[mr.x]

Why the Vancouver Sun published such a long article about the anti-2010 lunatics is beyond me...though it speaks quite a bit about the state of the media and its rather cynical and delusional world view:


Anti-Olympic protesters get their game on


By DOUG WARD, Vancouver Sun
January 29, 2010

VANCOUVER -- Anarchist punk ruled on the night of Jan. 22 at Victory Square, in the heart of the Olympic city. More than 200 anti-2010 protesters, some carrying black flags and burning torches, gathered for what had all the hallmarks of a dress rehearsal for the street protests that could erupt during the Winter Games just over two weeks away.

The crowd, mostly young, some wearing bandanas over their faces, had come to march against the "police repression" of anti-Olympic activism. A portable audio system jacked up the energy level with the opening chords of the Rolling Stones' Street Fighting Man. "Everywhere I hear the sound of marching, charging feet, boy," howled Mick Jagger.

A few protesters with megaphones screamed slogans, often laced with obscenity, at startled motorists: "No 2010!" and "Did You Vote For Gordon Campbell?"

The small but angry far-left demo recalled the much larger anti-globalization demonstrations of a decade ago: the APEC protest and the Riot at the Hyatt in Vancouver, the epic Battle in Seattle against the World Trade Organization and the violent clash between demonstrators at the Summit of the Americas in Quebec City.

Many alumni of those so-called anti-globalization convergences were in the crowd, along with younger activists seeking to emulate their radical forebears.

Among the veterans of those earlier protests was Alissa Westergard-Thorpe, an indefatigable anti-Olympic activist and a student at the University of B.C.

Now 35, Westergard-Thorpe is a key figure in the militant Olympic Resistance Network (ORN), perhaps the most radical of the anti-Olympic groups behind the "Take Back Our City" march from the Vancouver Art Gallery to BC Place Stadium, set for the afternoon of Feb. 12, when tens of thousands of people will be arriving at the stadium for the Olympic Games opening ceremonies.

"I hope it does go down like APEC," said Westergard-Thorpe, who was pepper-sprayed, strip-searched and arrested by police at that protest.

"I hope it does look like when Jean Chretien used to come to the Hyatt and we used to have thousands of people out in the street." :unsure:

Westergard-Thorpe added that the Feb. 12 marchers should be able to proceed toward BC Place as far as any non-ticket member of the public can get.

Whether any protesters would try to breach the security fences, she said: "That really depends on what type of police repression we face during the day. You know if we have a day where we're being beaten back by the police when you're simply trying to march, people's tempers can get high." :blink:

A 'mega-industry event'

As to whether she's hoping a disruption of traffic heading to BC Place might affect the opening ceremonies, set to be watched by millions of people around the world, Westergard-Thorpe said: "Absolutely, I would love to disrupt the opening ceremonies."

Westergard-Thorpe said sports should not be immune to politics.

"I'm not anti-sport. But I am against the idea that sporting events like this, which are really mega-industry events, are somehow separate from political events and they're not."

The names, faces and views of ORN members are familiar to police, who've visited many of the activists in recent months.

Staff Sgt. Mike Cote of the Vancouver 2010 Integrated Security Unit said security officials are concerned about the threat of disruption on the night of the opening ceremonies, but that the protest will be allowed to proceed so long as it is lawful.

"The ISU has no issue with protest as long as the protesters don't interfere with our security perimeter or with the rights of other people," said Cote. "And we have no reason to believe that the planned protest will not respect the laws in place in Vancouver."

Cote said there may not be vehicles to disrupt because traffic will be limited in the zone around BC Place, with little parking available in the adjacent area — "in fact, it will be non-existent."

The ISU media official said the final leg of the Olympic torch relay will be organized to ensure there is no disruption. "We have the capability of changing the relay route and upgrading or downgrading security at a moment's notice so it's really a call made on the ground."

ORN members said the protest size should be more than double the 400 demonstrators who disrupted the torch relay in October in Victoria. The protesters created havoc in the capital city's downtown for three hours, forcing relay organizers to move the torch by van to avoid the protesters.

Vanoc declined to comment on the proposed protest marches during the Olympics, citing its blanket policy that it respects "every citizen's right to freedom of expression as protected by Canadian law" and noting its security partners will "ensure peaceful, lawful and safe public demonstrations can occur outside of the venues in plain sight of the media and the public."

The "Take Back the City" march is being organized by the ironically named 2010 Welcoming Committee, whose endorsers include the Workers Communist party of Iran, the East Van Abolitionists and the Vandu Womyn's Group. 2010 Welcoming Committee spokesman Bob Ages of the Council of Canadians predicted the demonstration will stay within the limits of the law. "It's going to be very large and from our perspective it will be peaceful — there's no reason for it not to be," said Ages, who has had discussions with the Vancouver police department about the march.

But Ages' Council of Canadians is a middle-class, milquetoast group compared to ORN and its younger activists.

Despite its small size, the far-left ORN will be the most visible because the mainstream left, including the NDP and the labour movement, has mostly been supportive of the Olympics.

ORN is an umbrella organization for groups like the Anti-Poverty Committee, StopWar.ca, the Work Less Party and the Native Youth Movement. Ages acknowledged that ORN members may not follow the game plan.

"We have in the movement what I call a diversity of tactics. Some people have different ideas about the most effective way of getting their message across."

Westergard-Thorpe and ORN want the protests to become as much a part of the 2010 story as the gold-medal quests of downhiller Manny Osborne-Paradis or the Canadian hockey teams.

ORN is holding a two-day summit in east Vancouver with various seminars on the evils of capitalism and the Olympics. They are planning "days of action," beginning on the first day of Olympic competitions, Feb. 13, against Olympic corporate sponsors. (ORN members have defended the use of vandalism, even arson, to target corporate Olympic sponsors.) They are also participating in the annual Women's Memorial March, through the Downtown Eastside, to remember women murdered or missing in B.C.

While most Canadians think the Olympics are about striving for athletic excellence, most of these protesters believe the 2010 Games are just another "capitalist circus" not unlike the WTO or the G8 Summits.

Many of them are anti-poverty activists who believe that the Olympic Games have accelerated gentrification and homelessness in the Downtown Eastside. They fault Vanoc and the provincial government for failing to deliver on earlier promises to sharply increase social housing in the area.

Some have attacked the Olympics for damaging the environment, citing the destruction of the Eagleridge Bluffs in West Vancouver by the widening of the Sea to Sky Highway. Others say the Olympics are less about sports than promoting the interests of local developers and the marketing strategies of corporate sponsors like the Royal Bank of Canada, Coca-Cola, McDonald's and The Bay.

Finally, the ORN protesters say repeatedly that the Olympics are being held on unceded native land because the vast majority of first nations in B.C. do not have land claims treaties. The activists heap scorn on the chiefs and councils of the Lil'wat, Musqueam, Squamish and Tsleil-Waututh First Nations for becoming official hosts of the games. They call Phil Fontaine, former national chief of the Assembly of First Nations, a "collaborator" for taking a new job with RBC and promoting its sponsorship of the Olympic torch relay.

Grand Chief Tewanee Joseph, executive director of the Four Host Nations, dismisses claims the councils are selling out to the Games, noting the $57 million and 2,000 jobs brought to the aboriginal community as a result of the Olympics wouldn't have materialized otherwise. The Olympics are also an opportunity to share Canada's first nation stories, successes and culture with the world, he said, as well as educate the world about native poverty, suicide rates and land claims through education.

"Everyone has a right to voice their opinions. These are our lands and the Games are on our traditional territories but we don't need them to speak for us," he said of the protesters.

"We're a full partner and we're a proud partner; indigenous people have never been part of the Games before. We never want to be on the outside looking in. If we didn't do it somebody else would have stepped in and told our stories for us."

APEC remembered

Robert Diab, a lawyer who teaches legal studies at Capilano College, said it's unclear whether the police have learned lessons from APEC or the Riot at the Hyatt, two demonstrations where protesters were injured by the police.

Diab said the long-running uncertainty in recent years over protest zones during the Olympics could prompt some activists to see how far they can go. "It seems obvious that all of the anxiety around security and civil liberties at the Olympics may well become a self-fulfilling prophecy. There is so much tension over whether rights will be limited that we may see protesters trying to test the limits in a way they might ordinarily not be inclined to do."

