7 Apr 2008

Olympic torch extinguished during Paris leg

The Olympic torch relay was disrupted Monday by protesters in Paris demonstrating against the Chinese government, causing authorities to twice extinguish the flame and put the torch on a bus, according to The Associated Press.

Before the Olympic torch relay in Paris began Monday, French police detained several protesters.

The torch was being carried by a wheelchair athlete when it was halted and extinguished for a second time due to demonstrators shouting, according to AP. Backup flames, also lit from the birthplace of the ancient games in Olympia, Greece, are on call with the relay at all times to relight the torch.

The incidents came one day after human-rights activist demonstrators made the torch's journey through London more like running the gauntlet than a journey of celebration, with UK police making more than two dozen arrests.

Pro-Tibet demonstrators hold a portrait of the Dalai Lama during protests in ParisThe torch departed the Eiffel Tower, carried by 400-meter athlete Stephane Diagana, at around 1030 GMT (0630 ET) to crisscross a city thronged with thousands of police and demonstrators, shouting and waving flags. It was then due to be carried through the boulevards of the French capital, passing landmarks including l'Arc d'Triomphe, the Place de la Concord, The Louvre and Notre Dame

Olympic torch extinguished during Paris leg - CNN.com

Olympic protests spread to Paris