Tibetan Protests Ahead Of San Francisco Torch Relay

Tibetan flags and wearing traditional clothes gathered in San Francisco for the lighting of the Tibetan Freedom Torch on Tuesday, after the tranquil arrival of the Beijing Olympic Torch in the city during the pre-dawn hours.

Fifty white doves were released as part of the ceremony led by Tibetan monks in United Nations Plaza, a pedestrian area near San Francisco's City Hall, to denounce China's policy toward Tibet and the recent crackdown on protesters there.

Tenzin Dasang, president of the Tibetan Youth Congress, said that the doves represented a commitment to peace and freedom.

As the doves were released, a crowd of hundreds chanted "Free Tibet now'' and "Chinese government out of Tibet,'' while many gripped signs reading "We Will Rise Up Until Tibet Is Free'' and "China Stop The Killings in Tibet.''

Dasang joined speakers including former Olympians Charles Altekruse and Ed Ferry.

"Would we not be betraying the Olympic spirit ... if we do not take a stand today?'' Altekruse asked the crowd.

Supervisor Chris Daily —who authored a controversial resolution that addresses human rights concerns with Beijing— helped light the Tibetan Freedom Torch and promised San Francisco would greet the Olympic torch "in a nonviolent yet most militant way."

"We will meet this torch on the streets of San Francisco with alarm and protest,'' said Daly amidst cheers, borrowing language from the resolution.

The group behind the freedom torch, Free Tibet, held an afternoon march to the Chinese Consulate— calling on China to cease its heavy-handed
rule of Tibet— followed by two other evening events near City Hall, a 6 p.m. rally and a candlelight vigil at 8 p.m. Archbishop Desmond Tutu and actor Richard Gere were scheduled to speak.

"This is not about us battling the torchbearers," Lhadom Tethong, executive director of Students for a Free Tibet, told the crowd outside the consulate. "This is about the Chinese government using the torch for political purposes. And we're going to use it right back."

As the demonstrators rallied, top brass at the San Francisco Police Department met with Mayor Gavin Newsom to discuss security issues during the Olympic torch run Wednesday, including whether the route should be modified.

A series of chaotic protests in Paris and the arrest of seven protesters who unfurled banners on the Golden Gate Bridge Monday have authorities concerned about how disruptive demonstrations Wednesday might be when the torch departs from McCovey Cove at 1 p.m. and winds through the city.

The relay is expected to be met with thousands of protesters in San Francisco, its only North American stop, and the SFPD will receive assistance from local, state and federal agencies for crowd control.

Police officers may be assigned to run alongside the torch runners, Sgt. Neville Gittens said. That would augment the "flame attendants," men in bright blue tracksuits that Beijing has sent to guard the torch during its journey around the world.

The International Olympic Committee board is also set to meet later this week on whether to end the international leg of the Beijing Olympic torch relay because of widespread protests.

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