The Olympic torch parade descended into chaotic scenes today as more than 25 protesters were arrested within the two hours of its tour of London. Your View: Were protesters justified in disrupting the Olympic torch procession? In pictures: Protests disrupt torch relay Send in your pictures of the relay Former Blue Peter presenter Konnie Huq was caught in the middle of an ugly scuffle as a man attempted to wrestle the torch from her hands. The parade was brought to a temporary halt five times in its first few miles as anti-China protesters made repeated attempts to breach security, including one man who tried to extinguish the flame with a fire extinguisher.
However Prime Minister Gordon Brown welcomed the torch at Downing Street, where at 1pm he posed for photographed alongside the torch - by which time 25 protesters had been taken into custody.
Vast crowds of peaceful pro-Tibet protesters – calling for independence from China – also lined the streets, chanting "Free Tibet" and booing the torch bearers. Britain's greatest Olympian, Sir Steve Redgrave, started the route at Wembley stadium in north London. The Olympic torch route through London Buildup to Beijing 2008: Coverage in full But within five minutes – after he had passed it to the second torch carrier - a protestor tried to steal the flame as it was carried on to a bus. The woman was bundled to the ground and arrested along with two others. advertisement She screamed at television cameras: "I urge you Gordon Brown listen. Free Tibet". After a brief, quiet period, there were three incidents in 10 minutes in west London. Miss Huq, who had expressed her doubts about taking part in the event, ran with it for several minutes but as she stopped to pass the flame over, a man in a brown jacket grabbed it from her hands and six police officers and attendants were forced to wrestle it from him. One onlooker said: "It was a very nasty scuffle and Konnie looked shocked by it all". Five minutes later another man ran out of the crowd and was stopped by police just before he reached the inner cordon. At 11.30am, a man disguised in a yellow day-glo jacket ran out from the side of a crowd and let off a fire extinguisher. He was forced to the ground as the air filed with white smoke. Police then beefed up security, bringing in van loads of officers to flank the convoy running alongside it along with motorcycles and a dozen officers on bicycles closely guarding the torch. Around 15 Chinese attendants, dressed in blue and white, also huddled around it. Four minutes later the torch was passed to British tennis champion Tim Henman. He wore an uneasy smile as he watched the crowd closely, jogging down the road. In Bloomsbury Square the ceremony came to a complete halt in a stand-off between large crowds of pro-China and pro-Tibet supporters. Sir Clive Woodward, the World Cup winning rugby coach, was confronted by three protesters immediately as he was handed the flame. They were all arrested. In Trafalgar Square, as Sir Trevor Macdonald held the torch aloft, large groups of protesters clashed with police in the most violent scenes and six people were detained. Police say they have made around 35 arrests along the 31 mile route.
Al menos 25 personas han sido arrestadas por oficiales de policía durante el trayecto de 31 millas realizado por la llama olímpica en la ciudad de Londres.

La llama olímpica de los Juegos Pekín 2008.
La llama comenzó su recorrido en el Estadio Wembley en donde los protestantes agitaron banderas y cantaron. Posteriormente las protestas se hicieron más dramáticas, pues los manifestantes amenazaron con apagar la llama utilizando extintores de fuego e intentaron arrebatarla de las manos del presentador de televisión Konnie Huq en la calle Ladbroke Grove. Ninguno de los atentados tuvo éxito y fueron evitados por los oficiales de policía y las fuerzas de seguridad que acompañaban a la llama olímpica.

La llama continuó su trayecto, custodiada por más de veinte oficiales de seguridad, para ser observada por cientos de espectadores. Las protestas verbales continuaron por parte de grupos que reclamaban los derechos humanos en China. También hubo presencia de protestantes en favor de China que tenían algunas pancartas.

La ruta terminó en el Millennium Dome después de haber sido transportada por unos 80 atletas, dignatarios y entrenadores, incluido el quíntuple campeón olímpico Steve Redgrave.