Word: torches
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...blue-and-white track suits are traveling the world to protect the Olympic torch, but, in the flame's tumultuous tour so far, they have become a symbol of Beijing's heavy-handedness. The tracksuit-clad Sacred Torch Guard Team was drawn from China's paramilitary People's Armed Police, which is used for internal security. The group formed last August and trained by running six miles daily. While their chief mission is to protect the flame, they've also cracked down on protesters. Sebastian Coe, a two-time medalist and chairman of the London Games in 2012, called them...
...have protests ... but the scale became much bigger when interest groups knew beforehand that they would be guaranteed prime-time television coverage. What was the Chinese government thinking? How could it send the People's Armed Police to beat up protesters, even push around foreign celebrities holding the torch, and not attract even more attention...
...Wednesday, the route of the torch relay was shortened and changed as San Francisco authorities moved to head off any confrontation between pro-China and anti-China crowds. The venue of the closing ceremony for the run was also changed. San Francisco has some experience with dealing with Beijing's foes: the Chinese consulate in the city often sees protests by North Korean refugees and the Falun Gong spiritual movement. But the scale of Wednesday's events is huge: Tibetan activists hung a banner from the Golden Gate Bridge on Monday, and thousands attended a vigil...
...government would agree that it's shameful, but not in where the blame lies. Though China has remained fairly tight-lipped in the wake of the London and Paris relay fiascos, it earlier denounced efforts by Menard and fellow activists on March 25 to disrupt the lighting of the torch in Greece in March. At that time, the spokesman for China's Foreign Ministry, Qin Gang, said that "any act to disrupt the Olympic torch relay is shameful and unpopular." He also warned "that competent authorities in countries through which the torch relay will pass have the obligation to ensure...
...Given the troubles in France, Chinese officials are now almost certainly even more concerned over the torch's upcoming stops in San Francisco and Sydney. Both cities have large activist communities, which have been especially vocal on Chinese human rights abuses in the past. Both also boast proven records of spectacular and efficient protest organization. Between those two legs, meanwhile, the torch touches down in Delhi, where anger over China's repression in Tibet remains high. The Beijing Olympic torch show, it seems, is only just heating...