San Francisco tightens security, girds for protests on Olympic torch route

Juliana Barbassa And Marcus Wohlsen, THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
SAN FRANCISCO - Security was being tightened Wednesday around San Francisco as officials mobilized for protests in response to the Olympic torch's only North American stop on its journey to Beijing.

Before dawn, supporters of China's role as host of the games gathered on the city's waterfront.

Law enforcement agencies erected metal barricades and prepared running shoes, bicycles and motorcycles for officers assigned to shadow the runners chosen for the relay.

The Olympic torch's 137,000-kilometre global journey is the longest in Olympic history, and is meant to build excitement for the games. But it has also been a target for activists angered over China's human rights record.

As runners carry the torch on its 10-kilometre route, they will compete not only with people protesting China's grip on Tibet and its support for the governments of Myanmar and Sudan, but also with more obscure activists. They include nudists calling for a return to the way the ancient Greek games were played.

Local officials say they support the diversity of viewpoints but have ramped up security following chaotic protests during the torch's stops in London and Paris, and a demonstration Monday in which activists hung banners from the Golden Gate bridge.

"We are trying to accomplish two goals here. One is to protect the right to free speech and the other is to ensure public safety, and here in San Francisco we are good at both of those things," said Nathan Ballard, a spokesman for Mayor Gavin Newsom.

The torch is scheduled to travel a route hugging San Francisco Bay, but security concerns could prompt a last-minute change. Already, one runner who planned to carry the torch dropped out because of safety concerns, officials said.

Ambulances were to be stationed along the torch's route, extra sheriff's deputies and state law enforcement officers were put on patrol. Vans were deployed to haul away arrested protesters, and the FAA restricted flights over the city to media helicopters, medical emergency carriers and law enforcement aircraft.

The flame was whisked to a secret location shortly after its pre-dawn arrival in San Francisco on Tuesday. It began its worldwide trek from Ancient Olympia in Greece to Beijing on March 24, and was the focus of protests from the start.

On Tuesday, hundreds of activists carrying Tibetan flags gathered near City Hall to denounce China's policy toward Tibet and the recent crackdown on protesters there. They then marched to the Chinese consulate.

"This is not about us battling the torchbearers," Lhadon Tethong, executive director of Students for a Free Tibet, told the crowd outside the consulate. "This is about the Chinese government using the torch for political purposes. And we're going to use it right back."

At an evening candlelight vigil for Tibet, actor Richard Gere and human rights activist Desmond Tutu called on President George W. Bush and other heads of state to boycott the opening ceremonies in Beijing.

The White House said anew on Wednesday that Bush would attend the Olympics but left open the possibility that he would skip the opening ceremonies.

Asked whether Bush would go to that portion of the games, White House press secretary Dana Perino demurred, citing the fluid nature of a foreign trip schedule this far out and the many factors that go into devising it.

"I would again reiterate that the president has been very clear that he believes that the right thing for him to do is to continue to press the Chinese on a range of issues, from human rights and democracy, political speech freedoms and religious tolerance, and to do that publicly and privately, before, during and after the Olympics," she said.

San Francisco was chosen to host the relay in part because of its large Chinese-American population. Many residents spoke out Tuesday to ask for calm and express their pride that China was chosen to host the summer games.

"We are begging for five hours of peace," said Sam Ng, president of the Chinese Six Companies, a prominent benevolent association.

Ling Li, 29, who immigrated from China's Guangdong province eight years ago, said she was disappointed that this pivotal moment in her country's history was being marred by demonstrations.

"If I support the Olympics, of course I don't support the protests. This is the first time China has had the Olympics. We should be proud of this," she said.

In Beijing, International Olympic Committee President Jacques Rogge said the body's executive board would discuss Friday whether to end the international leg of the torch relay because of the demonstrations.

He said he was "deeply saddened" by the previous protests and was concerned about the relay in San Francisco.

© The Canadian Press, 2008