A man who tried to take away the torch from television presenter Konnie Huq got his hand on the torch but was immediately wrestled down by two policemen and then led away.

Another person tried to put out the flame with a fire extinguisher.

A police force of 2,000 was on hand as officers on bicycles accompanied Huq and other runners on the journey through the host city of the 2012 Olympics.

Police reportedly led away three protesters after first scuffles broke out when rowing legend Sir Steve Redgrave took the torch out of Wembley Stadium at the start of Sunday's leg.

By midday, 10 people were reportedly arrested in several incidents as hundreds of activists staged protests against China's crackdown in Tibet and other human rights issues.

Scotland Yard said ahead of the London relay it expected at least six activist groups to protest.

Incidents also occurred during the lighting of the Olympic flame in ancient Olympia, Greece, on March 24, and the handover of the flame to China in Athens on March 30.

Protests are also planned for Monday when the torch relay comes to Paris.

The 50-kilometre journey from Wembley to the O2 Arena was due to pass landmarks such as Tower Bridge and Nelson's Column.

Prime Minister Gordon Brown was set to welcome the flame for the August 8-24 Games at Downing Street despite calls for him not to do so in protest of China's crackdown of the unrest in Tibet.

Eighty athletes, celebrities and dignitaries were to carry the torch which was also travel via bicycle and bus. Apart from Redgrave, they also included Dame Kelly Holmes, who won double middle distance running gold 2004 in Athens.

It wasn't all protests on Sunday as thousands lined the streets braving chilly temperatures to see the relay. A warm welcome was expected especially in Chinatown.

The torch arrived late Saturday at Heathrow airport, with Chinese ambassador Fu Ying and British Olympics minister Tessa Jowell on hand to greet it.

The flame arrived in Beijing on March 31 from Greece but the next day went on the international leg of the longest torch relay in Olympic history. It returns to China on May 4, with controversial legs planned in Tibet and to the summit of Mt Everest.

The relay concludes on August 8 when the last torch bearer lights the Olympic Cauldron at the opening ceremony of the Beijing Games.

source: 6apr2008

Protestors Greet Olympic Flame in London

UPI 6apr2008

LONDON — Activists disrupted Sunday's Olympic torch relay in London, including a man who tried to grab the torch to protest China's human rights record, police said.

London police guarded the 31-mile route and escorted torchbearers as protesters of China's human rights record and its involvement in Tibet tried to extinguish the flame, CNN reported.

London police announced 15 arrests Sunday, but the relay passed by London's Chinese embassy and the office of Prime Minister Gordon Brown without incident.

Brown noted the Dalai Lama resisted calls to boycott the Beijing Summer Games and refused to make a gesture of opposition against China during the torch relay.

Liberal Democratic Party leader Nick Clegg called the torch procession "wholly inappropriate" saying "human rights are being systematically abused on an extraordinary scale in China," the BBC reported.

But the chairman of the organizing committee for the 2012 Summer Games in London, Sebastian Cole, hailed the Olympics as a venue to "bring disparate communities together."

About 80 celebrities, athletes and other public figures participated in the 31-mile relay from London's Wembley Stadium to the O2 Arena in Greenwich.

source: 6apr2008

Mindfully.org note: 
The protests along the way were quite successful at breaking the flow of the procession. A great number of police acted as human shields but were ultimately unable to stop direct action by the protestors. We salute those protestors. Shame on China for their bloody actions against Tibet! The world does not forgive them. The Chinese who have taken brutal action on Tibet are indeed very small people with no sense of right. All should boycott the Chinese Olympics.

Photos:

The torch for the 2008 Beijing Olympics is to be carried by athletes and celebrities from Wembley Arena to the O2 Dome, passing China Town, Trafalgar Square, the Houses of Parliament and London Bridge, amid crowds of spectators. EPA/IAN WALTON/ POOL

A Free Tibet campaigner is arrested outside Wembley Arena after a dozen of activists tried to interrupt the Olympic Torch route in London, England, 06 April 2008. A total of 80 torchbearers, a mixture of athletes, police, entertainers and dignitaries, will carry the Olympic Flame by relay on a 31-mile long journey through the capital's streets. The metropolitan police has increased the security on the planned route as anti Chinese government activists have announced protests around the event. EPA/FELIPE TRUEBA

The first relay of the Olympic Torch Relay in the United Kingdom leaves the Wembley-Arena in London, England, 06 April 2008. EPA/FELIPE TRUEBA

Police officers detain a demonstrator along the route of the Olympic Torch in London, England, 06 April 2008. Demonstrations over China's human rights record and actions in Tibet are expected along the route. EPA/IAN WALTON/ POOL

A demonstrator is detained in front of the Olympic Torch bearer in London, England, 06 April 2008. EPA/IAN WALTON/ POOL