Olympic flame protection party are 'thugs' from Chinese military
Chinese 'flame attendants' wrestle with protesters in London. Credit: Getty Images
Wednesday April 09 2008
CHINA'S blue-clad flame attendants, whose aggressive methods of safeguarding the Olympic torch have provoked international outcry, are paramilitary police -- spun off from the country's army.
The squad of 30 young tracksuited men visible in recent torch relays are the cream of a paramilitary force tasked at home with riot control, 'domestic stability' and the protection of diplomats.
Questions are now being asked about who authorised their presence as the torch was carried through London, with the Conservative Party demanding clarification from the British Government.
The guards' task is to ensure the flame is never extinguished -- although it was put out three times in Paris -- and to prevent protesters demonstrating against Chinese rule in Tibet from interfering with it.
But the aggression with which the guards have been pursuing their brief has provoked anger, not least in London, where they were seen wrestling protesters to the ground and described as "thugs" by Lord Sebastian Coe.
The Olympic medallist and organiser of the 2012 games was overheard saying that the officials had pushed him around as the torch made its way through the British capital on Sunday. He added that other countries on the route should "get rid of those guys".
"They tried to punch me out of the way three times. They are horrible. They did not speak English . . . I think they were thugs."
Barking
His comments came after Konnie Huq, former Blue Peter presenter and a torchbearer on Sunday, described how she had seen the officials in "skirmishes" with the police.
"They were very robotic, full-on . . . They were barking orders like 'run' and 'stop' and I was like, 'Who are these people?'," she said.
The security men entered Britain on visitors' visas but the UK Home Office would not reveal whether they had disclosed on the application form for whom they worked.
Less than a year ago, the mysterious 'men in blue' were elite students selected for the grandly titled Sacred Flame Protection Unit. (©The Times, London)
- Jane Macartney in Beijing and Richard Ford
