Olympics protestors clash with police

A small group of protesters clashed with police near Tiananmen Square today, saying the happiness of the Beijing Olympics was built on their pain.

Demonstrations in and near central Beijing’s Tiananmen Square are rare and generally stopped quickly by police.

China is sensitive to any public criticism of the Olympics, and has stationed security agents throughout the city to watch for signs of unrest.

The two dozen protesters scuffled with police in the historic Qianmen district just south of Tiananmen.

The protesters said they had been evicted from their homes to make way for reconstruction of the district.

The area is being rebuilt into a commercial strip with businesses such as Nike, Starbucks and Rolex.