Olympic torch to be met by storm of protest

One week into its 130-day global odyssey, China's much-heralded Olympic torch will finally touch down on British soil tonight ahead of an eight-hour relay through the streets of London, which looks set to be marked by vocal protests over Beijing's human rights record.

The host nation's record-breaking "journey of harmony" will meet a growing storm of controversy as the flame, expected to arrive at Heathrow's Terminal 5 at 7.40pm on a flight from St Petersburg, is ushered through the airport's VIP suite amid tight security.

Tomorrow, a formidable collection of 80 torchbearers – including the former Olympic champions Sir Steve Redgrave and Dame Kelly Holmes, running alongside other sporting figures and celebrities – will carry the specially constructed red and silver torch through the capital surrounded by an equally formidable security cordon of police.

Up to 80,000 spectators are expected to turn out to watch the torch make its 31-mile journey from Wembley to Greenwich but among the crowd of supporters will be numerous groups of protesters determined to make their voices heard.

Campaigners angry about China's human rights record, in particular Beijing's recent crackdown in Tibet and its steadfast support for the Burmese and Sudanese governments, have vowed to line the London route with noisy activists. A new series of clashes erupted last night when at least eight Tibetans were killed as Chinese police opened fire during a series of violent protests in Sichuan province in central China.

Police say at least six groups, including Free Tibet, the Burma Campaign and Falun Gong devotees, are expected to voice their disapproval of China during the event, which has now prompted a major security operation to ensure the relay is not interrupted by protesters.

The protests here are a major source of embarrassment for the authorities in Beijing, who are fiercely proud of their 21-nation route, which, at 85,000 miles, is the longest Olympic relay to date.

But not even the announcement yesterday that the British Olympian Paula Radcliffe, the marathon world record holder, was to become one of the torchbearers could detract from the growing political furore surrounding the relay and the Games itself. The Liberal Democrat leader, Nick Clegg, waded into the row by calling on Gordon Brown to boycott the opening ceremony of the Games.

The Chinese embassy in London denied reports that the threat of protests in Britain had forced their ambassador, Fu Ying, to pull out of participating in tomorrow's relay. But as the controversy grows, Britain's torchbearers have also found themselves in a moral quandary over whether they have a responsibility to use their position as influential representatives of the sporting community and speak out against China's well-documented human rights abuses.

Last week, the television presenter Konnie Huq said she was considering pulling out of the relay because of the crackdown in Tibet – in which up to 140 people have been killed – before eventually deciding that she would participate.

The disabled comedian Francesca Martinez has become the first torchbearer to pull out of the relay in protest at China's human rights record. She was swiftly joined by another torchbearer, Richard Vaughan, the British badminton number one, who is also a member of a sporting pressure group committed to highlighting China's role in Sudan. Mark Byford, the deputy director general of the BBC has also withdrawn, while the sports presenter Gabby Logan is rumoured to be set to follow suit.

Ms Martinez said that all participants in the relay had a responsibility to speak out. "This is not a political issue, it's a moral issue," she said. "It's so easy to duck out by saying you're an athlete or a politician. Fundamentally, you're a human being."

Tomorrow's relay will begin outside Wembley Stadium at 10.30am and will finish eight hours later outside the O2 Arena, where Dame Kelly will light the Olympic cauldron. The torch then heads to Paris and San Francisco where further protests have been planned.

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