Threats against Olympic sponsors worry security officials
 

:rolleyes: can't these idiots do some work?

Threats against Olympic sponsors worry security officials

OTTAWA — Possible threats against sponsors of next year's Vancouver Olympics have federal security agents wringing their hands over "extremist elements," a newly released intelligence report reveals.

The report by the government's threat assessment centre cites vandalism of a corporate backer's premises, theft of the Games flag, and skirmishes between protesters and police during unveiling of the Olympic countdown clock.

The Royal Bank of Canada, a key Games sponsor, "has been named specifically in anarchist and anti-Olympic Internet postings," notes the analysis, 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics: Terrorist Threat to Vancouver Area Facilities.

Between September 2007 and last May, anarchists claimed responsibility for four attacks in which large rocks were thrown through the windows of Vancouver Royal Bank branches, says the assessment under a section titled Domestic Non-Islamist Extremist Groups.

"Extremist elements . . . have publicly stated their intent to continue acts of protest and possible violence against both the Olympics and commercial symbols they perceive to represent the 2010 Olympic Games."

The threat assessment also looks at Osama bin Laden's al-Qaida network and radicals inspired by the terrorist movement, as well as "Lone Wolf" attackers like Kimveer Gill, a gunman who killed one student and wounded 19 others at Montreal's Dawson College.

The document was prepared last July by the Integrated Threat Assessment Centre, which includes representatives of the Canadian Security Intelligence Service, the RCMP and several other security and police agencies. A copy was recently released along with other assessments to The Canadian Press under the Access to Information Act.

Several portions of the threat assessments, labelled For Official Use Only, were withheld from disclosure.

Chris Shaw, spokesman for Games monitoring group 2010watch, found the reports amateurish.

"This is the best they can do?" he asked.

"These guys need to get a serious grip, frankly. I think they're really confusing legitimate political dissent, however disruptive it might be, with a threat. And it's simply not."

More than 5,000 athletes are expected from 80 countries at the Winter Games, to begin next February in Vancouver and Whistler, B.C.

Numerous activists, from aboriginal groups to anti-poverty fighters, oppose the Games, saying the expensive mega-event will hurt Vancouver's poor, damage the environment and drain provincial coffers.

The cost of Games security has been pegged at $900 million, far more than the original estimate.

Organizers are depending on corporate sponsors including the Royal Bank to support and promote the Games, but their participation appears to have heightened fears they will become targets for those who claim the Olympics have come to symbolize money more than sport.

The threat assessment centre prepared two briefs last September on possible actions against the Canadian Pacific Spirit Train that travelled to Montreal from Vancouver to drum up Olympic enthusiasm.

"There have been calls to boycott companies and organizations which support or sponsor the upcoming games," says one assessment. "Acts of vandalism, criminal mischief and trespass against sites associated to the Olympics and its sponsors have taken place and now protest action against the train is being encouraged."

CSIS referred a request for comment to the B.C.-based integrated unit responsible for Games security. However, a unit spokesman did not return phone calls.

Shaw fears the threat assessments cold be used to justify cracking down on groups that oppose the Games.

"No one knows who threw the rocks through the (Royal Bank) windows," he said. "Just because somebody's posted something to some obscure blog . . . assuming that therefore you're dealing with anti-2010 anarchist protesters, to use their term, is just absurd.

"If the police knew who'd done it, they would have arrested them, and they haven't. So it could be anybody."

The Royal Bank refused an interview request, but said in a statement it believes most people don't support vandalism against sponsors, adding that the safety and security of employees, clients and suppliers are the bank's top priorities.

"We have numerous security measures in place to protect them and will continue to assess and enhance our security procedures as required," the bank said.

"RBC respects the right of people to express their opinions as long as it is done in a peaceful and respectful manner. We accept that there will always be critics; we would only hope that criticism will be constructive and truthful."

http://www.google.com/hostednews/can...EFUQ_8vvj8kzFg

So much to Shaw's claims that they are unrelated, everytime he opens his mouth....ugh, what an terribly irritating individual:



Anti-2010 vandalism incidents reported anonymously on blogs

2007:

- March 6: Vancouver city hall Olympic flag stolen. Native Warrior Society claims responsibility the next day.

- Aug. 19: Windows smashed at Bell Canada Enterprises building, Bank Street, Ottawa.

- Sept. 29: Windows smashed at Royal Bank of Canada, Hastings & Nanaimo, Vancouver.

- Dec. 8: Pieces of pavement hurled through windows of RBC, Commercial & 1st, Vancouver.

