It's hard to imagine the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games as a celebration of world unity while witnessing this disastrous Olympic torch relay.
PARIS -- Paris' Olympic torch relay descended into chaos Monday, with protesters scaling the Eiffel Tower, grabbing for the flame and forcing security officials to repeatedly snuff out the torch and transport it by bus past demonstrators yelling "Free Tibet!"
The relentless anti-Chinese demonstrations ignited across the capital with unexpected power and ingenuity, foiling 3,000 police officers deployed on motorcycles, in jogging gear and even inline skates.
Chinese organizers finally gave up on the relay, canceling the last third of what China had hoped would be a joyous jog by torch-bearing VIPs past some of Paris' most famous landmarks.
Thousands of protesters slowed the relay to a stop-start crawl, with impassioned displays of anger over China's human rights record, its grip on Tibet and support for Sudan despite years of bloodshed in Darfur.
Five times, the Chinese officials in dark glasses and tracksuits who guard the torch extinguished it and retreated to the safety of a bus — the last time emerging only after the vehicle drove within 15 feet of the final stop, a track and field stadium. A torchbearer then ran the final steps inside.
Outside, a few French activists supporting Tibet had a fist-fight with pro-Chinese demonstrators. The French activists spat on them and shouted, "Fascists!"
In San Francisco, where the torch is due to arrive Wednesday, three protesters wearing harnesses and helmets climbed up the Golden Gate Bridge and tied the Tibetan flag and two banners to its cables. The banners read "One World One Dream. Free Tibet" and "Free Tibet." They later climbed down.
Beijing was announced as host of the 2008 Olympic Games on July 31, 2001.
Where was the outrage then? Where was the anger?
I understand why people are protesting, given China's horrific human rights record.
But I disagree with the method of protest. Peaceful protest is honorable, halting the torch relay is not.
Such dramatic disruption of the torch relay runs counter to the Olympic spirit. At this stage, it's unfair to the athletes.
Look back on the 1936 Berlin Olympics. Although there were protests and talk of boycotting the games, they went on. The world's athletes gathered to compete in spite of the serious objections and concerns about Hitler's Nazi Germany. In the end, the accomplishments of the athletes overshadowed the promotion of Nazi ideology.
An important difference: Hitler wasn't in power when Berlin was chosen to host the games. China, on the other hand, didn't just turn into a human rights hell. This isn't a surprise.
Why was Beijing given the games in the first place if there was such opposition?
..."A symbol like [the torch], carried by young people who want to deliver a message of peace, should be allowed to pass," said the head of the French Olympic Committee, Henri Serandour. "These games are a sounding board for all those who want to speak about China and Tibet. But at the same time, there are many wars on the planet that no one is talking about."
International Olympic Committee spokeswoman Giselle Davies agreed. "We respect that right for people to demonstrate peacefully, but equally there is a right for the torch to pass peacefully and the runners to enjoy taking part in the relay," she said.
China's Foreign Ministry assailed the demonstrations. "We express our strong condemnation to the deliberate disruption of the Olympic torch relay by Tibetan separatist forces," Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu said in a Web statement. "Their despicable activities tarnish the lofty Olympic spirit and challenge all the people loving the Olympic Games around the world."
Jiang also disputed reports that the torch had to be extinguished several times, calling them false. "To protect the security and dignity of the Olympic torch under the circumstances there, the modes of relay were temporarily changed," she said.
Jiang also denied that authorities were in any way forced to extinguish the torch, implying it was their decision to put it out.
Keeping politics out of the Olympics is impossible. I think peaceful protests are appropriate. I have no interest in validating Beijing. I think it was a mistake to bring the Olympics there.
But that's where they'll be. Since that's the way it is, the games and the events leading up to them, like the torch relay, should be allowed to go forward without disruption.
The games aren't about Beijing. They're about the athletes, their dedication and achievement. The focus belongs on the competition. It should be. It can be.
Protesters must be careful not to victimize the athletes by ruining their Olympic experience.
The protesters' cause is noble but they shouldn't make the athletes pay for Beijing's sins.
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