Thousands of protesters waving Tibetan flags and shouting "Shame on China" disrupted the Olympic torch relay through London yesterday, billed as a journey of harmony and peace.

Chinese officials in blue tracksuits and scores of British police officers encircled the celebrities and athletes parading the flame, but determined demonstrators repeatedly broke through their security cordon.

In scenes embarrassing for China and contrasting starkly with the Olympic spirit, police repeatedly tackled campaigners who hurled themselves into the path of the torch throughout its 50-km relay by foot, bike, boat and bus.

The intensity of the protests against China's crackdown in Tibet and its human rights record forced last-minute changes to the transport and route used for the lengthy relay.

One man grabbed the torch before police wrestled him to the ground. Two others tried to douse the flame with a fire extinguisher. Police arrested some 35 people.

The torch is on its way to the 2008 Games in Beijing from Aug. 8 to 24. The next Summer Olympics are in London in 2012.

Sign up to our free newsletters

Get the best updates straight to your inbox:
Please select at least one mailing list.

You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the link in the footer of our emails. We use Mailchimp as our marketing platform. By subscribing, you acknowledge that your information will be transferred to Mailchimp for processing.