To the protesters who turned out a week ago at Victory Square, the Olympics are too good an opportunity not to exploit.

A young woman in a hoodie took a megaphone and said: "They say the Olympics are coming in February. But we've been living in it for the last five years. And now we're in the thick of it: a s—t sandwich with no bread."

She passed the megaphone to a male comrade who raged that "these pigs would like to see the last breath of sanity choked out of this world. To me capitalism is exploitation and the state a murderer." Someone offered up a pro forma "right on!"

Local activist groups have been talking about disrupting the 2010 Games for years now.

They've put the word out to other anti-capitalist activists around North America to converge on Vancouver during the Olympics. And over the past few years, members of ORN have tried to muck up Olympic public events, forcing Vanoc to stop staging large Olympic-fever rallies in downtown Vancouver.

"If people have political issues, the Olympics is a way to get your issues through the media to the forefront," said Westergard-Thorpe, adding that ORN wants to illuminate the real Vancouver for the international media. "I don't want them to see a sanitized, corporatized image given to them. I want them to see what Vancouver is really about, which is poverty, environmental destruction and a crackdown on civil liberties." :lol:

A protest veteran

Chris Shaw, perhaps the best-known of the city's anti-Olympic protesters, also marched on Friday night as a medic, ready to help any protester injured in any confrontation with the police. He too is a veteran of earlier anti-globalization protests — "APEC sparked my interest and Seattle cemented it" — but he's not out of central casting.

At 59, he's older than most anti-Olympic activists. He's also a top medical researcher at Vancouver General Hospital, managing research projects into Parkinson's Disease and Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis.

Shaw was a key organizer of the No side in the 2003 plebiscite on the Olympics in Vancouver, which was won by the Yes side with 63 per cent of the vote.

As Shaw recounted in his book, Five Ring Circus: Myths and Realities of the Olympic Games, he became interested in the 2010 Olympics while driving back to Vancouver from a protest at the 2002 G8 Summit in Kananaskis, Alberta. He and his friends saw an article in a newspaper on the floor of their car about how Vancouver was hoping to get on the shortlist of cities bidding for the 2010 Games. Shaw and his friends discussed whether the Olympics was similar to the globalization phenomenon they had been opposing in Kananaskis.

"If so, maybe exposing it could be our 'wedge' issue, one that we could use to broach the flaws of globalization to an apathetic or uninformed audience," wrote Shaw in his book.

Shaw said he doesn't want to see any violence at the Feb. 12 march on BC Place. Shaw is the medical response coordinator for the protest.

"I would like to see a lot of people on the street, demonstrating and talking to people. I would like to see the embarrassment that a demonstration during the Olympics might bring to different levels of government. It might force them to deal with issues they've neglected. And if it was the start of a re-establishment of an anti-globalization movement, that would be icing on the cake."

Shaw is among several anti-Olympic critics who have attracted the attention of the ISU.

The police have visited the homes — and sometimes the workplaces and friends — of activists. So far there have been no pre-emptive arrests and the police have long dropped their earlier attempt to limit protest to safe assembly areas. They agree now that the whole city — at least the area outside security perimeters around Olympic venues — is a free-speech zone.

Nevertheless, the police visits are viewed by the protesters as a tactic of intimidation and further proof that the Olympics has undermined civil liberties. To that end, the rally on Friday night was called Struggle Against Police Repression and organized by the 12th and Clark Collective, which sounds like your basic off-Commercial Drive activist communal house. The march headed down Hastings Street, disrupting eastbound traffic.

As it passed the new Woodward's redevelopment, there was a sense of life imitating art. The scene was strikingly similar to the massive photograph mural hanging inside the atrium of Woodward's — Stan Douglas's Abbott & Cordova, which depicts a scene from the 1971 Gastown Riot.

Only in Douglas's hyper-real tableau, the police are chasing protesters on horses. On Friday night, policemen on mountain bikes accompanied the march along Hastings and did nothing to stop its progress.

The new Woodward's was also a reminder that the anti-Olympic protesters tactic of direct action — or "vulgar activism" as APC member David Cunningham once described it — can be effective.

Many credit the 2002 Woodsquat occupation of the old vacant Woodward's building for raising the issue of homelessness and setting in motion the eventual redevelopment of the landmark department store building.

This is one of the arguments for confronting the Olympics put forward by Gord Hill, a 41-year-old aboriginal activist, originally from near Alert Bay. Hill is another veteran of earlier anti-globalization protests who marched on Friday night and plans to join the Feb. 12 march on the Olympic opening ceremonies. He was arrested for disrupting the unveiling of the Olympic countdown clock three years ago and has been visited several times recently by police officers from the Vancouver 2010 Integrated Security Unit.

He said the intersection of the Feb. 12 march and the Olympic opening ceremonies is a "vulnerable point" for Olympic security officials. "We're going to disrupt the traffic flow for sure. I mean you can't have hundreds of people walking through the street and not disrupt the traffic."

He came up with the anti-Olympic movement's slogan of "No 2010 Olympics On Stolen Native Land."

Hill acknowledged that the public sees the Olympics as a "benign sporting event ... But when you scratch the surface you see what a putrid, disgusting thing it is."

Hill has discussed on his No2010.com website why anti-Olympic groups are willing to vandalize businesses. "Groups that carry out militant direct action are just one part of the anti-Olympics movement. Most do not carry out vandalism or arson. Those that do have targeted corporate sponsors of the Olympics as a form of sabotage (along with police & military targets). This can increase the costs for corporations seeking to profit from the Games, and could potentially deter some corporate investment. All militant direct actions that have occurred have consisted of property damage and no person has been injured as a result."

Border issues

Also at the Friday march was Harsha Walia, project manager at the Downtown Eastside Women's Centre and a regular participant in anti-Olympic events. Walia, who also marched in Seattle against the WTO, said it's unclear how many Americans will attend the anti-Olympic events. She expects that Canada Border Services Agency will do its best to prevent activists from crossing the border. She noted how the CBA stopped American journalist Amy Goodman at the border and questioned her for 90 minutes about whether she was coming to Canada to speak against the Olympics. American border officials have similarly tried to stop recruitment of American activists, added Walia, noting that B.C. Olympic critic Marla Renn was denied entry at the border, preventing her from speaking about the Olympics to college students in Oregon.

Both the Canadian and American border services say it will be business as usual during the Olympics and there are no plans to increase security measures to red-flag suspected protesters heading across the border.

Faith St. John, spokeswoman for Canada Border Services, was tight-lipped about how CBSA would deal with suspected protesters, saying only that Canadian admissions requirements will not change and individual travellers may be subject to more "in-depth examinations" on a case-by-case basis.

The Friday march concluded peacefully at Thornton Park in front of the Pacific Central Station. No laws were broken, traffic disruption was minimal and a smiling policeman was satisfied enough to quip that he thought the demonstrators' torches "were a nice touch."

Don't bet on the police being as complimentary during the direct action protests promised by ORN members during the Olympic period.

"The general goal is to disrupt the Olympics," said ORN's Hill, "and to send a clear message to the International Olympic Committee, Vanoc and other Olympic host cities that holding the Olympics can bring you this type of resistance."

With files from Kelly Sinoski

dward@vancouversun.c
© Copyright (c) The Vancouver Sun

[Yume-sama]

Jesus. Can they not add cliffnotes to their articles? :P

These people will probably ruin every single outdoor public celebration night, and I hope all of the houses have really good security.

In the end, they will do far more economic damage to Vancouver than the Olympics ever could. They'll make it so people won't WANT to come back.

It would be nice to see normal people doing counter protests. But alas, they're probably all too busy actually having a job, and a life.

These people should know they are not welcome, no matter how loud they are, or how much of a majority they have on the comments of CBC.

[ckkelley]

I'm expecting a bit of noteworthy disruption but certainly nothing that's going to send things off the rails. I can see the David Cunninghams of the world getting locked up for the duration of the games if they become intolerable.

[Yume-sama]

Like I've said before, I don't have a problem with protesting. But there is a difference between protesting, and being a militant protester. If they can play within the rules of this Country, that will be fine. That would be GREAT. I'd actually give them some respect. However, when they advocate such techniques as vandalism, arson, and violence (and they DO, as the article states, on their website), that goes WAY over the line. There will be problems, and it will be ugly. And as usual, they'll be out there trying to provoke violence, so they can catch something that looks "questionable" on camera, say a policeman with a baton, which they can then use as propaganda against the police and government.

