Runners carried the Olympic torch through the streets of San Francisco Wednesday, but on a truncated path more than a kilometre away from thousands of pro-Tibet and pro-China demonstrators who had lined the expected relay route. Flanked by a massive police motorcade and officers brandishing batons, the torch was brought to two runners waiting at an unannounced location, in a move that effectively thwarted both protesters and eager spectators alike. The crowds along the previously announced route included many people waving Chinese flags in support of China and the Beijing Games ahead of the run along the city's waterfront, which was originally scheduled to start at 1 p.m. PT in its only North American stop. But just minutes before it was to begin, San Francisco police told spectators that the 10-kilometre relay route would be several kilometres shorter than originally planned. Then in a bizarre scene at the planned starting point, the torch disappeared into a warehouse as IOC officials and torch runners, surrounded by police, huddled to discuss alternate plans with city authorities. A few minutes later, television cameras showed a number of people dressed in official Beijing 2008 track suits boarding a convoy of buses, which then drove out the back entrance of the warehouse complex with a police motorcycle escort. San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom had said the route could change minutes before or during the relay. Rival sides face off The rival protest groups were given side-by-side permits to demonstrate, and there already were signs of tension and reports of minor scuffles and shouting matches, the CBC's Laurie Graham reported. One pro-Tibet activist was detained ahead of the run, according to Reuters. "A lot of Tibetan people are getting killed," said Kunga Yeshi, 18, who had travelled to San Francisco from Salt Lake City. "The Chinese said they'd change if they got the Ol...
Runners carried the Olympic torch through the streets of San Francisco Wednesday, but on a truncated...
