Americans protest against Chinese abortions

BEIJING (Reuters) - Three Americans denouncing China's population control policies protested on Beijing's Tiananmen Square on Wednesday, making another breach in security as the Olympic Games torch made its way through the city.

The protesters, who said they were Protestant and Catholic, shouted against Chinese policies restricting family sizes and sometimes imposing forced abortions on women who violate the rule.

"End the brutality," one yelled on the Square, which is the city's symbolic heart. "To those who are forced to go through forced abortions and have no voice, we are your voice."

Police took the protesters away and questioned them on a nearby bench. Then, unusually for this security-wary country, the three were allowed to leave, at least for now.

Earlier in the day, two American and two British protesters were detained after they unfurled banners calling for Tibetan independence near the main Games stadium, where the Games open on Friday.

The Games torch also began its relay through the city on Wednesday.