Apr 9, 2008 3:24 pm US/Central
Olympic Torch Route Shortened By Protests
SAN FRANCISCO (CBS) ―
The Olympic torch relay Wednesday afternoon along San Francisco's waterfront was shortened, cut in half to only three miles beginning at McCovey Cove, with runners carrying the torch in pairs because of concerns about security, authorities said.
The announcement came as the opening ceremony got underway at 1:15 p.m. PT. Police did not offer an immediate explanation for the change, but city officials had warned they might decide to truncate the six-mile route at the last minute for security reasons.
Thousands of people gathered along the city's waterfront to await the torch, which was scheduled to leave McCovey Cove shortly after 1:15 p.m. PT
Already Wednesday, there were heated exchanges between supporters of China's role hosting the Olympic Games and opponents of the Beijing government's human rights record -- but there were no immediate reports of any arrests or injuries.
Most of the people gathered near McCovey Cove were supporters of the relay and were waving Chinese and Beijing Olympic flags welcoming the torch to San Francisco. Busloads of pro-China supporters arrived throughout the morning behind AT&T Park.
There were more signs of protest along the waterfront. Thousands of protesters supporting Tibetan independence, some with signs calling for the end of genocide, amassed near Justin Herman Plaza along the city's Embarcadero.
Tibetan protesters during the noon hour surrounded a bus on the Embarcadero that they thought might be transporting the torch, but officials said the Olympic flame was not aboard.
Nearby, five Tibetan activists staged a mock beating of Buddhist monks by Chinese police while hundreds watched.
About 1,000 pro-Tibet protesters, with a smattering of other demonstrators blended in, marched down the torch route, sporadically blocking traffic ahead of the official run.
About 10 motorcycles and two police cars with sirens blaring about noon cleared the Embarcadero just north of the Ferry Building of protesters to allow traffic to flow freely.
Near the start of the relay at McCovey Cove, hundreds of people screamed at each other, calling each other liars and bullies.
Earlier, pro-China and pro-Tibet protesters had stared down and shouted at each other near Pier 31 and there another confrontation between the two groups in front of the Ferry Building.
(© 2008 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
