The Olympic torch was rerouted away from thousands of demonstrators and spectators who crowded the city's waterfront Wednesday to witness the flame's symbolic journey to the Beijing Games.

As the heavily-guarded torchbearers made their way through the city's streets on a chaotic journey, there was scuffling between police and protesters, but order was restored quickly.

The planned closing ceremony at the San Francisco Bay waterfront was canceled and another one was planned at an undisclosed location. Massive crowds had gathered at the waterfront to support and protest the flame.

If the entire point is to display the flag as it goes around the world and have ceremonies for people to attend and then you change where all of these things will take place and not tell people, then you might as well not bother.