Around 1,000 anti-China protesters have engaged in fights with police and assaulted one of the Olympic flamebearers despite heavy police protection. Around 35 arrests have been made by the police, who had to engage in numerous scuffles with the violent people among the protesters. Two demonstrators tried to put out the flame and one was wrestled to the ground after briefly stealing the torch from a British television presenter taking part in the relay later in the day.

Attempts to sabotage the relay in London were "an obvious act of defying the Olympic spirit," said a spokesman from the torch relay centre of the Beijing Olympic Organizing Committee to Xinhua.

About 80 celebrities, athletes and other public figures participated under the guard of some 2,000 police, some on bicycles, in the 31-mile relay from London's Wembley Stadium to the O2 Arena in Greenwich.

Meanwhile, after accusing the Dalai Lama of orchestrating the Tibet protests and describing him as “a wolf in monk's robes,” the Chinese government continued the series of accusations by saying last Tuesday that the Tibetan “independence forces” are planning to carry out suicide attacks during the Olympic Games.

British Prime Minister Gordon Brown yesterday condemned violence in Tibet and urged dialogue between Chinese leaders and the Dalai Lama for an amiable solution. From exile, Tibet’s prime-minister Samdhong Rinpoche firmly denied the allegations and underlined the fact that Tibetans are determined to follow a "nonviolent path" to obtain what they want.

The Chinese government has constantly accused the Dalai Lama, Tibet’s spiritual leader, of being the mastermind behind the Lhasa protests. He allegedly intends to sabotage the August Beijing Olympics to achieve his goal of promoting Tibetan independence.

Now the eyes of the world are turned towards the month long global tour of the Olympic flame. Many expect the Olympic torch relay to draw numerous protesters for the Tibetan cause. The flame is scheduled to make a trip around the world before returning to Beijing on May 4.