Olympic torch

Scuffles in Japan disturb torch relay

Article published on the 2008-04-26 Latest update 2008-04-26 13:39 TU

Pro-China and pro-Tibet supporters at Olympic torch relay in Nagano
(Photo : Reuters)

The Olympic torch has met with more protests during the latest leg of its troubled relay in the Japanese city of Nagano. Chinese supporters and demonstrators kicked and shoved one another in a brawl Saturday during the Olympic torch relay in Japan, with one person left bleeding.

With thousands of police officers guarding the route, two demonstrators tried to seize the torch and a third threw eggs at the flame. All were arrested, but the relay passed off without serious disruption.

In a last-minute change, the city of Nagano leg of the relay began in a parking lot rather than a 1,400-year-old Buddhist temple, due to objections over China's crackdown in Tibet.

The start of the relay, with the torch first carried by the manager of Japan's national baseball team, was closed to the public, as were rest stops on the route.

Large crowds of Chinese students competed for attention with the pro-Tibet demonstrators, waving red flags and signs such as "One World, One Dream, One China."

Japan was keen to avoid the chaotic scenes at some of the relay's venues, notably London and Paris, ahead of China's president Hu Jintao's visit next month. Hu's visit is the first to Japan by a Chinese president in a decade.

The protests came after Beijing agreed to meet a representative of the Dalai Lama. Over the following few days, the torch will stop in South Korea, North Korea, and Vietnam.