Hundreds of demonstrators have turned out in San Francisco
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Hundreds of pro-Tibet protesters have marched in San Francisco, as the Olympic torch arrived for the US leg of its international relay.
Demonstrators carrying Tibetan flags marched to the Chinese Consulate to denounce Beijing’s policy on Tibet.
Officials have promised tight security for Wednesday’s torch relay, following chaotic scenes in London and Paris.
Officials in Beijing have condemned the disruption to the torch relay but promised that it will go ahead.
Extra police will line the torch’s route as it travels through San Francisco.
Mayor Gavin Newsom said he had been in touch with officials in the UK and France to discuss ways of handling the protesters.
“I’m not naive to the challenge associated with this event,” he said.
The flame was lit in Greece on 24 March and is being relayed through 20 countries before being carried into the opening ceremony in Beijing on 8 August.
But protests have already caused serious disruption to legs in London and Paris. In Paris, the torch had to be extinguished three times, while in London there were 37 arrests.
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 If I support the Olympics, of course I don’t support the protests 
Ling Li,
San Francisco resident |
The demonstrators are protesting over a security crackdown in Tibet after anti-Chinese unrest.
Tibetan exile groups say Chinese security forces killed dozens of protesters. Beijing says about 19 people were killed in rioting.
Almost 1,000 people had been detained over the protests, a Chinese official announced on Wednesday.
‘Political purposes’
The torch arrived in San Francisco early on Tuesday and was immediately taken to a secret location.
The flame relay will begin at 1300 (2000GMT) and follow a six-mile (10km) route though the city.
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Several protests are planned and police say they reserve the right to change the route if necessary.
On Tuesday, activists gathered near City Hall for their march to the Chinese mission and a late-night vigil.
“This is not about us battling the torchbearers,” Lhadom Tethong, executive director of Students for a Free Tibet, told the crowd.
“This is about the Chinese government using the torch for political purposes. And we’re going to use it right back.”
But in Chinatown, community representatives held a news conference to call for a peaceful relay and voice pride over China’s hosting of the Games.
“If I support the Olympics, of course I don’t support the protests,” local resident Ling Li told the Associated Press News agency.
“This is the first time China has had the Olympics. We should be proud of this.”
International Olympic Committee (IOC) members are to discuss the issue in meetings in Beijing in the coming days, but President Jacques Rogge scotched rumours that the relay might be stopped.
“There is no discussion of cancelling any legs,” he told the Wall Street Journal. “What we will do is study the torch relay so far.”
He is due to meet Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao later in the day.
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OLYMPIC TORCH ROUTE
 Torch lit in Olympia on 24 March and taken on five-day relay around Greece to Athens
After handover ceremony, it is taken to Beijing on 31 March to begin a journey of 136,800 km (85,000 miles) around the world
Torch arrives in Macao on 3 May. After three-month relay all around China, it arrives in Beijing for opening ceremony on 8 August
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