PARIS WELCOMES THE OLYMPIC TORCH INTO CHAOS

Chaos and demonstration of security, this is how Paris welcomed the Olympic torch on its way to Beijing.

The flame, which started out at the Eiffel Tower didn't go further than 200 meters from its starting point. It was extinguished "for security reasons" says the police and put on a bus surrounded by over 3000 officers in jogging gear or travelling on skates, that doesn't include the thousands of officers all along the road.

Alek and I were at the Hotel de Ville minutes ago and those are some of our pictures ...

Mayor Bertrand Delanoe has already infuriated Beijing by displaying a banner on city hall declaring that his city supports human rights around the world.

Here comes the extinguished torch ...

"They were grabbing people and ripping the flags out of their hands," said Paris-based Canadian freelance photographer Peter Falkner, who was ordered by one police officer to stop taking pictures. source

Comments

[huh]

Alek/Steph,

These pictures are brilliant! Thank you focusing attention on this. I just saw that Clinton (Bill) is calling on Bush to boycott the opening ceremony.

Do you know if there is a web banner one can download of that "Pekin 2008" with the five interlinked handcuffs?

[jean van haagen]

Great shots --- both of you got to the sense of the crowd way better than the mainstream pics featured everywhere.

cant we all just get along with each other?......

[Jp]

This olympic games should be banned.

[huh]

I agree-they should be banned. But I have to say I wonder, with others, why no one is protesting the "war" in Iraq with the same vehemence.

[Me]

It's simple. The Tibetans are protesting because they are being enslaved by the Chinese. The Iraqis are not protesting because they are not being enslaved by the American. They are actually liberated by the Americans and the majority are rather grateful for it. It's so simple even a moron can see it.

[jonathan correia]

Wow! me, What is a republican doing reading this web page. That is a direct spin from Fox news type.
"The Iraqis are not protesting because they are not being enslaved by the American. They are actually liberated by the Americans and the majority are rather grateful for it. It's so simple even a moron can see it."
I for one must be a moron because what I see are dead Iragis and dead soldiers. The liberated don't seem to me to be very grateful. Maybe some time in the next 100 years if McCain gets in the greatfull will be more visable.
As for banning the games are going on, do you mean boycott?
Remember Moscow 1980? ten years later there was no more Soviet Union. Hopefully with a fully attended games it can bring change even quicker.