Olympic torch hit by protests during Paris leg

(CNN) -- The last part of the Olympic torch relay in Paris was canceled Monday after a day of chaos in which anti-China protesters forced authorities to extinguish the flame at least five times, take to a bus and skip some scheduled stops, including city hall.

There were confrontations between the authorities and demonstrators throughout the day as the relay attempted to crisscross Paris, birthplace of the modern Olympic movement, passing landmarks including l'Arc d'Triomphe, the Place de la Concord, The Louvre and Notre Dame.

The torch was eventually driven by bus to its ending destination, where it was displayed again during a public ceremony at a stadium.

Numerous protesters, some armed with fire extinguishers, were taken away by police, The Associated Press reported. At other times police used tear gas to remove demonstrators who lay in the road and tried to block the route.

The chaos came one day after human rights activist demonstrators made the torch's journey through London more like running the gauntlet than a journey of celebration, as UK police made more than two dozen arrests. What do you think of protests at the Olympic torch relay?

The chaos began almost immediately as French 400-meter athlete Stephane Diagana, the first torch bearer, left the Eiffel Tower at around 1030 GMT (0630 ET) -- only for Sylvain Garel, a Green Party activist, to try to grab the torch, agencies reported.

The torch was being carried by a wheelchair athlete when it was halted and extinguished for a second time due to demonstrators shouting, according to AP.

The procession was interrupted for a third time when police spotted a crowd of demonstrators waiting for the torch on a bridge as they approached, the agency added.

Protesters close to the River Seine twice forced authorities to put the torch out and take to a bus so they could continue the relay.

But the Olympic flame itself, lit from the birthplace of the ancient games in Olympia, Greece and used to light the torch, continued to burn in a small lantern in the bus.

Jim Bittermann, CNN's senior European correspondent based in Paris, said that while it was hard to gauge numbers, it looked like thousands of demonstrators had taken to the streets -- although some were Chinese backing the Olympics. Watch report on the Olympic torch relay in Paris. »

"There was a small punch-up between some supporters of Tibet and some supporters of the Olympics," he added.

Paris police had conceived a security strategy to keep the torch in a safe zone during its 17-mile (28 km) journey -- significantly shorter than the 48-kilometer (31-mile) relay undertaken in London Sunday.

The plan was for the torchbearers to be encircled by several hundred officers, some in riot police vehicles and on motorcycles, others on rollerblades and on foot. Closest to the torchbearer would be the Chinese torch escorts, with Paris police on rollerblades moving around them. French firefighters in jogging shoes would encircle the rollerbladers, while motorcycle police would form the outer layer of security.

French Olympic champion Marie-Josee Perec, Portugal forward Pedro Miguel Pauleta and badminton player Pi Hongyan are among the featured torch bearers, although some were expected to wear protest buttons.

The head of Reporters Without Borders, a French-based group that disrupted last month's torch lighting ceremony in Olympia, Greece, had told CNN before the relay began that his group has planned "something spectacular" to protest the relay.

At least six groups had permits to protest along the route, but only for demonstrations well away from the flame's path. The Paris mayor had ordered a banner to be hung from city hall that reads "Paris City of Human Rights."

The protests have been timed to coincide with the run-up to the Summer Olympic Games in Beijing in August. Look at a map of the international torch relay route »

On Monday, French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner said all options remained open for Paris concerning a possible boycott of the opening of the Beijing Olympics, AP reported.

In London Sunday, the Olympic torch was met with widespread protests and scuffles between demonstrators and police as thousands turned out to protest Olympic host China's human rights record and its recent clampdown on Tibet. Watch supporters, opponents of Beijing Olympics in London »

Some demonstrators threw themselves at the torch, and at least one tried to snatch it away during the 48-kilometer (31-mile) relay. Another tried to put out the flame with a fire extinguisher. They were quickly pushed back and cuffed by Metropolitan Police, which said its officers made 36 arrests on a variety of charges.

Beijing Olympic spokesman condemned "attempts to sabotage" the London relay, according to China's state-run Xinhua news agency. The official was not named in the article.

China has come under international criticism because of its crackdown last month on protesters calling for democratic freedoms and self-rule in Tibet and neighboring Chinese provinces.

Chinese authorities have denied those allegations and have accused the Dalai Lama of instigating violence among his followers -- an allegation he rejects. U.S. and other Western leaders have called on China to provide civil rights and freedoms to those in Tibet and to enter peaceful discussions aimed at resolving the crisis.

In most cases, however, the torch passed through London without incident. Tessa Jowell, Britain's Olympics minister, called it "a demanding day for the police" and for the Beijing Organizing Committee, but also noted thousands had come out "to welcome the torch." Watch a report on the torch's journey, Jowell's comments » E-mail to a friend

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