International Torch Relay May Be Scrapped

Protests Force Olympic Officials To Begrudgingly Consider Eliminating All Non-China Runs

(CBS/AP)  The Olympic torch arrived for its only North American stop amid heavy security Tuesday, one day after its visit to Paris descended into chaos and activists here scaled the Golden Gate Bridge to protest China's human rights record.

Protesters angry with China are taking out their frustrations on the Olympic relay and have dubbed the torch the "Flame of Shame," reports CBS News correspondent Ben Tracy.

Meanwhile, International Olympic Committee president Jacques Rogge said the committee would consider ending the international leg of the Beijing Olympic torch relay because of anti-Chinese protests.

Rogge told The Associated Press he was "deeply saddened" by violent protests in London and Paris and concerned about the upcoming torch relay in San Francisco, where activists expressed fears Monday that the torch's planned route through Tibet would lead to arrests and violent measures by Chinese officials trying to stifle dissent.

The flame arrived in San Francisco shortly before 4 a.m. Tuesday and was put in a vehicle to be whisked to an undisclosed location, San Francisco Olympic Torch Relay Committee spokesman David Perry said. No protesters were seen at the airport, but security was heightened because a several demonstrations were planned before the torch's six-mile relay Wednesday, including a relay supporting Tibetan independence.

"We treated it like a head of state visit," airport spokesman Mike McCaron said.

Three people climbed the Golden Gate Bridge on Monday and tied the Tibetan flag and two banners to its cables. The banners read "One World One Dream. Free Tibet," and "Free Tibet 08."

The bridge protest's organizers said they would remain faithful to their mission of protesting peacefully during the torch relay. They said they wanted to take full advantage of the international spotlight to get their message out.

"This is a life-or-death situation for Tibetans," said Yangchen Lhamo, an organizer of the banner-hanging who is on the board of directors of Students for a Free Tibet.

Also Monday, Olympic organizers canceled the final leg of the Paris run after demonstrators scaled the Eiffel Tower, grabbed for the flame and forced security officials to repeatedly snuff out the torch and transport it by bus past demonstrators. China condemned the protests as "despicable" but vowed to continue the relay to the end.

Rogue said the IOC's executive board would discuss ending the international leg in a meeting Friday.

After San Francisco, the torch is scheduled to travel to Buenos Aires, Argentina, and then to a dozen other countries. It is scheduled to enter mainland China on May 4 for the host country's portion of the relay.

San Francisco officials said they were developing a plan that strikes a balance between protesters' rights to express their views and the city's ability to host a safe torch ceremony.

U.S. Olympic Committee Chairman Peter Ueberroth said in a statement the event was "an important moment for the city to show its character, hospitality and commitment to peace and tolerance."

"It must provide a proper forum for the peaceful expression of opinions and dissent. And it must safely and respectfully welcome the flame and honor the U.S. athletes and other participants who will carry the torch," Ueberroth said.

Mayor Gavin Newsom and the police department said they reserved the right to adjust the flame's route, slated to run along the San Francisco Bay, if necessary. The air space above the city will be restricted during the relay, a federal aviation spokesman said.

Nathan Ballard, a spokesman for Newsom, dismissed rumors that the relay would be canceled. Newsom met with Chinese Ambassador Zhou Wenzhong on Monday afternoon to discuss security measures for the relay, Ballard said.

"It was a good meeting and they discussed their shared desire to try to limit the kind of chaos that we have seen in London and Paris," he said.

Lorri Coppola, a champion racewalker whose body is being slowly shut down by Lou Gehrig's disease, or Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, has met with the Dalai Lama in the past and understands the protesters' motives.

"They are doing it in the free countries because they know what might happen should they try to protest in China!" she wrote by e-mail, as the disease has cost her the ability to speak.

She says she's afraid of getting hurt if activists get out of control, especially given her weakened condition.

Activists have been protesting along the torch route since the flame embarked on its 85,000-mile journey from Ancient Olympia in Greece to the Aug. 8-24 Beijing Olympics.

The Golden Gate climbers, who wore helmets and harnesses as they made their way above the famed span, were suspended about 150 feet above traffic. They later climbed down and bridge workers cut down the signs.

In all, seven people were charged with conspiracy and causing a public nuisance, with the three climbers facing additional charges of trespassing, said Mary Ziegenbien, a spokeswoman with the California Highway Patrol.

The Chinese, who have been hoping to use the games as a showpiece for their newfound prosperity and power, have dismissed the protestors as a small group of Tibetan separatists. But this torch-relay fiasco may well unsettle the big Olympic corporate sponsors, reports CBS News correspondent Mark Phillips. The top five alone spent half a billion dollars on the last games and are poised to spend a lot more this time. The risk of being tainted by association with Chinese policy has become a real one for those companies.

