Chinese Police Kill 8 Protesters

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 police demanded all in the monastery denounce the Tibetan spiritual leader.

In response, all the monks marched to a nearby police base camp to demand the release of the two men, and were joined by several hundred local villagers. The police used their weapons to forcibly end the demonstration, killing monks, women and possibly children. The unrest comes just ahead of visits by the Olympic torch to London and San Francisco. (More Olympic protests stories.)