Olympic protests

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Delhi Melee Rocks Torch Arrival
 Delhi Melee Rocks Torch Arrival 

Delhi Melee Rocks Torch Arrival

Downtown locked down

(Newser) - The Olympic torch was greeted with furious protests as it arrived in Delhi today, and 15,000 security forces have locked down the heart of the city ahead of the relay, Reuters reports. Members of India's large community of Tibetan exiles have vowed massive protests to highlight China's human rights...

India Steels for Torch Protest Showdown

Tibetans pour in for New Delhi high noon

(Newser) - Security protecting the Olympic torch will face its toughest test yet as thousands of Tibetan protesters converge on New Delhi for the Indian leg of the relay tomorrow. Hunger strikes, relay disruptions and attempts to grab the torch are all being planned. One Indian television station is referring to the...

4 Months to Go: Is China Ready for Spotlight?

Country is proud to host Games but worries abound

(Newser) - The last-minute drama brewing in the runup to this summer's Olympic Games is of a more global and more personal nature than the infrastructure issues of Olympics past—and Chinese leaders are bristling under the scrutiny, the Chicago Tribune reports. But pride in the country's hosting gig remains strong, even...

Torch Untroubled in Argentina
 Torch Untroubled in Argentina 

Torch Untroubled in Argentina

Heavy security but relatively few protesters for Buenos Aires leg of torch tour

(Newser) - A few water balloons were the worst threat to the Olympic flame yesterday in Buenos Aires, where the torch relay enjoyed an uninterrupted run, the BBC reports, after major disruptions in London, Paris, and San Francisco. Groups of pro- and anti-China protesters gathered along its route, guarded by some 5,...

More Notables Stay Away From Beijing Olympics

Nobel laureate scraps torch relay; UN chief won't attend opening

(Newser) - The controversy around the Olympic flame continued as Wangari Maathai, the Kenyan environmentalist and Nobel laureate, announced she was dropping out of the torch relay. Maathai was to carry the torch this weekend in Tanzania but pulled out in protest of China's human rights record. Maathai also told the Los ...

IOC Head: We Can Weather Torch 'Crisis'

Dalai Lama supports Chinese Olympics —and open protests

(Newser) - The protests following the Olympic torch around the globe are a “crisis,” but the International Olympic Committee has faced worse, its chief said today. The Games, he said, would “rebound," the BBC reports. Meanwhile, the Dalai Lama said China “deserved” to host, CNN reports. "...

SF Mayor Takes Heat for Torch Dodge
SF Mayor
Takes Heat for Torch Dodge

SF Mayor Takes Heat for Torch Dodge

Rerouting Olympic flame relay enrages duped protesters

(Newser) - The San Francisco leg of the Olympic torch relay avoided some of the chaos that plagued London and Paris, but pro-Tibetan activists were fuming that Mayor Gavin Newsom rerouted the flame's path at the last minute to dodge protesters. "He did it so China can report they had a...

Torch Changes Keep Protesters Off Balance

San Francisco's bait-and-switch approach keeps Olympic flame's tour mainly peaceful

(Newser) - Throngs of pro- and anti-China demonstrators in San Francisco forced drastic changes in the Olympic torch's tour of the city, the San Francisco Chronicle reports. Officials bused the flame and relay runners from the bayside opening ceremony miles across town; after heading west toward the Golden Gate Bridge, the convoy...

San Francisco in Fine Frenzy Over Torch

Security tightens as protesters hit streets for relay

(Newser) - The Olympic torch winds its way through San Francisco today and authorities are bracing for big trouble from protesters who have already hit the streets, AP reports. The torch was buffeted by protests in London and Paris, where the relay was cut short, and the worst may be yet to...

Flame Arrives in San Francisco
 Flame Arrives in San Francisco 

Flame Arrives in San Francisco

Protesters absent amid heavy security; torch in hiding before tomorrow's city tour

(Newser) - The Olympic flame landed in San Francisco early this morning, accompanied by Chinese officials and protected by riot-ready security, the San Francisco Chronicle reports. The 3:40am landing was followed by a round of photographs before a quick retreat to an undisclosed location, where the torch will await tomorrow's relay...

Olympic Committee May Cancel Torch Relay

IOC to meet in Beijing to discuss massive protests

(Newser) - The International Olympic Committee has scheduled an extraordinary meeting to discuss whether the remainder of this year's torch relay should be canceled. In the face of massive protests against China's human rights abuses, the committee is considering a plan to limit the remainder of the relay to China, reports AFP....

Beijing Blasts Torch Protests

Marches "tarnish the lofty Olympic spirit," China says

(Newser) - Today China denounced the protests that have disrupted Olympic torch relays in London and Paris over the past 2 days, Reuters reports. "The despicable activities tarnish the lofty Olympic spirit," a Foreign Ministry spokeswoman said. She also denied media reports that "the Olympic torch was forced to...

Torch Protesters Climb Golden Gate Bridge

Pro-Tibet students make statement from above

(Newser) - With the Olympic torch due to reach San Francisco tomorrow, protesters climbed the Golden Gate Bridge today to unfurl banners reading “One World, One Dream" and "Free Tibet 08.” The climbers, members of Students for a Free Tibet, were arrested after they rappelled down the bridge’s...

China Rips 'Vile' London Torch Protests

State media glosses over clashes

(Newser) - A day after protesters in London nearly extinguished the Olympic flame, Beijing denounced the "tiny number of Tibet independence elements" who threatened the torch relay. "We strongly condemn this vile behavior," said an official. Chinese television focused on cheering crowds in the British capital, followed by a...

SF Protesters Roast Mayor Over Olympic Torch

Mayor criticized over plan to register protesters

(Newser) - The Olympic torch arrives Wednesday in San Francisco, and Mayor Gavin Newsom is already being flamed in advance of expected protests. Tens of thousands are expected to fill the streets of the "protest-happy city" to condemn China's treatment of Tibet, reports Newsweek.  Newsom's plan to require demonstrators to...

Chinese Police Kill 8 Protesters

Clash in Sichaun province comes as officials try to search Tibetan monastery

(Newser) - Chinese police killed eight protesters and wounded dozens more overnight in Sichuan province when they opened fire on a demonstration led by Tibetan monks, the Times of London reports. The altercation started when police searched a Tibetan monastery, confiscating phones and images of the Dalai Lama. After arresting two, the...

For Olympians, Conscience Battles Wallet

Protesting could get athletes thrown out of Games

(Newser) - The Beijing Olympics will be rife with protesters, but athletes may be reluctant to be among them, reports the New York Times. Olympic rules forbid protests or propaganda at Olympic sites, and sponsors are sure to frown on such activity. Even Team Darfur, a protest group with many Olympian members,...

Protesters Follow Olympic Torch to Acropolis

Demonstrations in Greece remain mostly peaceful

(Newser) - Olympic torchbearers made their way to the Acropolis in Greece today with the help of heavy security that kept protesters at arm's length, the AP reports. Activists have set up camp by candlelight outside the stadium—site of the first modern Olympics in 1896— to protest China's human rights record...

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