The Beijing torch relay was conceived as ”a journey of harmony”. But there was precious little unity on display in London on Sunday as the most powerful symbol of the Olympic movement completed a troubled and occasionally violent passage across the capital.
British police battled to keep pro-Tibet protesters away from the Beijing Olympics flame, making 30 arrests as the torch went on a high security tour of London on Sunday. Police on bikes and running alongside the flame escorted each member of the relay.
Anti-China protesters draped in Tibetan flags disrupted the Olympic torch relay through London on Sunday, billed as a journey of harmony and peace. Scores of Chinese officials in blue suits and British police on foot and bicycles guarded the celebrities and athletes carrying the torch, but demonstrators repeatedly broke through their security cordon.