GREECE:THE OLYMPIC flame yesterday began its 136,000km (84,500- mile) meandering journey from rural Greece to Beijing for this summer's Olympic games amid embarrassing scenes, as protests by human rights activists over the turmoil in Tibet all but eclipsed the lighting ceremony.
The choreographed ceremony had barely started when Jean-François Julliard, a member of press freedom group Reporters Without Borders, breached a cordon and rushed on to the ancient site where the president of the Beijing Olympic organising committee, Liu Qi, was giving a rousing speech. Moments later the Frenchman was whisked away, but not before he had attempted to unfurl a large black flag depicting the five Olympic rings as handcuffs, while horrified guests, including the Greek prime minister, looked on.
As Mr Julliard (35) was bundled by police into a truck, Robert Menard, the Paris-based group's general secretary, who was sitting among the VIPs, unfurled the same flag and began shouting "shame on China".
There were similar scenes as pro-Tibet protesters tried to stand or lie in the way of the two Greek and Chinese athletes chosen to carry the torch out of ancient Olympia. By midday, nine demonstrators, including a Tibetan woman, had been detained.
Greek authorities had deployed more than 1,000 policemen to the site. Witnesses said the birthplace of the games was crawling with Chinese undercover security working with local officials to keep the protesters at bay.
The Greek state television channel, NET, in charge of broadcasting the event worldwide, ensured cameras cut away when Mr Julliard attempted to disrupt Mr Liu's address. State-run television in China immediately shifted to a pre-recorded scene when the incident occurred. "It was not deliberate," NET chief executive Christos Panagopoulos said. "A senior Chinese official was addressing the ceremony at the time and that was far more important to relay."
By last night it was clear the protests had caused immense embarrassment. "It's a disgrace," said Lampis Nikolaou, a Greek member of the International Olympic Committee. "I am furious with these people . . . who did not respect the ancient site of Olympia. Whatever their differences with China, they should express them in their own countries." The flame is scheduled to arrive at the Beijing stadium on August 8th after being relayed by thousands of torchbearers across five continents.
Meanwhile, the Tibet Support Group Ireland said two people were shot dead during a demonstration involving 400 Tibetan monks and nuns backed by 1,000 farmers in Ganzi, Sichuan. - (Guardian service)
• Police in Nepal have broken up a protest by 200 Tibetan refugees and monks near the offices of the United Nations by beating them with sticks and arresting 40.