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Page last updated at 06:37 GMT, Wednesday, 9 April 2008 07:37 UK
US protests ahead of torch relay
        
Pro-Tibetan demonstrators in San Francisco carry signs and flags on 8 April 
2008
Hundreds of demonstrators have turned out in San Francisco

Protest march

Hundreds of pro-Tibet protesters have marched in San Francisco, as the Olympic torch arrived for the US leg of its 
international relay.

Demonstrators carrying Tibetan flags marched to the Chinese Consulate to 
denounce Beijing's policy on Tibet.

Officials have promised tight security for Wednesday's torch relay, following 
chaotic scenes in London and Paris.

Officials in Beijing have condemned the disruption to the torch relay but 
promised that it will go ahead.

Extra police will line the torch's route as it travels through San Francisco.

Mayor Gavin Newsom said he had been in touch with officials in the UK and 
France to discuss ways of handling the protesters.

"I'm not naive to the challenge associated with this event," he said.

Map of world torch relay route

The flame was lit in Greece on 24 March and is being relayed through 20 countries before being carried into the opening 
ceremony in Beijing on 8 August.

But protests have already caused serious disruption to legs in London and Paris. In Paris, the torch had to be 
extinguished three times, while in London there were 37 arrests.

        
If I support the Olympics, of course I don't support the protests
Ling Li,
San Francisco resident

The demonstrators are protesting over a security crackdown in Tibet after 
anti-Chinese unrest.

Tibetan exile groups say Chinese security forces killed dozens of protesters. Beijing says about 19 people were killed 
in rioting.

Boycott call

The torch arrived in San Francisco early on Tuesday and was immediately taken 
to a secret location.

The flame relay will begin at 1300 (2000GMT) and follow a six-mile (10km) 
route though the city.

        
Map of San Francisco torch route

Doubts cast on future torch relays
History of protests

Several protests are planned and police say they reserve the right to change 
the route if necessary.

On Tuesday, activists gathered near City Hall for their march to the Chinese 
mission and a late-night vigil.

South African Archbishop and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Desmond Tutu urged 
world leaders not to go to the Games.

"For God's sake, for the sake of our children, for the sake of their children, for the sake of the beautiful people of 
Tibet - don't go," he said at the vigil.

"Tell your counterparts in Beijing you wanted to come but looked at your schedule and realised you have something else 
to do."

Other speakers called for further disruption of the relay.

"This is not about us battling the torchbearers," Lhadom Tethong, executive director of Students for a Free Tibet, told 
the crowd.

"This is about the Chinese government using the torch for political purposes. And 
we're going to use it right back."

But in Chinatown, community representatives held a news conference to call for a peaceful relay and voice pride over 
China's hosting of the Games.

"If I support the Olympics, of course I don't support the protests," local resident Ling Li told the Associated Press 
News agency.

"This is the first time China has had the Olympics. We should be proud of 
this."

International Olympic Committee (IOC) members are to discuss the issue in meetings in Beijing in the coming days, but 
President Jacques Rogge scotched rumours that the relay might be stopped.

"There is no discussion of cancelling any legs," he told the Wall Street Journal. "What we will do is study the torch 
relay so far."

He is due to meet Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao later in the day.

OLYMPIC TORCH ROUTE
Map
Torch lit in Olympia on 24 March and taken on five-day relay around Greece to 
Athens
After handover ceremony, it is taken to Beijing on 31 March to begin a 
journey of 136,800 km (85,000 miles) around the world
Torch arrives in Macao on 3 May. After three-month relay all around China, it arrives in Beijing for opening ceremony on 
8 August

See detailed route on Beijing 2008 official site

BEIJING OLYMPIC GAMES
KEY STORIES

US protests ahead of torch relay
Protests cut short Olympic relay
Clinton urges Bush Olympic action
IOC chief speaks out over Tibet
Beijing pollution 'not a danger'
PROTESTS IN EUROPE

Protester in Paris Protests follow Olympic torch through Paris

Jacques Rogge IOC chief 'saddened' by torch protests

FEATURES AND ANALYSIS

Black power salute at Mexico 1968 Olympic Games Power Games
Previous Olympic protests, from Ireland to apartheid
Key Olympic flame facts
The Olympic torch's shadowy past
China's security policy questioned
China's Olympic food safeguards
Ping-pong diplomacy with the US
YOUR VIEWS
Should sport and politics mix?

RELATED BBC LINKS
Mihir Bose blog

RELATED INTERNET LINKS
Reporters Without Borders
International Olympic Committee
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites

FROM OTHER NEWS SITES
Washington Post Security High for Olympic Torch's US Leg - 22 mins ago
Reuters San Francisco braces for wild Olympic torch run - 27 mins ago
ESPN.com San Fran braces for protests - 55 mins ago
FOXNews.com Security Tight in San Francisco Ahead of Olympic Torch Run - 1 hr 
ago
Los Angeles Times* Protesters drawn to Olympic flame in S.F - 2 hrs ago

TOP ASIA-PACIFIC STORIES
Australian PM speaks out on Tibet