If you're a professional protester like Chris Shaw is (anti-G8, anti-Vancouver 2010, anti-Chicago 2016, anti-Toronto Pan Am), the Olympics are the pinnacle of your sport. Ironically enough.

[SpongeG]

better to know what they plan ahead of time, names, tactics etc. its a good article to let the public know whats going on

I am sure the article will rouse and round up pro-olympic people and give them more reason to drown out the anti-olympic ones

will be interesting

[Metro-One]

This add was just posted on craigslist:


In preparation for the 2010 Olympics, Vancouver police are out in full swing silencing protestors, harassing and intimidating innocent civilians while using unjust techniques to lock up the homeless population. Operation Press Record is intended to call upon ANY citizen of Vancouver or travelling visitors to the city to carry a Video Camera with them AT ALL TIMES and document any footage of authorities abusing their power, using violent or any other ILLEGAL tactic that go against our human rights.

In addition to documenting illegal tactics by the Police, it will put the authorities in an awkward situation as if they target individuals holding camcorders & cameras, they will also be targeting those tourists who will be visiting the city for the games, which could erupt a PR nightmare on the Vancouver Police.

Operation Record was not created to be anti-police because like everything in life - there are good people and bad people and to generalize any group as having one characteristic is foolish. The intention of this operation however is to protect citizens from their rights of freedom of speech and to protect the homeless from being treated unjustly while reminding authorities that they also have to abide by the LAW and are not above it.

If you have a video camera - get to Vancouver for the 2010 Olympics and perform your duties as a protector of human rights by PRESSING RECORD. We need video cameras EVERYWHERE. We need so many video cameras that we have individuals recording the people recording the police. It is only through the power of the LENS that we can protect our fellow citizens, our future childrens rights and stop authorities from abusing their power through a peaceful manner.


www.pressrecord.ca


http://vancouver.en.craigslist.ca/van/tfr/1578518324.html

I find this stuff so funny. I am not 100% pro police (for I know there are bad apples in every bunch) but how about also demanding people to be filming the protesters to ensure they also don't break the law and cause destruction.

That is what I find so funny, protesters who demand vandalism and arson are not protesters anymore, they are terrorists. And are they not essentially becoming the evil they are trying to protest? Are they not protesting "militant forces" by becoming a "militant force" themselves?????

[SpongeG]

and the kicker is so that they can lord over and keep repressed the poor people which they use as pawns

[NetMapel]

With crazy protesters like this, I think I should probably fear for my life on my travel route as a volunteer. They sound ruthless.

[mr.x]

What makes Vancouver such a factory for hippies, delusional leftist individuals, radicalists and anarchists?

[Stingray2004]

I would suggest that any protestor would be concerned about their own safety considering that 50,000 - 100,000 people will be milling about the downtown core enjoying the festivities and don't want their fun being disrupted.

Sozan Savehilaghi is a spokesperson for the 2010 Welcoming Committee, a coalition of anti-Olympic groups that's staging the rally.

The coalition is endorsed by dozens of activist organizations including the Anti-Poverty Committee, 2010 Watch and StopWar.ca to the UBC Network of Sri Lankan Law Students, the West End Wild Animal Alliance and Workers Communist Party of Iran.

http://www2.canada.com/vancouvercourier/news/story.html?id=0252c6ee-2eec-40e4-a551-9b46298c18de

Alot of odd ducks in that lot. :D

[Yume-sama]

What makes Vancouver such a factory for hippies, delusional leftist individuals, radicalists and anarchists?

Warm weather, free housing, and other handouts that allow them to concentrate on "important" things like protesting.

I would suggest that any protestor would be concerned about their own safety considering that 50,000 - 100,000 people will be milling about the downtown core enjoying the festivities and don't want their fun being disrupted.



http://www2.canada.com/vancouvercourier/news/story.html?id=0252c6ee-2eec-40e4-a551-9b46298c18de

Alot of odd ducks in that lot. :D

That's another thing about protests in Vancouver. They are so aimless. Half the people there will have anti-war, anti-fur, anti-everything but Olympic signs.

[SpongeG]

BC has long been a union hotbed and the unions have a huge strength here

the hippie movement was here and still thrives on some of the islands

[Metro-One]

:previous: Hehe, reminds me of the south park joke where the protester walks in with his sign, asks what they are protesting today, and quickly re-writes today's theme on his sign.

Bottom line is people have it so good in Canada (especially with Vancouver and Victoria with the mild weather) that they get bored very quickly and feel they need to protest something.

The funny thing is while they are protesting all of these b.s. causes there are real causes happening that do need public attention.

And no, I do not blame the "Unions" for our B.S. hippie protesting. Nice try though.

[mr.x]

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_vwt55TQq-3k/SHmXPJffRBI/AAAAAAAABvk/lM3nRdavl0c/s320/plow+protesters.jpg
http://images.google.ca/imgres?imgurl=http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_vwt55TQq-3k/SHmXPJffRBI/AAAAAAAABvk/lM3nRdavl0c/s320/plow%2Bprotesters.jpg&imgrefurl=http://chudbusters.blogspot.com/2008_07_01_archive.html&usg=__fTZKZqH5_ZrJlDUaoFd7Xri_oUc=&h=240&w=320&sz=22&hl=en&start=1&um=1&tbnid=C9PMZewyz-nlbM:&tbnh=89&tbnw=118&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dmr.%2Bplow%2Bhomer%2Bprotester%26hl%3Den%26client%3Dfirefox-a%26rls%3Dorg.mozilla:en-US:official%26sa%3DG%26um%3D1

[EdinVan]

Why the Vancouver Sun published such a long article about the anti-2010 lunatics is beyond me...though it speaks quite a bit about the state of the media and its rather cynical and delusional world view:

A more appropriate question would be why you people are taking so much space to comment on something when it's clear that you all agree with one another anyway. The Sun caters to a particular kind of reader, and this forum caters to a different kind. Both outlets are echo-chambers and waste time and space confirming their own opinions. Neither is better than the other, so I wouldn't be chastising the Sun any more than I would be chastising many of the forumers on here.

[Yume-sama]

Yes, because, being against violence, arson, and vandalism is such a radical viewpoint that only the fringe elements contained on this forum could have :P

Does the Sun really have a "bias" towards violence, arson, and vandalism? They are Olympic sponsors, afterall.

Which happens to actually make them a target of that violence, arson, and vandalism, as the ORN has pledged.

[Smooth]

Sounds like a good opportunity for the VPD to test out their recently acquired sonic cannon... I mean "long-range acoustic device".

http://www.theprovince.com/Vancouver+police+noise+device+crowd+control/2207126/story.html

I think if the police fire this up then the protesters will be longing for the good old pepper spray days.

[Yume-sama]

They already caved to the pressure and said they wouldn't use that, like 2 days after they announced it.

You wouldn't want to treat people who are throwing things at you and charging at you somewhat "inhumanely" by playing a loud noise.

Canada's such a wimp :P Which is why they'll have free reign to pretty much disrupt any event, and block any road they want.

[mr.x]

They already caved to the pressure and said they wouldn't use that, like 2 days after they announced it.

You wouldn't want to treat people who are throwing things at you and charging at you somewhat "inhumanely" by playing a loud noise.

Canada's such a wimp :P Which is why they'll have free reign to pretty much disrupt any event, and block any road they want.

I wouldn't exactly lump in all of Canada...I would say Vancouver is a wimp. Sad to hear that the VPD won't be using this device - why did they buy it in the first place????!!!!!!!

[invisibleairwaves]

Protesting the Olympics is really pretty futile at this point. But it's still perfectly valid to have concerns about Olympic security and privacy, and how the police will treat peaceful protesters. Remember that this is the largest peacetime security operation in Canadian history.

I'm glad the sonic cannons were pulled; those have absolutely no place in an ostensibly free and democratic society. Let's hope the VPD keeps up a tactful approach. If it turns out they're using agents provocateurs, I swear, I'll be tempted to go downtown myself with a few Molotov cocktails.

[racc]

That is what I find so funny, protesters who demand vandalism and arson are not protesters anymore, they are terrorists.

