Protests await Olympic flame in Paris

PARIS - The Beijing Olympics flame wraps up its high-security tour of Europe Monday in Paris where campaigners are planning a day of “spectacular” protests over China’s human rights record.
The flame arrived in France late Sunday after a chaotic stop in London, where police battled to keep pro-Tibet protesters away from the flame and made 37 arrests.
In Paris, police plan to secure a perimeter of some 200 metres (yards) around the torch as it is carried in relay by 80 runners on a 28-kilometre (18-mile) route from the Eiffel Tower to a stadium in the south of the capital.
The torchbearers will be protected by a cordon of 65 motorcycle police, 100 firemen, another 100 police on roller blades and nearly 50 vehicles with more than 200 riot police.
Media freedom group Reporters Without Borders (RSF) -- which disrupted the lighting of the flame last month in Athens — has promised to stage “symbolic, spectacular” actions, but carried out ”with respect for the Games.”
Pro-Tibetan activists are also to hold a day of protests opposite the Eiffel Tower from 10:00 am (0800 GMT), but not directly on the flame’s route.
And Paris’s Socialist mayor Bertrand Delanoe plans to unfurl a giant banner over city hall in defence of human rights.
The flame’s Paris leg comes days after President Nicolas Sarkozy upped the pressure over China’s crackdown in Tibet, refusing to rule out a boycott of the August 8 Olympic opening ceremony.
France’s human rights minister Rama Yade appeared to set conditions for Sarkozy to attend in an interview published Saturday, demanding China start talks with the Dalai Lama and free political prisoners.
She later said she had been misquoted by Le Monde newspaper on use of the word “condition”, but the episode highlighted France’s determination to maintain a tough line towards China’s rights record.
France’s Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner insisted no conditions had been set for Sarkozy’s attendance but repeated that all options were still on the table related to the Games.
Beijing has faced international criticism over its crackdown on anti-Chinese protests in Tibet, which exiled Tibetan leaders say killed up to 150 people. China says Tibetan rioters have killed 18 civilians and two policemen.
From Paris the flame leaves for the Americas, with stops in San Francisco on Wednesday and Buenos Aires on Friday, on the latest leg of a worldwide tour from Greece to Beijing.