Tocha em Paris (1): O que se vê e lê na China

Ao contrário do que tinha sucedido ontem, em que os incidentes em Londres foram quase ignorados pela agência noticiosa chinesa, os acontecimentos de Paris - com a chama a ser apagada e transportada, durante grande parte do percurso, de autocarro - foram noticiados pela Nova China. Mas sempre com críticas aos manifestantes. E as imagens escolhidas para ilustrar a notícia, nas edições on-line, foram quase sempre as dos espectadores chineses, empunhando bandeiras do país e de apoio aos Jogos.
Eis os primeiros parágrafos da notícia-síntese da Nova China sobre a passagem da tocha por Paris:
PARIS, April 7 (Xinhua) -- The Olympic torch relay concluded in Paris Monday afternoon, after repeated disruptions by Tibetan separatists and their supporters which aroused indignation from spectators and sports officials.
The torch was forced to be put on an accompanying bus for four times in the afternoon as precautions against the protestors, a Xinhua photographer reported. The journey was cut short and brought to the final place by bus.
Earlier, a protestor tried to use a fire extinguisher to put out the Olympic torch, but was stopped by police, and another one failed in his attempt to snatch the torch from a torchbearer.
At least five protesters were detained for blocking the Beijing Olympic torch relay in the French capital, the AFP news agency reported.
Henri Serandour, head of the French Olympic Committee on Monday criticized the protests as "highly regrettable."
"I think that people should have let this flame through, that they could have held their protests to one side," he said.
"Everyone has a right to express themselves but to stop it passing shows a lack of respect for the basic freedom of our athletes to carry this flame, which is a message of peace to the whole world," the chief said.
Another member of the French Olympic Committee said here Monday that the Olympic torch relay should not be affected in any way.
"The Olympic sacred fire is a symbol of peace, tolerance... and should not be affected by anybody in any way," Guy Drut told France 3 television.
Spectators of the Beijing Olympic torch relay were greatly annoyed and angered by Tibetan separatists and their supporters attempting to disrupt the Monday event in Paris, the fifth leg of the flame's global tour.
"We've come here only to watch the torch relay," said a Paris student, who gave his first name as Mark.
"What in the world does this have anything to do with us except for annoying us?" he added, pointing to Tibetan separatist demonstrators.