This type of over the top rhetoric is ridiculous. Yes, these acts are illegal but are in no way terrorism. To suggest they are is an insult to the people who have lost their lives to real acts of terrorism.

[Spork]

They are treading a pretty thinly veiled line: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terrorism

The second it turns against regular people in a violent way (e.g. volunteers, as some have noted), it becomes terrorism in my opinion.

[Policy Wonk]

Special Deputy?

http://images.wikia.com/wikiality/images/f/fe/Chretien-strangle.jpg
Wikipedia

[Yume-sama]

This type of over the top rhetoric is ridiculous. Yes, these acts are illegal but are in no way terrorism. To suggest they are is an insult to the people who have lost their lives to real acts of terrorism.

You don't have to kill thousands of people, or any, to be a terrorist.

Terrorism is defined as (well, one of the many definitions of course! One mans terrorist is another mans freedom fighter, as they say):
"The calculated use of violence (or the threat of violence) against civilians in order to attain goals that are political or religious in nature"

These people, however, have the ideology that you're only a terrorist if you don't win. And believe me, they'll try to win (as completely futile a that is).

Now, do I think they will go this far? Probably not. But are there fringe elements who would be willing to? You best believe it. And that's why we need the security we have.

These activists shout to the world that police are violating their democratic rights. Hello? The website, part of the Olympic Resistance Network (ORN), advocates arson attacks and has pictures of bombs on its website. Of course the cops are going to investigate the people involved. They'd be derelict in their duties if they didn't.

This is all part of the militants' plan. Just like the little brother who pokes and pinches his older sibling until he gets smacked and then goes running to mommy, the ORN deliberately provokes authorities so they can run to the public and say, "Look what Big Brother is doing!"

They reap short-term publicity while contributing to what they purport to be fighting -- costly authoritarianism.

It's clear the ORN is spoiling for a fight. In addition to the drawing of five bombs arranged like Olympic rings, and a passage that hypes arson as an effective way of attacking Games-related corporate profits, the site includes links to videos of rioting, stone-throwing protesters from the 2007 G8 Summit in Rostock, Germany.

Violent protests get widespread publicity on issues that may be otherwise ignored, and we can expect some anti-Olympic activists to act in accordance with that reality. However, those who plan to protest peacefully, perhaps engaging in civil disobedience, now face another reality: The militants in the protest movement have given police reason, and public support, for a heavy-handed response.

The Olympics represent a high-profile and legitimate venue for political expression. And the ORN and other groups have identified a host of issues worthy of protest. Many Canadian First Nations live in abysmal poverty. Homelessness has skyrocketed in Vancouver. And we are spending billions on a sporting event that will likely produce few lasting economic benefits for anyone but Olympics executives and the event's corporate sponsors.
http://www.theprovince.com/news/Arson+website+could+spur+police+crackdown/2493810/story.html

[Metro-One]

This type of over the top rhetoric is ridiculous. Yes, these acts are illegal but are in no way terrorism. To suggest they are is an insult to the people who have lost their lives to real acts of terrorism.

These people are trying to use terror to achieve their goal, by sending threats to those directly involved with the Olympics and by threatening possible chaos (such as riots, vandalism & arson) to drive fear into the average citizen. Again, in hopes of making the event a bust. That is terrorism, not protesting. The same way that the KKK and gangs are terrorist IMO.

They have the full right to protest and display their point of view, but the average citizen has their right to partake in Olympic events without fear if they decide to do so. These people have no right disturbing public events with threats and violence.

When you start using the average citizen as a puppet, you are no longer a freedom fighter, you are a terrorist.

That is usually how I separate a freedom fighter from a terrorist. A freedom fighter is looking to bring more freedom and choice to the average person without the use of fear mongering, while a terrorist uses fear as a primary tool to realize their agenda and wishes to control the people (essentially restrict choice).

Again, protesting the Olympics in a peaceful manor is OK! Using fear, threats and possible arson and vandalism = terrorism.

Terrorism is not simply killing people, in fact that is a very small part, that is open war, terrorism is simply striking fear into the public, creating mental prisons, which is what these radical demonstrators are trying to do.

[allan_kuan]

agreed.

[WarrenC12]

If you see a masked man with a crowbar beating on protesters, it wasn't me. :notacrook:

[whatnext]

Why the Vancouver Sun published such a long article about the anti-2010 lunatics is beyond me...though it speaks quite a bit about the state of the media and its rather cynical and delusional world view..

That's just a little thing called a fair and balanced media. Pretty important to democracy actually.

What makes Vancouver such a factory for hippies, delusional leftist individuals, radicalists and anarchists?

Whew, somebody's channelling Tom Campbell this morning. :jester:

The protestors will likely just piss everyone off, kind of counterproductive to their cause(s) actually.

[IanS]

The protestors will likely just piss everyone off, kind of counterproductive to their cause(s) actually.

If the protesters do manage to disrupt anything, it will be counterproductive to whatever cause they are protesting at the time. However, IMO, the "cause" is pretty much secondary for most of these people. They just want to protest and disrupt. It doesn't matter why.

[Yume-sama]

Considering half (if not MOST) of them probably don't even know why they are protesting, or the REAL ideas behind it and the "No Games on Stolen Land" slogan. On their website, they claim that ALL of BC should not exist (they refer to Vancouver as Coast Salish Territories, not Vancouver). It, in their view, can not legally exist, nor should it legally be part of Canada. All of BC should belong to the native people, still. So, in OTHER words, everybody protesting stole land to live in a house from the natives.

Now, it is obvious Chris Shaw does not actually believe in anything he says, but this was a rather interesting angle to go at.

[vansky]

great admiration to their passion, rebellious attitude and guts, imagine if anti-view cone ppl can do sth like that....

[SpongeG]

this is one of the many anti-olympic groups on facebook

i just wanna scream on their wall

Smile Gently Against the Olympics--Post your gentle smile here.
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=271501684629&ref=nf

[Yume-sama]

Of the 31, I count 2 dozen really homely looking females.

This is fun, too. The ORN Facebook page.
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=38879607775

Once again they don't seem to know what they are protesting. The first item is "STOP THE G8". Ok....?

[SpongeG]

those types are against anything yet they all blog from the apples and listen to ipods about it talk about sheep

[Yume-sama]

lol I like how the email is "devourtherich@gmail.com"

Somehow they manage to be able to afford computers, cameras, and all that. Presumably made by some very rich people.

I really think at least 2/3 of the people at these protests won't even be protesting the Olympics, as is usual in Vancouver.

I have my bets on anti-fur, anti-war, anti-prorogation, anti-capitalism, anti-meat... and any other pet cause you can think of. I think the city has the attention span of a gnat.

[ckkelley]

^
Plus apparently the fact that Facebook is probably one of the world's biggest multi-national corporate-like entities escapes them.

[Yume-sama]

Oh damn, I didn't even think of that. Organizing anti-globalization (and capitalism) protests on the largest global for profit website, that they all happen to be members of.

That's irony you can admire. :worship: :notacrook:

[proudcanuck]

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_vwt55TQq-3k/SHmXPJffRBI/AAAAAAAABvk/lM3nRdavl0c/s320/plow+protesters.jpg
http://images.google.ca/imgres?imgurl=http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_vwt55TQq-3k/SHmXPJffRBI/AAAAAAAABvk/lM3nRdavl0c/s320/plow%2Bprotesters.jpg&imgrefurl=http://chudbusters.blogspot.com/2008_07_01_archive.html&usg=__fTZKZqH5_ZrJlDUaoFd7Xri_oUc=&h=240&w=320&sz=22&hl=en&start=1&um=1&tbnid=C9PMZewyz-nlbM:&tbnh=89&tbnw=118&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dmr.%2Bplow%2Bhomer%2Bprotester%26hl%3Den%26client%3Dfirefox-a%26rls%3Dorg.mozilla:en-US:official%26sa%3DG%26um%3D1

LOL ... Mr. Plow... that is freakin awesome !!!

[Yume-sama]

Domestic threats biggest Olympic security concern: expert

A University of Calgary expert in modern terrorism says small disruptions by domestic groups are the most likely security threat to the upcoming 2010 Winter Games in Vancouver, but organizational issues are also a critical concern.

Vancouver is set to capture the world's attention for 16 days when the Olympic Winter Games begin later this month. But with that global spotlight comes some of the world's biggest problems and a heightened risk of terrorist attacks, according to Michael Zekulin, a PhD candidate researching contemporary terrorism in the U of C's political science department.

