Three people protesting China’s human rights record and the impending arrival of the Olympic torch climbed the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco on Monday and tied a Tibetan flag and two banners to its cables.
(Paul Sakuma/Associated Press)
Three pro-Tibet protesters climbed the suspension cables of the Golden Gate Bridge on Monday to protest the coming arrival of the Beijing Olympics torch relay in San Francisco.
The protesters, tethered together on the suspension cables halfway up the bridge, unfurled two giant banners reading “One World, One Dream” and “Free Tibet ‘O8” — a play on the official slogan of the Beijing Games. One of the climbers also displayed a Tibetan flag.
The climbers spent about three hours suspended more than 25 metres above traffic before descending around 1:15 p.m. PT to be taken into police custody, the CBC’s Chris Brown reported from the city.
The climbers are all American citizens and supporters of Students for a Free Tibet, said Tsering Lama, a spokeswoman for the activist group.
Four other members, including a Canadian student who attends the University of British Columbia, were arrested at the site, Lama told CBC News.
All seven face charges related to trespassing, conspiracy and causing a public nuisance, CNN reported.
The torch is due to arrive Wednesday in San Francisco, its only North American stop on a tour that has been marked by protests against China’s policies toward Tibet and Sudan.
The highly visible protest has forced San Francisco officials to make some changes to the torch procession, and police said they were taking “extraordinary precautions,” the CBC’s Brown said.
“All in all, it’s going to be a very sizable police presence,” he said.
Last leg of Olympic torch run cancelled in Paris
Meanwhile Monday, the last segment of the Olympic torch run through Paris was cancelled after thousands of anti-China protesters repeatedly prompted officials to stop the procession, extinguish the flame and put the torch aboard a bus.
Despite beefed-up security, the relay had to be suspended at least five times as demonstrators threatened the torch. A vehicle carried the Olympic flame for the last part of the route but a runner was allowed to carry the torch for the final five metres into a sports stadium in the south of Paris.
At least 28 people were arrested during the relay as thousands of people including demonstrators lined the torch’s route through the city streets.
The protesters, tethered together on the suspension cables halfway up the bridge, unfurled two giant banners reading “One World, One Dream” and “Free Tibet ‘O8” — a play on the official slogan of the Beijing Games. One of the climbers also displayed a Tibetan flag.
The climbers spent about three hours suspended more than 25 metres above traffic before descending around 1:15 p.m. PT to be taken into police custody, the CBC’s Chris Brown reported from the city.
The climbers are all American citizens and supporters of Students for a Free Tibet, said Tsering Lama, a spokeswoman for the activist group.
Four other members, including a Canadian student who attends the University of British Columbia, were arrested at the site, Lama told CBC News.
All seven face charges related to trespassing, conspiracy and causing a public nuisance, CNN reported.
The torch is due to arrive Wednesday in San Francisco, its only North American stop on a tour that has been marked by protests against China’s policies toward Tibet and Sudan.
The highly visible protest has forced San Francisco officials to make some changes to the torch procession, and police said they were taking “extraordinary precautions,” the CBC’s Brown said.
“All in all, it’s going to be a very sizable police presence,” he said.
The Fungus 