It seems that the Olympic flame’s journey has been hindered by protesters, see the BBC coverage for more details.

I’m of the opinion that these protests are needed in order to send a message to China about it’s Human Rights record and it’s position with regard to Tibet.  However I don’t agree with the scuffles and people trying to grab the torch, it’s important that we recognise that violence has no place in this protest.

It’s interesting to see that people are more willing to speak out and I think that there is a tendency when faced with situations and places that are not agreeable to us, that we forget that we do have the ability to protest and take appropriate action ourselves, not just rely on the government to do it.  This emphasis on the ability of the individual to take action for themselves is a fundamental part of Buddhism, more on that another time.