"In today's world, the Olympic Games represent a very real target for terrorism. It provides groups with the potential for large casualties and immediate global attention," said Zekulin.

"While the likelihood of a sophisticated, large-scale attack carried out by an international group like al-Qaeda is unlikely, disruption to the Games by domestic groups remains a possibility," he said in a statement released on Tuesday morning.

Anti-Olympic protesters have already been a thorn in the side of Olympic torch relay organizers, and have promised to disrupt the Games when they open in Vancouver on Feb 12.

"Organizers trying to prevent … attacks are faced with a logistical nightmare including countless potential targets, thousands of people involved and limited resources," said Zekulin.
Organization headaches

Olympic organizers also face challenges trying to secure not only the event sites located in Vancouver and Whistler, but also 125 kilometres of the Sea-to-Sky Highway connecting the two areas.

The $1-billion security plan for the Games will also be challenged by organizational and co-ordination issues because of the large number of agencies coming together for the 16-day event.

The massive effort led by the RCMP involves the Canadian military, several local police forces, border security forces, as well as international support from countries like the U.S. and military partnerships like NORAD.

"There's a real potential that should serious issues present themselves, people and agencies may start acting on their own instead of in a co-ordinated fashion," said Zekulin.

While volunteers traditionally add to the security of the Games by providing ears and eyes on the ground, Vancouver organizers might face challenges if some of those 25,000 volunteer stop showing up for their shifts, as has been the case in previous Games, he said.
Camera's aimed at protesters, not terrorists

The nearly 1,000 surveillance cameras in place for the Winter Olympics won't do much to deter a terrorist attack and are really just useful for zeroing in on protesters and hooligans, says Andre Gerolymatos, a Simon Fraser University history professor with an interest in security issues.

"They will be useful in terms of catching potential troublemakers, vandals, people selling dope on the street, but in terms of terrorists, in a way they are playing into their hands — the terrorist will simply look into the camera and blow himself up," said Gerolymatos.

He said cameras are overrated because they can only record events, and it would be better to have more police and soldiers on the streets where they could react to trouble, Gerolymatos told CBC News.

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/british-columbia/story/2010/02/02/bc-olympic-security-threats.html#ixzz0eQbLeF3Y

[ForestryW]

IMHO these protests are less to do with any well-thought-out cause and more to do with teenage angst. I wouldn't be too concerned.

[mooks28]

The funny thing is, seasoned reporters are going to recognize the usual suspects protesting globalization, capitalism, etc. They've seen it a hundred times before. It's frankly not very interesting, and not much of a news story.

If you actually go talk to the poor, often mentally ill and addicted people on the DTES the story is very different. The question will be about what resources are available and what the government is doing -- and how it got so bad down there. And voila, media information centre in the big, new, woodward's experiment.

[mr.x]

This is quite worrying:





Olympic protesters converging on Vancouver

By: ctvbc.ca

Date: Thursday Feb. 4, 2010 6:31 PM PT

The Olympic Resistance Network, which represents a coalition of social-activist groups in B.C., says it will do whatever it can to disrupt the journey of the torch when it reaches Vancouver and inconvenience supporters of the 2010 Winter Games.

Representatives of the network told reporters Thursday that they are inviting protesters from around the world to come disrupt the Games.

They said billions of dollars are being spent on the Games to entertain the world's elite when the money could have gone to help the poor.

They said they hope to educate the world about Canada's poverty, homelessness and addiction issues.

"The Olympic Games are a capitalist industry, it's a corporatized industry whose gains and profits are sought only by a few, while the majority of people in Vancouver continue to suffer," said network member Harsha Walia.

Members of the resistance network have already disrupted the Olympic torch run in several places.

They say protesters from Ontario have arrived in Vancouver and more are expected to come from the U.S.

They say if things turn ugly, it won't be their fault.

"If there is violence it is not coming from us. The only violence I have seen in these sorts of things has come from the police," said high-profile anti-Olympic activist Chris Shaw.

The group is preparing for violence anyway.

It is planning to set up its own medical clinic in the Downtown Eastside. And protesters have been advised to wear goggles and bandanas soaked in apple cider to counteract the effects of pepper spray and tear gas.

With files from CTV British Columbia's Peter Grainger and The Canadian Press




http://www.ctvbc.ctv.ca/servlet/an/local/CTVNews/20100204/bc_olympics_resistance_100204/20100204?hub=BritishColumbia





Why does this remind me of the "Battle in Seattle"?

[invisibleairwaves]

I smell media sensationalism.

What are you afraid of? There's only been about a billion dollars spent on security, surely your enjoyment of a sports event won't be too disrupted.

[NetMapel]

They had to prepare this many police precisely because of these protestors. They are not peaceful protestors but people who want to cause violence. They should blame themselves for the extra security we got here :shrug:

[mr.x]

They had to prepare this many police precisely because of these protestors. They are not peaceful protestors but people who want to cause violence. They should blame themselves for the extra security we got here :shrug:

Not really, I think there would have been this same level of security regardless of protesters...it's more or less on par with what Torino and Salt Lake had. But there's no question that protesters are making the security job much, much harder to do.

But what's really different is these protesters are making the RCMP/security forces redirect their attention to violent protesting instead of the real and much more serious threat: international terrorism.

[invisibleairwaves]

Not really, I think there would have been this same level of security regardless of protesters...it's more or less on par with what Torino and Salt Lake had. But there's no question that protesters are making the security job much, much harder to do.

But what's really different is these protesters are making the RCMP/security forces redirect their attention to violent protesting instead of the real and much more serious threat: international terrorism.

Okay, that's just paranoid.

It's amazing what 9/11 has turned us into.

[SpongeG]

Internet sites being used to recruit anti-Olympic protesters

Jim Goddard Feb 04, 2010 15:30:37 PM
Be the first to Comment
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VANCOUVER (NEWS1130) - Will planned protests during the Olympics disrupt the Games? Organizers for the Olympic Resistance Network say they have 50 to 100 people using Internet sites and social media sites to round up support from across Canada and the U.S.

Organizers say they have no official estimate of how many people will be protesting on the day of the Opening Ceremonies and the first day of competition (February 13th). However, they have heard of groups planning to arrive from Ontario, and from south of the border.

...

http://www.news1130.com/news/local/article/23977--internet-sites-being-used-to-recruit-anti-olympic-protesters

[SpongeG]

they have some pictures of them kinda sad looking bunch

[mr.x]

Okay, that's just paranoid.

It's amazing what 9/11 has turned us into.

It's not paranoia, it's logical. The security threat for international terrorism at Athens and Torino was deemed as low, but everyone's main concern was only on international terrorism. There was no distraction. The same threat has been deemed as low, but the main focus here in Vancouver is on violent protesters. The security forces could be saving money and/or refocusing their efforts on a much more serious threat than quelling anarchists.

[GeeCee]

They will not be successful. Protesters will be few and far in between. The will of the majority will be heard and we will hold a fantastic Games, showing our city and country to the rest of the world.

[SpongeG]

i think supporters outnumber those against and they will and should drown them out and probably will

[Yume-sama]

i think supporters outnumber those against and they will and should drown them out and probably will

Don't count on it. They'll probably be left alone, and think they are in the majority like the people on the CBC comments.

Just because non-kooks don't show up, doesn't mean they don't exist. Unless you have their mindset.

[SpongeG]

what?

I think people who support the olympics will be just as vocal as those against and they will drown out the anti ones if it comes down to it

[mr.x]

Don't count on it. They'll probably be left alone, and think they are in the majority like the people on the CBC comments.

Just because non-kooks don't show up, doesn't mean they don't exist. Unless you have their mindset.

Yea, they don't care...and if they think they're being ignored, they protesters will probably start acting up.

[SpongeG]

you two are confusing me

who will be quiet? and who will start acting up?

[mr.x]

what?

I think people who support the olympics will be just as vocal as those against and they will drown out the anti ones if it comes down to it

I think this would be the average person's reaction:

"Yea, I'm getting outta here before the police show up. I want nothing to do with this. What's wrong with these people?"


But security forces will likely let the protesters walk all over them...unless attitudes on how police have handled anti-Games protests have changed from tolerant to Olympic-mode zero-tolerance.

