In pictures: San Francisco relay

Like their counterparts in Paris and London, demonstrators rallied in San Francisco on Wednesday along the scheduled route of the Olympic torch relay to denounce Beijing's treatment of Tibet.

Demonstrators protesting at China's support for Sudan despite the abuses in Darfur were among those waiting.

Buddhist monks crossed the city's iconic Golden Gate Bridge to voice their anger at Beijing's actions.

However, there were also a number of pro-China supporters lining the streets.

The first bearer, Lin Lee, took up the burning torch in front of the world's media and the relay got under way.

But soon after it set off, running a gauntlet of protesters, the relay party suddenly disappeared into a waterfront warehouse.

It reappeared an hour later, more than 2 miles (3km) away, on a surprise new route, flanked by police.

Running alongside the torch were several of the track-suited Chinese guards whose aggressive manner caused indignation in Europe.

San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom later told Reuters news agency he had switched the route to uphold public safety.