"They are trying very hard not to seem like the bad guy and I think a lot of the companies really do sympathize with the cause. But they are really not sure how to go about this because you don't want to tick off the Chinese government," says Judann Pollack, managing editor of Advertising Age.

[fjinnw]

How many of those Protesters Tibetan will go back to live in Tibet, if Tibet were free. Will they give up whate they have and go back to live in third world Tibet. I can bet not too many of them will. In the end they still live america or what ever the country they are in now.

[libsrweak]

I guess I dont understand the hypocrisy.. it doesn''''t matter if you support the protestors in their stance on Tibet, you should support them exercising their right to peacefully protest and use free speech. Condemning these protestors is like condemning people who protested for women/black rights or even those who protest against the Iraq war in modern times.

If you support the aforementioned protests and rallies, but not these... it is such a glaring contradiction I dont know what to say

Posted by LoCoPyRo at 05:13 PM : Apr 08, 2008
+ report abuse

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I agree about the freedom of speech and expression BUT i dont agree if it agrivates the issue at hand..misguiding the solutions and taking it deep down the wrong road..kinda like saving africa by holding concerts..ITS NOT GOING ANYWHERE..and protesting the olympics is that same thing...

[julia2008bj]

srry, i mean we make human history with all other people together and we are one part of it.

[julia2008bj]

it is not easy for more than 1 billion people to participate a event, is it not deserve to be cherished? is it only the matter of chinese goverment, if we do things improperly than you can critisize, but please kindly put a underline there, that is the dignity of chinese people, who has made several thousand years human history.

[julia2008bj]

please don''t use so many bad or even ugly words on us chinese, we may not strong enough, we may not rich enough, we may be not developed enough and we may not civilize enough, but one thing is certain that is we have dignity, and we want to show our friendship to all the people of other countries at the moment when we decided to apply for the hosting of 2008,obviously, we knew we are not rich enough to host and we should have spend the money on education of millions of children. we do it just because we thought we were one of you and should share happiness with you. from what happened these days, i know it is too early to say that, somebody need enemy, we chinese seems the the best choice of them, maybe, they never really know us, we will say nothing to this, we will just go on our jouney of living, for those we are not needed, not needed by us also.

[iamauto]

Go to hell Dalai Lama.
He''s a heathen, he belongs to hell.

[ziyue]

phoenix373: you seem to know nothing about Tibetan Buddhism. upon repeated efforts by the current Dalai Lama to reduce his own political position, he has come under pressure from Tibetans globally as they find it unacceptable as they see him as a God like figure. The Tibetan government in exile in Dharmasala, India conducts elections every 5 years to choose its government representatives, and elections are carried out on three continents. think before you type.
====

who has more power? Jesus or the Pope? Who has more power? the reincarnation of a God or the prime minister you elected? Why don''t YOU think before you type.

[ziyue]

phoenix373: you seem to know nothing about Tibetan Buddhism. upon repeated efforts by the current Dalai Lama to reduce his own political position, he has come under pressure from Tibetans globally as they find it unacceptable as they see him as a God like figure. The Tibetan government in exile in Dharmasala, India conducts elections every 5 years to choose its government representatives, and elections are carried out on three continents. think before you type.
====

who has more power? Jesus or the Pope? Who has more power? the reincarnation of a God or the prime minister you elected? Why don''t YOU think before you type.

[phoenix373]

bdude01 you wrote: "When is the last time the Tibetan people got to vote for a Dali Llama? Shouldn''''t they be free to choose?"

you seem to know nothing about Tibetan Buddhism. upon repeated efforts by the current Dalai Lama to reduce his own political position, he has come under pressure from Tibetans globally as they find it unacceptable as they see him as a God like figure. The Tibetan government in exile in Dharmasala, India conducts elections every 5 years to choose its government representatives, and elections are carried out on three continents. think before you type.

[locopyro]

I guess I dont understand the hypocrisy.. it doesn''t matter if you support the protestors in their stance on Tibet, you should support them exercising their right to peacefully protest and use free speech. Condemning these protestors is like condemning people who protested for women/black rights or even those who protest against the Iraq war in modern times.

