Dozens of Tibetans, young and old, held a noisy protest against Chinese rule outside the United Nations while President George W Bush was speaking elsewhere in Manhattan.
Three demonstrators tried unsuccessfully to enter the UN during the protest yesterday and six people were arrested, officials said.
The protesters carried placards and Tibetan flags, bearing dragons and a yellow sun with red and blue rays, and shouted "Free Tibet!" "No freedom, no peace, no Olympics!" and "Wake up United Nations!"
The spontaneous protest was a smaller, more peaceful version of one in Katmandu, Nepal, where police scuffled on yesterday with about 1,000 protesters, including dozens of Buddhist monks. About 12 monks were injured.
The demonstrations were held in support of monks in Tibet, where flaring violence resulted in burned shops and vehicles, and gunshots fired in the streets of the capital, Lhasa.