The protestors who attempted to disrupt the Olympic torch relay in London have been criticized on a number of Chinese websites.

Thousands of Web users have expressed their indignation over the protests on major Chinese portals such as Sina.com.cn, People.com.cn and Xinhuanet.com.

The protestors, 25 of whom were arrested on Sunday by British police, will not succeed in disrupting the relay, the anonymous surfers said.

British police said those who tried to disrupt the relay were arrested for creating public disorder.

London welcomed the Olympic flame on Sunday, and tens of thousands of Britons lined the route to cheer on the torchbearers, far outnumbering protesters.

On the websites, people said the Olympic flame represents a global dream of excellence, friendship and respect.

"The torch relay, which symbolizes agreement on these universal values, should be supported by all. Any sabotage attempt violates the Olympic spirit and defies world peace," an anonymous contributor said.

The disruption attempts did not harm the Beijing Olympics but rather, "offered a lively lesson to Westerners who harbor hostility toward China over the handling of last month's Lhasa riot", another unnamed individual claimed.

"The torch belongs to both China and the world, so any disruption attempt would face world condemnation," an anonymous poster wrote.

The Olympic flame was lit on March 24 in Olympia, Greece. The torch relay will cover 137,000 km before returning to Beijing for the Games' opening ceremony on Aug 8.

(Xinhua News Agency April 9, 2008)