SAN FRANCISCO — The threat of large-scale protest turned what was to have been a dramatic passing of the Olympic torch Wednesday into a bizarre game of hide-and-seek, with officials hustling the flame onto a secretive and meandering route that baffled and angered many would-be spectators.
In the end, it wasn't clear who were the biggest losers -- the city's vast and proud population of Chinese Americans, the throngs of activists protesting China's human rights record, or taxpayers saddled with what promises to be a staggering bill for police overtime.
Officials here worried that the relay's only North American stop would mirror the chaos and arrests that marked previous stops in London and Paris. So they employed a bait-and-switch tactic with thousands of activists who surged into the city to have their say on the political footprint China is leaving on international affairs -- from Tibet to Myanmar to Darfur. Call it the Olympic torch shell game. You want to protest the torch, officials seemed to challenge, see if you can find it first.
In a television interview, San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom defended the decision to change the route, saying it was done to protect the torchbearers and the public. Still, several torchbearers dropped out, apparently fearing for their safety.
On a day when nearly every San Francisco law enforcement officer was on duty, there were several scuffles and a small number of arrests, officials said. Protesters swarmed and vandalized a charter bus involved in the event, breaking a mirror and spray-painting "Free Tibet" on it in red.
At one point while carrying the torch, New York environmentalist Majora Carter said she unfurled a small Tibetan flag she had hidden up her sleeve. She said she was immediately shunted to the side of the route by Chinese security -- known as torch-minders -- who have accompanied the flame to every stop.
"Obviously, it didn't go on as we expected," Newsom said, adding that he was "pleased" with the outcome.
"Everyone was safe. The torchbearers were safe. The protesters were safe," he said, adding that the decision to change the route was made after clashes occurred between pro-Chinese and pro-Tibet groups before the torch run's scheduled start.
"We had one of two choices," the mayor said. "We could cancel the event outright or we could resolve this by adjusting the route. That was the assessment I made to keep people safe. . . . I have no regrets."
