesterday to Jacqui Smith, the Home Secretary, seeking clarification of the role of the Chinese officials. Mr Davis asked: “Who in the British Government authorised their presence and what checks were made as to their background?” He added: “They appear to have some role in providing security and were seen manhandling protesters. They even accompanied the torch into Downing Street and were highly visible in the picture with the Prime Minister.” The security men entered Britain on visitors’ visas but the Home Office would not reveal whether they had disclosed on the application form for whom they worked. Less than a year ago these mysterious “men in blue” were elite students from China’s Armed Police Academy and were selected amid great fanfare to form the grandly titled Sacred Flame Protection Unit. In China, tens of thousands of their paramilitary colleagues have been deployed across Tibetan areas to restore order during riots, even opening fire when the antiChinese demonstrations have threatened to run out of control again. It is a long way from those heady days last August when the squad was founded. Zhao Si, their leader, said then: “These men, chosen from around the country, are each tall and large and are eminently talented and powerful.” Online reports said that the shortest of them was 6ft 3in. Mr Zhao said: “Their outstanding physical quality is not in the slightest inferior to that of specialised athletes.” Their training has involved running 40 to 50 kilometres (25 to 31 miles) a day to ensure the squad is fit enough to keep pace with a relay of torchbearers in cities around the world. They have also undergone training in local customs and languages of the countries in which they would be deployed. This has included learning some English, French, German, Spanish and Japanese. A total of 30 men have been assigned to follow the torch overseas. Another 40 will be on duty to trail the Olympic flame around China until it reaches Beijing on August 6, just two days before the start of the Games. In reports published before the young men became the focus of international attention, Chinese media emphasised their ability to ensure that the flame would stay alight. “They received firstly technical training in how to light the first torch of each session of the relay and save the flame in the lantern at the end of each relay in a more efficient and safe way.” Yang Zhaoke, director of the Beijing organising committee torch centre, told The Times: “We chose young and vigorous men. They can’t be beansprouts because they have to show good endurance. We can’t change people once they are overseas. They have to be able to run from start to finish.” Some train in such martial arts as taekwondo or tijiquan in their spare time, he said, but added: “Their job is not to fight but to shelter and protect. They are not there to beat people and they have no right to enforce the law. Only the British police have that right in London, for example.” A source at Scotland Yard said: “They were here because they came as a part of the package. We made it quite clear that they had no executive powers in Britain. “They were here to maintain the flame. Their responsibility is to look after the flame and to make sure nothing happens to it. They are there to protect the flame.” Timetable of protest Planned torch relay route April 9 San Francisco 11 Buenos Aires 13 Dar es Salaam 14 Muscat 16 Islamabad 17 Delhi 19 Bangkok 21 Kuala Lumpur 22 Jakarta 24 Canberra 26 Nagano 27 Seoul 28 Pyongyang 29 Ho Chi Minh City May 2 Hong Kong 3 Macao 4 Begins tour of China Early to mid-May Everest (date determined by weather) August 6-8 Arrives in Beijing Source: Beijing 2008 http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/asia/article3671368.ece

[vroomfondel]

It was one of the most confused demonstrations I've seen. We waited at the start with probably a thousand or two people (not sure about my estimation). There were disproportionate numbers of pro-china types wearing red, flying HUGE Chinese flags, shouting slogans (limited by language, surely) like "china, china, go, go", or "china yes, olympics yes"...not quite the impact that "Free Tibet" has. There was a big group of kids with huge banners that read "FREE CHINA", which was my favorite banner. HUGE police presence. There were 20 cop cars on the street outside my building. The Darfur crowd was there, so were the Vietnamese Fishermen activists, anti-communists, jesus-freaks...all flavors of attention seekers. The only violence I saw was right at the beginning, when this old dude was calling everyone a communist. Instead of ignoring him, people starting coming up to him and talking **** back. That eventually ended up in a brawl, and was broken up by the cops. The torch-runners were chased by people in the crowd, so they ducked into a building almost immediately. Cops guarded the outside of the building and the torch left through a back exit. They then changed the route and didn't tell anyone where it was being taken. We kept hearing press-guys shout things like, "dude, it's on van ness", hearing which we quick-marched to van ness only to find that it had moved to broadway... lots of people stood around waving their flags, waiting for the torch to come their way. I don't understand the point of giving people a route map if you're going to change it up on them. It pretty instantly killed any energy that the crowd had. perhaps that was the idea. If they hadn't released the route map, protesters may have come up with a much more organized demonstration that actually got a message across. Instead, we had bored kids wrapped in flags sitting on the sidewalk.