[mr.x]

you two are confusing me

who will be quiet? and who will start acting up?


Protesters will act up.

[SpongeG]

its not going to come down to a riot

[mr.x]

its not going to come down to a riot

It's hard to tell...read their stuff, these people are lunatics.

[invisibleairwaves]

It's not paranoia, it's logical. The security threat for international terrorism at Athens and Torino was deemed as low, but everyone's main concern was only on international terrorism. There was no distraction. The same threat has been deemed as low, but the main focus here in Vancouver is on violent protesters. The security forces could be saving money and/or refocusing their efforts on a much more serious threat than quelling anarchists.

The excessive security and suspensions of civil liberties are creating protesters, not the other way around.

Sure, there were always going to be a few nutjobs (looking at the native extremists and anti-capitalists...) but VANOC created more of them every time they made it clear that the IOC and its corporate sponsors superseded the rights of Metro Vancouver residents and taxpayers.

[Yume-sama]

Hopefully they didn't convince their European anti-G8 friends to come over :P

The ORN's website proudly features videos of them rioting, throwing rocks, etc.

The protesters created a "police state" by threatening violence, arson, etc., so they could then complain about a police state. There were clear threats.

This is the reaction, and yes, it is what they wanted, BUUUT, are the police supposed to not respond to these threats?

[SpongeG]

its so annoying bunch of whiners need to get off the pot and live in the real world

I am tired of reading people whine that no more condos should be built in the DTES that the DTES BELONGS to them and the poor

[GeeCee]

no it doesn't, only the poor natives since all the land was stolen from the natives, right?

[SpongeG]

I was reading some article todayabout some women who says all development must stop in the DTES it doesn't belong there - like get a clue woman

anyway my point is people are sick to death of these people and if something happens to them most people won't care if the police step in and do something they are the minority and do not garner the support of the general public

[mr.x]

The excessive security and suspensions of civil liberties are creating protesters, not the other way around.

Sure, there were always going to be a few nutjobs (looking at the native extremists and anti-capitalists...) but VANOC created more of them every time they made it clear that the IOC and its corporate sponsors superseded the rights of Metro Vancouver residents and taxpayers.

At the end of the day, I care much more about the successful implementation of the Games and the safety and security of citizens, spectators, athletes, media, and dignitaries.

What you call "excessive security and suspensions of civil liberties" has been the result of anti-Games protesters actions and activities over the last few years including their stunts like ruining the 3-year countdown/clock unveiling, ruining the Olympic Train concert, and excessive violent threats against the Games. What's most important is that these so-called "excessive security and suspensions of civil liberties" are temporary.

VANOC hasn't done anything to provoke these people. It's the fact that these are simply the "Olympic Games" that has provoked them.

[mooks28]

Oh, we need to chill. These are the usual suspects every time. There are going to be thousands of people in the streets. Only the hard core protesters are going to show. There are a lot of anti-olympic people who wouldn't be caught dead in an anarchist anti-globalization protest.

[invisibleairwaves]

At the end of the day, I care much more about the successful implementation of the Games and the safety and security of citizens, spectators, athletes, media, and dignitaries.

What you call "excessive security and suspensions of civil liberties" has been the result of anti-Games protesters actions and activities over the last few years including their stunts like ruining the 3-year countdown/clock unveiling, ruining the Olympic Train concert, and excessive violent threats against the Games. What's most important is that these so-called "excessive security and suspensions of civil liberties" are temporary.

VANOC hasn't done anything to provoke these people. It's the fact that these are simply the "Olympic Games" that has provoked them.

Yeah, it's just because it's the Olympics. Right. Nobody cares about the massive bill, forcing cuts to such minor services as healthcare and education. Nobody cares about the fact that the poorest urban neighbourhood in Canada is a couple blocks from the biggest venues. Nobody cares about the idea that your rights as a citizen can be suspended for a sports event. It's all just blind hatred of the concept of the Olympics.

I'll concede that the protests are, at this point, pretty futile. But, like it or not, they have the right to voice their opinion, even if it makes your precious games look bad. I am hoping the security force respects that right, leaves peaceful protesters alone and completely swears off the use of agent provocateurs. But I'll believe it when I see it.

[Yume-sama]

It's actually not really about the Olympics at all, at least for those who are spearheading the issue. That's the biggest mis-understanding. Chris Shaw IS a professional protester. He protests the G8, the G12. The Vancouver Olympics kind of fell in to his lap, even he admits, and it has been a very good movement to further his biggest cause... himself. But along the way he was a vocal anti-Chicago 2016 advocate, and now, he has seemingly moved on to being anti-2016 Toronto Pan Am Games advocate. He is just, quite simply, against whatever is in the news. So that he can get in the news himself and sell his book :P Yes, he has gained some followers, however, they are more anti-capitalist, anti-globalization. anti-whatever, than particularly anti-Olympic.

To further his goal of being "anti-whatever" he clings on to special interests in any given city. He doesn't ACTUALLY really care.

Let's all hope he moves to Rio and becomes anti-2016 Olympics. But, there's less bleeding heart lefties to pander to down there. ;)

I have a feeling he would find out what a police state is, if he tried, anyways. :haha:

And, I do ask, what rights have been taken away because of the Olympics? What can you not do that you could do before? It's fun to say, but there are never any examples.

I really don't care if people protest. Hell, there's a couple of protests per day in Vancouver. It's what we do. But these people have no intention of being "peaceful".

[mr.x]

Yeah, it's just because it's the Olympics. Right. Nobody cares about the massive bill, forcing cuts to such minor services as healthcare and education. Nobody cares about the fact that the poorest urban neighbourhood in Canada is a couple blocks from the biggest venues. Nobody cares about the idea that your rights as a citizen can be suspended for a sports event. It's all just blind hatred of the concept of the Olympics.

I'll concede that the protests are, at this point, pretty futile. But, like it or not, they have the right to voice their opinion, even if it makes your precious games look bad. I am hoping the security force respects that right, leaves peaceful protesters alone and completely swears off the use of agent provocateurs. But I'll believe it when I see it.

At this point, regardless of your support of the Games, it is in your interest that the Games go off successfully without any problems. They can protest all they want, as long as they are non-disruptive (not blocking streets, respective of those that support the Games and are watching events) and especially non-violent.

Cuts to healthcare and education largely have to do with the Liberal government's first few years when they were tackling their budget deficit and dealing with changing demographics and lower school enrollment in small B.C. towns.

The poorest neighbourhood in Canada is often made out to be Vancouver's own problem when it's a national problem with frigid winter major cities pass their homeless problems onto our shoulders and WE encourage that by building a never ending supply of social services and social housing. Yet still, Canada's poorest neighbourhood is NOTHING compared to many, many American cities. And yet, we are working on improving the DTES. The Olympics have been a blessing for social housing, social programs, and homeless shelters.

It's better to be more concerned about the cost efficiency of things that are part of our day to day life. Things that have annual budgets many multiples of the one-time Olympic expenditure, year after year after year. And of course things like federal stimulus money that is being not as wisely spent due to arbitrary spending deadlines that could be fixed in one short statement from the feds. To claim that the Olympics is the reason behind all our shortfalls is lazy and unacceptable when the real problems are those departments themselves.

Any society needs to balance things. If we only concentrate on the basics we will become austere and things like the Sistine Chapel, Cathedral de Notre Dame or the Sydney Opera House would have never been, we wouldn't have art or culture and the things that define us would be gone. There would be no creative development and art and culture (which I include sport to be) is a pure expression of spirit and soul, it gives us an insight into ourselves that we can't see by just looking at the numbers. And it provides enjoyment and an escape. Art and sport have existed since before civilization and they continue to be an important part of society and culture. To ignore this is to be willfully ignorant and to that there is no excuse.

[NetMapel]

Don't attend the games if you don't want to, but check out the events at the Cultural Olympiad. There are sooo many events there from music concert, theatres, visual arts and more. Go pick up the event calendar and see for yourself :) It's quite awesome.

[jlousa]

I'm going to carry a large sign stating "No Protesters on Stolen Native Land" :cheers:

I will be one of the games supporters that will turn on the protesters should they disrupt my right to enjoy the games.

[Stingray2004]

I will be one of the games supporters that will turn on the protesters should they disrupt my right to enjoy the games.

