The final leg of the 2010 Olympic torch relay in Vancouver was halted Friday morning by a massive gathering of protesters on Hastings Street.

Hundreds of Olympic critics, many holding signs proclaiming "Homes not Games," banded together near Victory Square Park at 9:30 a.m., temporarily blocking the torchbearer and procession.

After a short delay, organizers rerouted the relay around the protest, and the torch continued down Hastings at 9:35 a.m.

Lauren Gill, one of the protest organizers from the ironically named 2010 Welcoming Committee, said there were no significant altercations between protesters and police.

"I'd say there were 40 or more police officers on motorcycles, horses and on foot," Gill said. "But there were no direct clashes."

Const. Jana McGuinness said authorities would continue to monitor demonstrations throughout the day.

"We have resources in the area making sure everyone's safe and we're monitoring the protest closely," McGuinness said. "We haven't had any incidents of note yet."

About 50 pro-Olympic demonstrators also gathered near the park, and a few curse-filled verbal altercations ensued, Gill said.

"I think a lot of them don't understand the issues, because if they did they would be on the street with us," Gill said.

"Or maybe they just don't care about the issues. That would be unfortunate."

Olympic organizers previously said they would not shy away from Vancouver's Downtown Eastside.

Protests no secret to police or public

The Olympic Resistance Network has made no secret of it's plans to disrupt the torch this week, publishing a detailed list of planned protest sites on it's official website.

The site calls on all "anti-capitalist, Indigenous, housing rights, labour, migrant justice, environmental, anti-war, community-loving, anti-poverty, civil libertarian, and anti-colonial" activists to meet Friday either at Victory Square Park or at a second location on Commercial Drive near Grandview Park.

The torch was originally scheduled to run down Commercial at 10 a.m. Friday, but organizers altered the route at the last minute to avoid a second disruption.

The torchbearer instead ran down nearby Clark Drive.

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