Some people will do anything for publicity

Katherine Laidlaw, Dean Tester, and Philip Ling have an article in the National Post:

A woman carrying the Olympic torch was knocked down by a protester yesterday morning during the Olympic Torch Run in Guelph, Ontario, Canada. A crowd of demonstrators appeared and disrupted the relay at about 7:50 a.m., but the torch remained lit, police said. The torchbearer got up and continued the relay.
Cortney Hansen, 28, from Milton, Ontario, was treated for her injuries by torch run medical staff at the scene.
The Vancouver Olympic Organizing Committee said the disruption was an "isolated incident" and was responded to "rapidly and appropriately" by the Vancouver 2010 Integrated Security Unit and the RCMP. "It is unfortunate that this torchbearer's once-in-a-lifetime experience with the Olympic flame was disrupted in this manner," said torch relay director Jim Richards.
Brittney Simpson, 19, of Kitchener, Ontario, has been charged with assault, according to the Guelph Police Service. She is scheduled to appear in court in February.
The incident occurred in front of about 1,000 children and parents who attended the festivities, police said. Ms. Simpson is part of a group known as Kitchener-Waterloo Anti-Racism Action, which gathered to protest the flame passing over native land and continued poverty in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside, according to protester Alex Hundert. Mr. Hundert said the protest was meant to be peaceful and was escalated by police. "The RCMP people kind of freaked out and caused the person with the torch to stutter-step and then trip," he said. "And then things got much worse, because as that person went down, they basically started what sounds like a minor attack on the protesters. Basically, the relay team caused a disaster and the police decided they needed to arrest somebody."
A local reporter said it appeared the woman fell after bumping into a police officer. "The 28-year-old Milton woman hit the ground hard, seemingly tripping over the leg of a police officer who was struggling with protesters trying to interrupt Ms. Hansen's Olympic moment in downtown Guelph," wrote Tony Saxon of the Guelph Mercury.
The torch otherwise remained on schedule yesterday; snowy conditions through central Ontario didn't slow Day 60 of the relay as it passed through Erin, Orangeville, Hanover, and Walkerton.
Later yesterday, on the Saugeen First Nation leg of the relay, there was no sign of protest. Community members gathered around a fire outside the Ojibwa reserve band office awaiting the flame. Nearly fifty Olympic supporters stood, some waving signs and carrying Canadian, Ontario, and aboriginal flags. Adam Kahgee, one of the flag bearers, said the community was supportive of the Olympic relay. He said he appreciated the relay's efforts to reach as many Canadians as possible, keeping with the "for-the-people attitude of the Olympics."
The torch's trek began on 30 October in Victoria. It will make an appearance in 1,000 communities before 12 February, when it reaches its final destination of the 2010 Vancouver Olympic Games.