I'll second that. And I will again re-iterate that there will be perhaps 100,000 people milling about the downtown core enjoying the games every day.

[AlexYVR]

The excessive security and suspensions of civil liberties are creating protesters, not the other way around.

Sure, there were always going to be a few nutjobs (looking at the native extremists and anti-capitalists...) but VANOC created more of them every time they made it clear that the IOC and its corporate sponsors superseded the rights of Metro Vancouver residents and taxpayers.

I agree with most of your points - such as the rights for peaceful, non-violent protest if people wish - but you're overlooking the fact that Metro Vancouver residents signed on the dotted line for all of this when 64% voted to host the Olympics in 2003. This isn't just a majority but a supermajority, showing true support for what's happening. There have been cost overruns and compromises, but these are part of any undertaking of this scale. Like ANY democratic process, it is the citizenry's right to make themselves heard - peacefully - even if they are in the minority. The Olympics are not taking these rights away. It's democracy, guy.

[johnjimbc]

In all seriousness, let me share the benefit of living in DC. Do not under any circumstances do direct or even seemingly benign confrontation of protesters. It might lead you to get swept up in any arrests that take place.

I can't count the number of times that innocent bystanders in DC ended up being rounded up if the police dealt with a protest growing confrontational. It didn't happen all the time, but there were sporadic reports from protests large and small the entire time I lived there.

I can recall protests where people walking to work or tourists checking out the sites stopped at a pedestrian walk, and ended up being "on the wrong side of the street" when the arrests began. The only decision they faced once that happened was to run or stay to explain their circumstances. But when arrests begin, police procedure is almost always to take everyone in and deal with it at the station. Result: Uninvolved people wasting hours explaining themselves to security.

The best bet is just to move away and contact authorities if they are not already present. Do that no matter how angry you may feel if someone is disrupting a peaceful crowd, or defacing property, or whatever etc. Obviously if someone is in danger, that's a different matter. But that's typically not the case. A window or street-lamp or bus stop are not worth getting involved.

A couple of other quick thoughts:

Yume, I know you hate the CBC but you should really give it a rest sometimes ;). It's not related to every topic. I read the CBC, and I think you and I probably agree on nearly every topic on here so what does that say? I seriously doubt millions of CBC readers have anything to do with folks planning protests in Vancouver. My sense is they must be doing a pretty good job as a new agency to be decried as both elitists and jobless wannabees . . . . that's quite a diverse range of insults ;). Globe and Mail provides some decent reporting, but I find the comments there nuttier than anything I see on CBC (not to mention the cultish camp quality . . . commenters at G&M actually "know" and address each other via the comment boards there which is just weird . . . its a news site not a blog :). And the National Post, well, don't even get me started. Having a point of view is one thing, but the amount of blatantly incorrect information I've read in their articles astounds me. Besides, I don't think any of those news organizations are major sources of information to the "network" hoping to gather in Vancouver.

Last thought on the topic is I pity the mental refuge of someone whose attitude is, "We're peaceful but, hey, if any of the folks we're dredging up to ask to join us start breaking windows, oh well." That's the strangest display of passivism I've ever witnessed. I imagine they'd invite Charles Manson to a holiday party as well? I'm sure they'll be nowhere to be found if things go awry. Geez.

[David]

the fact that Metro Vancouver residents signed on the dotted line for all of this when 64% voted to host the Olympics in 2003.

...that's not true. It was a non-binding plebiscite which only residents of the City of Vancouver voted on

[mooks28]

...that's not true. It was a non-binding plebiscite which only residents of the City of Vancouver voted on

That's true. I suspect that number would have been much higher than 64% if all of Metro got to vote.

[Yume-sama]

I don't have a problem with CBC reporting. In fact, I read their articles quite often.

I was more or less commenting on the deranged people who comment on every single CBC article with stuff so far out there you need a telescope to figure out what they're talking about.

And they are definitely in the majority there. And because of this have the twisted view that normal people agree with them.

[deagleman]

Yeah, it's just because it's the Olympics. Right. Nobody cares about the massive bill, forcing cuts to such minor services as healthcare and education. Nobody cares about the fact that the poorest urban neighbourhood in Canada is a couple blocks from the biggest venues. Nobody cares about the idea that your rights as a citizen can be suspended for a sports event. It's all just blind hatred of the concept of the Olympics.

I'll concede that the protests are, at this point, pretty futile. But, like it or not, they have the right to voice their opinion, even if it makes your precious games look bad. I am hoping the security force respects that right, leaves peaceful protesters alone and completely swears off the use of agent provocateurs. But I'll believe it when I see it.

Not many do care nor did they care even before the Olympics. We wouldn't have fixed our ills without the Olympics and most likely our governments would have wasted cash elsewhere.

I don't care for the Olympics much, though I do plan to enjoy it, but I simply can't stand people coming out all morally superior and self-righteous only during special occasions. Yes I get it, help poor people, save schools. I donate, pay taxes and volunteer so let me just enjoy the 2 weeks in peace without the fear that my beloved city will become an international laughing stock.

[WBC]

That's true. I suspect that number would have been much higher than 64% if all of Metro got to vote.

Depends on how you ask the question. The question was:

"Do you support or do you oppose the City of Vancouver's participation in hosting the 2010 Olympic Winter Games and Paralympic Winter Games?"

That's like asking - "would you like to participate in having fun"? And that's with Yes side being financed by the province and the no side not being financed by anybody (88 to 1 in favor of "yes" campaing spending).

It's water under the bridge at this point anyway. I know that most people on this forum are very gang ho about the Olympics (due to demographics), but you have to realize that there is a small minority that is very much for it and we'll participate in it; there is even smaller minority that is hell bent to oppose it; and then there is the majority of population that has no interest in it, won't spend money on it, and is trying their best to avoid being inconvenienced by it, if at all possible (i.e. run for the hills approach practiced by most Olympic city residents around the world).

(The above is based on my informal survey at work which resulted only in one person in 20 asked going to an event and only because they got deeply discounted tickets due to their connections to the Sweedish skiing team :banana: )

I for once am going to try to focus on tangible benefits of the games - we got Canada Line!

[djmk]

if i'm enjoying myself at these olymips and a protester gets all hot and bothered in my face, my fist will be in theirs.

it's as simple as that. bring it on boys. there will be beer in me.

you may read this and say that this is nothing but internet bravado, but let me tell you... i know i am not the only one that thinks this way. many are getting sick of these people.

[GeeCee]

Guys, we should not be inciting violence against protesters.. if anything it will only encourage them. Not to mention that these kinds of threats being made in a public forum are not the greatest idea in the first place.

[Yume-sama]

:P I'd be more likely to be scared of them and pretend to be on their side, if confronted. It's not worth arguing or a confrontation lol

It's how I deal with the Greenpeace, etc. people that harass you on West Georgia :D Once I signed their petition while wearing a leather jacket. I got looks :(

[mooks28]

I want to cross a PETA demonstration wearing fur. Now that would be fun!

[Yume-sama]

anti-fur people scare me more than anti-Olympic people. And I don't even own any fur :P

Being Vancouver, there will probably be at least a handful of them joining in on the anti-Olympic parade, along with every other pet cause that you can think of.

[deagleman]

I don't have a problem with CBC reporting. In fact, I read their articles quite often.

I was more or less commenting on the deranged people who comment on every single CBC article with stuff so far out there you need a telescope to figure out what they're talking about.

And they are definitely in the majority there. And because of this have the twisted view that normal people agree with them.

Welcome to the internet! :P Where people don't really want open discussion and learning but instead want their narrow views of the world validated by others who think the same. It makes them feel smarter and better about themselves.

It used to be called group think but lately the youngins seems to be calling it a circle jerk which is much more hilarious and fitting.

[SpongeG]

I agree with most of your points - such as the rights for peaceful, non-violent protest if people wish - but you're overlooking the fact that Metro Vancouver residents signed on the dotted line for all of this when 64% voted to host the Olympics in 2003. This isn't just a majority but a supermajority, showing true support for what's happening. There have been cost overruns and compromises, but these are part of any undertaking of this scale. Like ANY democratic process, it is the citizenry's right to make themselves heard - peacefully - even if they are in the minority. The Olympics are not taking these rights away. It's democracy, guy.

the refernedum was a joke though - vancouver had already won the games - it was a token gesture there was no way they would go to the IOC and so oh the citizens dfon't want the games

[satishreddy]

the refernedum was a joke though - vancouver had already won the games - it was a token gesture there was no way they would go to the IOC and so oh the citizens dfon't want the games

Your statement is incorrect. COPE with Larry Campbell as Mayor swept into office in Vancouver in November 2002. The referendum (actually I think it was a plebiscite) took place in February 2003. (I live in Vancouver and voted Yes.) The games were awarded to Vancouver on July 2, 2003. If the vote had been 64% against, I doubt that Vancouver would have been awarded the games.

