LONDON,
England (CNN) -- Protesters
attempted to douse the Olympic
torch with a fire extinguisher
on Sunday as its arrival in
London triggered angry
demonstrations over China's
human rights record and unrest
in Tibet ahead of this year's
Summer Games in Beijing.
Police grab a
protester as he
tries to snatch
the Olympic
torch.
Hundreds
of police officers were guarding
the 31-mile route and flanking
torch-bearers in an effort to
prevent pro-Tibet campaigners
from further disrupting the
event.
Crowds
were lining the route across the
city, waving Tibetan flags and
"Free Tibet" banners. Others
carried signs reading: "Stop the
killing in Tibet", "No Olympic
torch in Tibet" and "China talk
to Dalai Lama," the UK's Press
Association reported.
Amid
chaotic scenes, police officers
grabbed a man in west London as
he tried to snatch the flame
from torchbearers. Moments
afterwards, a second man
attempted to douse the torch
with a fire extinguisher.
In a
statement, the two men, Martin
Wyness and Ashley Darby, said
the relay was a propaganda
campaign to cover China's
"appalling human rights record,"
PA reported.
"Our
protest is not directed at the
Chinese people whatsoever but
instead at the brutal Chinese
regime that rules them," they
said.
Three
demonstrators were also arrested
as they attempted to board a bus
following the flame as Olympic
gold medal-winning rower Steve
Redgrave got the relay under way
at Wembley Stadium, northwest
London, The Associated Press
reported.
The relay
was also halted as it passed
through Oxford Street in central
London when human rights
campaigner Peter Tatchell jumped
into the road carrying a sign
calling for the release of
Chinese activist Hu Jia, who was
jailed on Thursday.
"The
arrest last week of human rights
activist Hu Jia shows that China
is not fulfilling its human
rights commitments which were
part of the deal for them to get
the Olympics," Tatchell told PA.
"At the
very least, world leaders should
boycott the opening ceremony and
athletes should wear Tibetan
flags when they go on the podium
to receive their medals."
The
Metropolitan Police said 15
arrests had been made for a
number of public disorder
offences.
"This
morning we have policed a number
of demonstrations and seen a
small number of criminal
attempts to disrupt the safety,
security and safe passage of the
torch," said police commander Jo
Kaye.
"The Met
has clearly stated in the build
up to this event that we will
facilitate lawful protest,
however we will not tolerate
continued attempts to breach the
safety security and safe passage
of the torch and its bearers.
Our officers will continue to
respond swiftly and
appropriately to any further
incidents."
Later, the
relay appeared to pass without
major disruption outside the
Chinese embassy despite the
noisy presence of large crowds
of protesters. Hundreds of
pro-Beijing demonstrators were
also gathered on the route and
in Trafalgar Square with police
separating them from anti-China
protesters.
China's
ambassador to the UK carried the
torch through China Town, but
followed a different route to
originally planned, AP said.
The rally
also passed along Downing Street
where UK Prime Minister Gordon
Brown greeted the torch as it
was carried by former British
Olympic athlete Denise Lewis.
Brown has resisted calls for a
sporting boycott of the Summer
Games.
The
torch's epic passage from Greece
to Beijing has become a target
for human rights campaigners
opposed to China's hosting the
Games, with further protests
expected as the flame passes
through cities including Paris,
San Francisco and New Delhi
before reaching the Chinese
mainland next
