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Running late
Asr
Srwut was just one of
hundreds of demonstrators
here in Paris - determined
and dogged in their desire
to make sure their protests
grabbed the headlines, and
not the Olympic relay
itself.
In
that aim, they succeeded.
Security officials were
forced to extinguish the
flame on several occasions
as chaotic protests against
Chinese policies on human
rights turned the relay into
a jarring series of stops
and starts.
As I
waited with a handful of
protesters at the Arc de
Triomphe, who were planning
to join the main
demonstration when the torch
relay arrived, there were
bemused looks - and frequent
glances at watches.
Metres
away were more than 10
police vans. Officers, with
riot gear, were receiving
instructions from their
commanders.
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"Where
is the
relay?"
one
protester
asked
me. The
answer -
it is
late.
Very
late.
As we
talk, a
fellow
protester
is
arrested
and
bundled
into the
back of
a police
car.
It is
not
clear
exactly
what he
has done
wrong -
the
torch is
still
not even
in
sight.
In fact,
three
hours
after
the
start,
the
torch
had
covered
less
than
half of
what was
supposed
to be a
four-and-a-half
hour
route.
So, for
the
authorities,
it was
time for
Plan B.
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Another
city,
another
protest
Firstly,
we heard
that the
ceremony
planned
at the
Hotel de
Ville
(city
hall) to
mark the
passing
of the
Olympic
flame
had been
cancelled.
And then
came
news,
with the
Parisian
rush
hour
perhaps
just 30
minutes
away,
that the
remainder
of the
torch
procession
had also
been
called
off.
Instead
of being
carried
through
the
streets
of the
French
capital
on foot
by
dignitaries
and
Olympic
athletes,
the
final
leg of
the
journey
was a
little
less
glamorous.
The
torch
was
loaded
onto a
bus and
escorted
to the
headquarters
of the
French
Olympic
Committee.
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"It's
good
news.
We've
irritated
them and
we've
won,"
Asr
Srwut
tells
me.
"I came
here
today
after I
saw the
demonstrations
in
London
on the
television.
I
thought,
'I know
it's a
long
way, but
I've got
to go to
Paris.'
So I
came
along -
and it
was
definitely
worth
it," he
adds,
his face
lighting
up.
This has
hardly
been a
"journey
of
harmony"
for the
Olympic
flame,
as it
was
billed.
It has
been to
two
European
capitals
in two
days -
and
there
have
been two
major
protests.
And the
next
stop for
the
torch?
San
Francisco.
And yes,
more
protests
are
planned
there
too.
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