LONDON, England (CNN) -- Protesters angry over China's human rights record and its recent actions in Tibet scuffled with police and made attempts to grab the Olympic torch and douse it with a fire extinguisher on Sunday.

 

 

 

 

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Hundreds of police officers guarded the 31-mile relay and flanked torch-bearers in an effort to limit disruptions by pro-Tibet campaigners. At least 35 people have been arrested for public disorder offences, the Metropolitan Police said.

Crowds were lining the route across the city, many 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."

China is hosting this year's Summer Olympics.

Hundreds of pro-Beijing demonstrators were also gathered along the route and in Trafalgar Square with police separating them from anti-China protesters.

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 released a cloud of foam from a fire extinguisher in an apparent attempt to douse the flame. Watch as protesters almost extinguish the Olympic torch »

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, which featured many sports stars and celebrities, 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."

Police commander Jo Kaye said there had been a "small number of criminal attempts to disrupt the safety, security and safe passage of the torch."

"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."

The relay appeared to pass without major disruption outside the Chinese embassy despite the noisy presence of large crowds of protesters.

China's ambassador to the UK, Fu Ying, carried the torch through Chinatown, following a different route to originally planned, before handing it over without incident, AP said.

The rally also passed along Downing Street where UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown greeted the torch without holding it as it was carried by former British Olympic athlete Denise Lewis.

Brown has resisted calls for a sporting boycott of the Summer Games. London is due to host the next edition of the Games in 2012.

"It is also important to recognize, when you ask the question about the Olympic torch, that the Dalai Lama himself has said that he does not want to see a boycott of the Olympics," Brown said Saturday.

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."

Later, the torch was briefly transferred to a double-decker bus as around 100 pro-Tibet protesters attempted to surround the torchbearer near St. Paul's Cathedral.

The relay resumed on foot over Tower Bridge despite continuing protests and progressed on its route through east London -- where many of the venues for the 2012 Games are being built -- before arriving at the O2 Dome in the southeast of the city. The relay is due to resume Monday in Paris.

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 around the world before reaching the Chinese mainland next month when its scheduled route will take it through Tibet.

"The Olympic torch should not be going through Tibet while Tibet is under occupation," protester Simon Cook said Sunday in London. "People are protesting for their freedom, they don't have the freedom to say anything. If they even say that they like the Dalai Lama they can be put in prison, they can be tortured, they can be shot."

Chinese authorities have denied these kinds of allegations and have accused the Dalai Lama of instigating violence among his followers -- an allegation he rejects. The Dalai Lama has said he does not seek to separate Tibet from China, only to establish self-rule in Tibet, and that he opposes all violence.

China's state-run Xinhua news agency reported that a Beijing Olympic official -- not named in the article -- criticized the protests "as an obvious act of defying the Olympic spirit." The official said the protest "is bound to fail."

U.S. and other Western leaders have called on China's communist government to provide civil rights and freedoms to those in Tibet and to enter peaceful discussions aimed at resolving the crisis.