''The general public is very angry at this sabotage by a few separatists,'' a spokeswoman for Beijing's Olympic organizing committee said yesterday of disruptions to Olympic torch processions in London and Paris. ''Some people, they want to disrupt the torch relay. And this will not do any good.'' There is so much wrong with that statement, one scarcely knows where to begin. It is not "a few separatists" who are protesting on behalf of Tibet; it is thousands of demonstrators, Tibetan and non-Tibetan, many of whom advocate autonomy, not outright separation. While some onlookers were disappointed that the flame was extinguished before they could see it, or was obscured from view by a mob of protesters, police and Chinese government functionaries in track suits, there is little indication of widespread public outrage. And only from the perspective of China's Communist government could it be said that protests are not doing "any good." For a long-suffering minority brutally repressed by Beijing, the turmoil leading up to the 2008 Games is doing a great deal of good.

In stark contrast to other groups facing real or perceived repression, the majority of Tibetans have resolutely remained peaceful in their struggle for cultural and religious freedom. Yet save for sporadic bursts of fleeting interest, their efforts have mostly passed under the global radar. Despite the Dalai Lama's international profile and the moderate popularity of "Free Tibet" bumper stickers, Tibetans' plight has never been treated with enough urgency to give pause to China.

The lead-up to the Olympics is changing that. What was to be a showcase for a "new" China has awoken the rest of the world to its persistent contempt for human rights. This has largely been a situation of its own making, with Beijing grossly overreacting to Tibetan protests mere months before the start of the Games. But it is also a product of Tibetans and their supporters seizing the moment. Some of the attempts to disrupt the torch processions - including the use of fire extinguishers - have been more strident than what we have typically seen from the Tibetans. But considering that they are up against a regime that in recent months alone has opened fire on civilian protesters, beaten monks and denied due process to more than 1,000 arrestees, they remain admirably restrained.

With the spotlight sure to shift away from China after the Olympics, Tibetans have a narrow window in which to present their case to the world. If that means fewer spectators can watch a relay team carry a torch, then so be it.