[Zassk]

(The above is based on my informal survey at work which resulted only in one person in 20 asked going to an event and only because they got deeply discounted tickets due to their connections to the Sweedish skiing team :banana: )

The result could not be more different at my work. On average more than 1/3 of people that I've asked at my workplace are going to Olympics events, and my employer itself has given away about a hundred tickets to employees in random draws. And no, we are not a sponsor or anything like that. It is foolish to draw conclusions from anecdotal evidence like yours (or mine).

[osirisboy]

if i'm enjoying myself at these olymips and a protester gets all hot and bothered in my face, my fist will be in theirs.

it's as simple as that. bring it on boys. there will be beer in me.

you may read this and say that this is nothing but internet bravado, but let me tell you... i know i am not the only one that thinks this way. many are getting sick of these people.

I totally agree with you. I know lot of people that are fed up with these losers.

[mr.x]

I get rage strokes with these protesters, I seriously do...but I'm gonna put my faith on security forces to act accordingly to their antics.

[bils]

I get rage strokes with these protesters, I seriously do...but I'm gonna put my faith on security forces to act accordingly to their antics.

what exactly "acting accordinly" implies is going to be watched very carefully. if there's any force used by police, i'm sure there'll be countless inquiries and controversy for years to come.

[mr.x]

what exactly "acting accordinly" implies is going to be watched very carefully. if there's any force used by police, i'm sure there'll be countless inquiries and controversy for years to come.

1) If protesters are blocking roads/traffic, they need to be removed immediately.

2) If protesters are using megaphones to disrupt outdoor celebration events, they need to be removed immediately.

3) If protesters are caught vandalizing Olympic decorations and/or public/private property, they need to be arrested immediately.

4) If protesters are caught trying to climb over a security fence, they need to be removed immediately.

5) If protesters are caught intimidating/harrassing Olympic spectators (individuals protesters deemed as "brainwashed" and "supportive of this capitalist event"), they must be removed immediately.



Zero tolerance. The Games are here. We've dealt with this B.S. with the countdown events over the past few years. But this time, the foot is going down.

[mr.x]

Anti-Olympic activists plan massive disruption on opening day of Vancouver Olympics


By Ian MacLeod , Canwest News Service
February 5, 2010 2:22 PM

OTTAWA — A call has gone out for anti-Olympic activists from across the continent to clog the streets of Vancouver and disrupt the first full day of the Winter Games.

Details of the planned Feb. 13 street march, called “2010 Heart Attack: clog the arteries of Capitalism,” appeared Friday on InfoShop News, a U.S.-based anarchist web site and Vancouver’s Olympic Resistance Network site.

“Several anti-capitalist, anti-colonial groups and individuals are organizing a demonstration respecting the diversity of tactics,” it announced.

“We expect your group to have a collective position on how confrontational you want to be during the demonstration. We also expect that discussion or proposal of illegal acts remains between comrades and affinity groups in order to keep everyone safe.”

The planned march will take place outside a designated area near the Pacific Coliseum for protesters to assemble. Police say the site and other “safe assembly areas” are not meant to stifle dissent, but rather to provide areas where protest is possible.

The online call to action urges protesters to support, “each others’ chosen method of resistance while not threatening the lives of those around us. It is a way by which we hope to create space for the realization of tension, uncertainty, action, humour and beauty as we strive for new ways to engage with each other and against a common enemy.

“As participants we agree to leave the policing of tactics to our oppressors, not our comrades; we will not attack each other for using methods that are not our own. Through a diversity of tactics we are stronger and more cohesive towards our goal of giving Capitalism a massive coronary.”

Organizers could not be reached to elaborate.

The march is to coincide with the first “autonomous day of action,” sponsored by the Olympic Resistance Network, which bills the events as, “action including anti-corporate actions, rallies to oppose militarization and more.”

“People are expecting trouble from the police, this is not specific to the 13th, but for all the actions that have been called,” said Harjap Grewal, a network member. “The police have never dealt with a situation where they’re actually doing security against a mass demonstration at an Olympic Games. They’ve done this at the WTO and the Free Trade Area of the Americas meetings, where they can basically set up a police line around one venue and they’re OK.

“But they’re dealing with 50,000 tourists and a city that’s going to have all sorts of things going on.” he said. “People are curious about what’s going to happen, but there’s always more of a concern in these situations about what the police action is going to be then what the protesters’ actions are.”

For months now, a loose coalition of anti-Olympic, anti-global, anti-poverty and anti-capitalists have been organizing protests to take place at the Games, always a favourite backdrop for demonstrators. Olympic security is responding with more than 15,000 police, military and private security guards and a total security budget of $900 million.

The only violence over the past two years has come from rebels who have claimed direct action against upward of 50 windows at nationwide branches of RBC, a chief sponsor of the Games.

Meanwhile, the risk of terrorism or other attacks aimed at disrupting the Olympics in Vancouver remains at a low level, the head of security for the Vancouver Olympics said this week.

As for smaller threats to the Games from the Olympic Resistance Network and others, Assistant RCMP Commissioner Bud Mercer said no citizen would be allowed to disrupt the Games in a way that breaks the law.

“Everyone has the right to enjoy the Games ...,” he said. “Not just the Olympic Resistance Network.”

© Copyright (c) The Vancouver Sun






And in amidst all this chaos will be a terrorist's opportunity to carry out a real terrorist attack...

[Yume-sama]

Well, at least they are promising not to kill people. That's super.

[mr.x]

Police outline rules for Olympic protesters

Feb 05, 2010 12:41:30 PM

VANCOUVER (NEWS1130) - From soccer moms to anarchists, up to 1,500 demonstrators are expected when the Olympic Games begin a week from today. The police have laid down the rules for what they will and will not allow protesters to do. Both the RCMP and Vancouver Police say they want to make it very clear they have nothing against lawful, peaceful demonstrations that do not keep other people from enjoying normal lawful activities.

However, Vancouver Deputy Police Chief Steve Sweeney says they have plans for protestors who don't know what the 'no-no's' are after some anti-Olympic activists have pledged to do their best to disrupt the Games. "It depends on what they mean by disruption, again if they're going to tackle the torchbearer, that's unlawful."

Sweeney says police won't let demonstrators block the path of the Olympic torch either. Special areas have been set aside at most venues where demonstrators can vent whatever they want.

[mezzanine]

In all seriousness, let me share the benefit of living in DC. Do not under any circumstances do direct or even seemingly benign confrontation of protesters. It might lead you to get swept up in any arrests that take place.

I agree whole-heartedly. Be cool. If you absolutely have to do something, use a mobile device to film the morons going on a rampage (well away from said morons), then get ready to submit that to the authorities.

[mooks28]

I think everyone needs to chill. Where are all these out-of-town protesters going to stay? It's not like there's extra space available and it would be somewhat ironic if they took shelter that could be used by someone who's homeless...

By saying there MIGHT be 1500 protesters, they have probably gotten they wanted in terms of coverage.

[djmk]

Anti-Olympic activists plan massive disruption on opening day of Vancouver Olympics




Details of the planned Feb. 13 street march, called “2010 Heart Attack: clog the arteries of Capitalism,” appeared Friday on InfoShop News, a U.S.-based anarchist web site and Vancouver’s Olympic Resistance Network site.



so far, this article at infoshop news has had 0 comments and 82 views (of which probably 3 have been from me)

i tried to comment but it took too long to register. i wanted to write "do not protest around the guy wearing red, because he gets mad easily and will F##K U up"

[bils]

Anti-Olympic activists plan massive disruption on opening day of Vancouver Olympics



that's perfect! let them protest on the 12th, arrest them all and lock them up until march 1st.

[Yume-sama]

Do you think they would be particularly offended being photographed while protesting, as they ask people to do of the police?