The Olympic torch embarks on its only US relay in San Francisco today, where large protests against Chinese policies are expected in a city famous for its tradition of demonstrations.
The fierce protests in London and Paris in recent days - efforts that succeeded even in extinguishing the flame for brief periods - have put city officials on edge and prompted a continuous revision of their planning.
"It's getting a little scarier," said retired State Appellate Court Judge Harry Low, a prominent figure in the city's Chinese-American community. "The intensity of the opposition to the torch and to China seems to be increasing."
"It may be a very touchy situation for law enforcement."
The official route takes the torch from near the city's baseball stadium along its scenic waterfront to the Fisherman's Wharf area favored by tourists. San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom said he expected tens of thousands to attend and hundreds of police to patrol the route.
"I'm not naive to the challenge associated with this event," he said yesterday.
The mayor said the route and other details of the running could change to respond to events in a city where a fifth are of Chinese descent. Newsom said one of 80 torchbearers had pulled out of the event.
Authorities are also stepping up patrols on the Golden Gate Bridge after three protesters scaled its cables on Monday to hang pro-Tibet banners.
China's crackdown on anti-government protests in Tibet in March, which it says were orchestrated by Tibet's spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, has drawn sharp international criticism and clouded preparations for the Beijing Olympics in August. Today, Qiangba Puncog, the head of the Himalayan region, said Chinese police have detained 953 people suspected of involvement in last month's riots.
Divided Reaction
How to respond to the torch has divided the Chinese-American community and San Francisco's most prominent politicians, speaker of the US House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi and US Sen. Dianne Feinstein.
Pelosi has called on US President George W. Bush to boycott the opening ceremonies in China and she traveled last month to India to meet the Dalai Lama. "I commend those who speak out for their commitment to shining a light on the causes that challenge the conscience of the world," Pelosi said in a statement yesterday. "The people are making a significant statement that the Olympic ideals of peace and harmony should apply to all people, including those in Tibet and Darfur."
Feinstein has urged a moderate line to encourage dialogue with China and the people of Tibet.
The planned San Francisco protests have irritated some in the Chinese community, the largest of any major US city, many of whom are proud their ancestral motherland is hosting the global sporting event.
The Olympics first held a torch relay in 1936, the year dictator Adolf Hitler made the Berlin games a showcase of Nazi propaganda. That torch run is captured in one of the most famous -- and infamous - Olympic movies ever made, Leni Riefenstahl's "Olympia."
Although subsequent Olympics have sparked political controversy - such as the 1980 Games in Moscow shortly after the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan and a US boycott - the torch run has not lured protesters.
"Up to this moment, the Olympic torch relay has been free of any protest actions," said Anthony Bijkerk, secretary general of the International Society of Olympic Historians in the Netherlands. "It has nothing to do with politics."