If you support the aforementioned protests and rallies, but not these... it is such a glaring contradiction I dont know what to say

[tucano2]

Kevan Gosper of the Olympic Organizing Committee, speaking from China, claimed "how dare they mess with OUR torch!" It is not YOUR torch. In fact the first torch run was organized for the 1936 Berlin Olympics by no other than Joesph Goebbels and his front man Dr. Karl Dymes, to show off some 3400 "Aryan" runners from Mt. Olympus to Berlin. There was no torch before that. If Mr. Gosper takes the time to see the two movies ''BRAVEHEART'' and ''THE BRIDGE OVER THE RIVER KWAI'' he (and others) might come to understand "FREEDOM!" in the one, and "WHAT HAVE I DONE!" in the other. Free peoples everywhere are being vocal, and then some, in the best way they can to denounce Chinese oppression while supporting the dreams and efforts of enslaved people to be FREE. Do your part, too. Avoid "Made in China" products as much as you can. Economic pressure is something each of us can generate, and it is the only thing the Chinese government is ever going to understand. Weaken China''s economy, and China''s stranglehold on Tibet will weaken. 5 Billion free peoples can do it, one at a time.

[Renegade.Rivers]

You know I am old enough to remember some very inspiring moments from the Olympics, and even my grandfather spoke of the 1936 games in which Jesse Owens showed up the Nazi competitors. The Olympics is a great way for young Americans, and athletics from around the world for that matter, to seek and receive recognition for a lifetime of hard work and dedication to there sport. I believe that the most selfish thing we could do is boycott the Olympics.

As for the torch ceremonies, the protest that are being displayed is no more than a knee-jerk. From all that I have read and seen, there is much fault to be laid about on both sides. Outside interference in China''s internal problems could very well be counterproductive, not to mention that it should not be the business of other countries to meddle in the internal affairs of another government. When the citizens of China, or any other country for that matter, decide that they have had enough of the present regime, then change will come about.

[sevenveils]

Having the Olympic games help in the prison state of China was wrong and the world knew it when it was announced China won. Had North Korea won the honor it would be the same. But the world also had some hope that this honor would put them in the world''s spot light and they would change their ways. So much for optimism. Just as an animal can''t change their ways, the Central Chinese government can''t change either.
Now the Summer Olympics in China is a Glaring Mistake and that''s that.

[sevenveils]

The world has shown its distain for the manner in which the Chinese government treats its people, especially in Tibet. The world is very aware China is forcing Tibetans to move to other areas of the country and encouraging Chinese people to migrate into Tibet and make the indigenous Tibetans a minority in their own country.

The Chinese started this by responding to the initial peaceful protest with lethal police and military force. If the protesting Tibetans were indeed as evil as claimed by the central China government don''t you think they would have cranked that into their propaganda machine?

[bdude01]

I''''m so glad that some of you thing it is misguided to believe in Freedom, justice, human rights and the dignity of the person.

hmmmm? When is the last time the Tibetan people got to vote for a Dali Llama? Shouldn''t they be free to choose? I agree with all those things you just said. You just have not made the case that the Dali Lllama represents those ideals? History does not support this view either.

[sevenveils]

Angry liberals is the only concern? What about the angry conservatives? They are more likely to protest in a big way, with their big money.

[moonface6]

It''s never too far to call them scumbags, or trash. These men were shamelessly attacking the two disabled athletes on and on in the Olympic torch relay in Paris. The female athlete in the wheelchair has one leg and the male athlete pushing the wheelchair is blind.

This is a video that any popular news agency will feel disgraceful to show you. Go to

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x4ztb8_la-flamme-olympique-chahutee-a-pari_news

to see with your own eyes.

You can also google with "rue89 la flamme olympique chahutee a paris" on the net to find the clip.

[simpsonman19]

The Oylimpics should be about what country is better at sports than other countries, no need for politics. I couldn''t give a rats @ss what country is hosting the freakin games. These protesters are just ruining it for everyone!

[bdude01]

Oh yes, by the way. Does anyone of you Dali Llama supporters know when the last time was that a Dali Llama was elected to head the Tibetan government? You may have guessed right, NEVER! Dali Llama''''''''s are not elected, they are appointed. And all of his leaders are also appointed! Hmmmmm, freedom? Free who? The people of Tibet?

Posted by bdude01 at 11:10 AM : Apr 08, 2008

And I bet you voted for Doofus twice in the Presidential elections.

I do exercise my right to vote!

[bradosol]

The Olympic torch - what a gift to supporters and protesters alike!
Are we meant to uphold the gods and goddesses of Ancient Greece, and embrace the sacred flame tradition of their priests and priestesses?
Or are we supposed to follow the more recent tradition of the burning torch relay, invented by the Nazis for the 1936 Berlin Olympics?
What suckers we are, to fall for this mushy idea of an apparently holy flame, given a boost every four years by governments, business and the International Olympic Committee!