Olympic protestors return home to chorus of cheers

Published on Thursday 7 August 2008 14:07

A SCOTS campaigner arrested in China after staging a Free Tibet protest outside the country's showpiece Olympic Stadium was greeted by a chorus of cheers as he landed in Britain today.

Iain Thom, 24, from Edinburgh, who unfurled a 140-square-foot banner reading "One World, One Dream, Free Tibet" during a protest, landed at London City Airport to be met by a posse of supporters, media members and family.

Thom and fellow campaigner Lucy Fairbrother, 23, were ordered home after he scaled a 120ft pylon with American Phil Bartell. They boarded a flight back from Beijing via Frankfurt, Germany, last night.

As they walked through arrivals the pair were embraced by supporters and their family before a Tibetan, named as only as Norbu, placed two traditional headscarves around their necks.

Reflecting on their ordeal, the pair insisted they had been treated well after being arrested – but claimed there would be more protests.

Mr Thom, from Edinburgh, said he managed to scale the pylon because climbing was his long-term hobby.

He said: "It was not difficult to get through the security as we had been planning this for four years.

"We were treated well – there was some tough questioning after our arrests but nothing in respect of the way Chinese citizens would have been treated."

London-based Miss Fairbrother said: "We are only a very small part of this campaign and the ongoing struggle.

"We will carry on fighting and there will be more protests during the Olympic Games."