Crowds await Olympic torch relay in San Francisco
Pro-Chinese spectators gather along route hours in advance of waterfront run. After chaos in Europe, police summon all officers to duty and say they'll form a human shield around the flame.
SAN FRANCISCO — Hundreds of pro-Chinese spectators, many waving Chinese flags, took their places this morning along the planned route of the Olympic torch relay here, hours before the start of what is expected to be the latest chaotic leg as the torch makes its way to its final destination at the Summer Olympics in Beijing.
Already this city has seen high-profile protests, with climbers scaling Golden Gate Bridge cables to unfurl "Free Tibet" banners on Monday, and thousands gathered late Tuesday at a candlelight vigil to hear Nobel Peace Prize winner Desmond Tutu and actor Richard Gere rally support for the Tibetan cause.
The San Francisco leg -- the only North American stop for the torch relay -- comes after violent protests in London and Paris. In Paris, security officials halted the event and ushered the torch onto a bus. That decision came after swarms of protesters forced officials to repeatedly extinguish the iconic flame.
The mayor toured the relay start site at 9 a.m. to encourage the scores of black-unformed police. He was accompanied by Rose Pak, president of the pro-Beijing Chinese Chamber of Commerce.
Hours before the start of the relay, pro-China activists waved hundreds of red flags of the Peoples' Republic of China. Many carried signs that read "Go China. Go Olympics." Others performed traditional Chinese dances.
Chen Zheng, a graduate student at Stanford University, said she was one of 200 students who arrived at 7 a.m.
"We want to occupy the good spots," she said. "We're Chinese. We're here to cheer on the torch."
Unlike London and Paris, San Francisco is home to 30,000 Chinese Americans, many of them loyal to Beijing. Police worried there might be face-offs with protesters. But Zheng said she hoped there would be minimal conflicts.
"It's just a torch, why try to put it out?" she asked. "This is a celebration. Be happy, Why ruin things?"
San Francisco police have said they expect as many as 6,500 protesters today, but the numbers could grow higher. An organizer for the Coalition to Save Darfur -- one of numerous groups planning to be out in force in the city -- said Tuesday that the group had already rallied 2,100 supporters, double original estimates.
Police in San Francisco, where all 2,000 of its officers are on duty today, said they will use tactics employed in London and Paris to provide a human shield around the 80 Olympic torch carriers to discourage anyone from trying to reach out and snuff the flame.
