Ankara - A small group of Uighur Muslims protesting against China attempted to disrupt Thursday's relay of the Olympic torch through Istanbul, Turkish media reported. Television footage showed demonstrators being pushed away from the bearer of the flame as it was being carried through the historic Sultanahmet district of Istanbul.
NTV reported that eight protesters were taken into custody.
Uighur Muslims living in Turkey have staged many protests against China calling for independence for Xinjiang, or East Turkestan as the Uighurs refer to the region. Uighur Muslims are ethnically related to Turks.