- Dec. 9: Stone thrown through the window of RBC, Hastings & Nanaimo, Vancouver.

- Dec. 24: Windows smashed at RBC, Cook Street, Victoria.

2008:

- Jan. 27: Bricks thrown through windows of RBC, Elgin Street, Ottawa.

- Feb. 12: Bricks thrown through windows of RBC, Bank & 1st, Ottawa.

- Feb. 12: Windows smashed at Delta Hotel, Guelph, Ont.

- March 1: Windows smashed at RBC, Elgin Street, Ottawa.

- Feb. 26: Three Welcome to Vancouver signs paint bombed.

- March 5: Windows smashed with ice block at RBC, Bank & 1st, Ottawa.

- May 7: Kiewit construction truck arson at a Vancouver residence.

- May 12/13: Windows smashed at RBC, Broadway & Yukon, Vancouver.

- May 31: Toilets plugged with cement in three McDonald’s restaurants, Victoria

- June 25: At least 13 cars damaged by fire and explosion, West York Chev-Olds, Toronto.

**- July 21: A Royal Bank Of Canada on Broadway, in Vancouver, was attacked. It had its four ATMS smashed out.

**- July 22: a truck belonging to peter kiewit and sons parked off of victoria drive was lit on fire.

======= the list ends at summer 2008, doesn't go any further to date




Anti-2010 campaign escalating?

By BOB MACKIN, 24 HOURS
July 22, 2008

Are radical Olympics foes upping the ante in their campaign of vandalism against Vancouver 2010 sponsors?

More than a dozen vehicles at the West York Chevrolet dealership in Toronto were damaged by a suspicious fire and explosion in the wee hours of June 25. An anonymous July 3 posting on the friendsofgrassynarrows.com blog claimed responsibility.

It mentioned General Motors’ corporate downsizing but concluded with: “We did this because GM is an official sponsor of the 2010 Olympic Games. Fuck the Olympics!”

Toronto Fire Services Capt. Mike Strapko was not aware of the blog posting when contacted by 24 hours. A call to the Office of the Fire Marshal was not returned.

The Toronto incident came seven weeks after a Peter Kiewit Sons Co. construction truck was torched on May 7 at a private residence in Vancouver.

The newer-model yellow pickup truck with Kiewit’s logo on the driver’s side door was taken to the Vancouver Police impound lot under the Cambie Bridge’s south end. The windshield and entire front end - including the engine - were destroyed by fire.

VPD Const. Tim Fanning said a second vehicle was also damaged. He said there are no suspects.

The May 9 posting on the mostlywater.org blog said the motive for the arson was Kiewit’s contract to expand the Sea-to-Sky highway, “the main artery for the Olympics.”

The unknown author misspelled both Kiewit and Harriet Nahanee, the late Squamish Nation protester jailed for blocking Kiewit crews attempting to raze West Vancouver’s Eagleridge Bluffs in 2006.

so why arent we throwing these losers in jail??? they're a bunch of pathetic terrorists not protesters. With all these people claiming responsibility why arent the police arresting anyone?

What really annoys me is at the end of the day the taxpayer will be on the hook for the ever expanding security budget.

AND WHAT REALLY GETS INTO MY GUT is that the provincial NDP opposition, the same guys that brought us the Olympics, are adding fuel to the fire by dishing the Olympics any way that they can... galvanizing their nutty left-wing and their anarcho counterparts.

AND THE NDP ARE THE SAME GUYS COMPLAINING ABOUT THE COST OF THE SECURITY BUDGET

It would be nice to have PC/Liberal dominant parties here in BC, like Ontario, who wouldn't play the same political games with the Olympics that the provincial NDP are doing.

And yes, NDP bloggers are dishing the Olympics all over the place, again adding fuel to the fire.

As a taxpayer, I'd certainly like to present the security bill to these guys.

Rant over.

Wait, anarchists are terrorists? I thought they were just morons! ah well...

not necessarily but they can be. I'm way to lazy to post definitions of what constitutes a terrorist or what defines anarchy, google or wiki it and you will see overlapping characteristics of both. Terrorists are more than just people blowing up bombs.

Although I think for the most part the anti-olympic people are just a bunch of bigoted losers that hate any form of government or authoriy no matter what. They have no lives and just get a kick out of "sticking it to the man" and will whine and complain like little babies over anything.

$900 million, huh? That can buy a lot of tear gas, tasers and rubber bullets :P

^or how about a wall around the DTES

What i don't get it how these people can complain about cost of things like security when there doing what there doing. Its obviously making us want to spend more on security to keep idiots like them from doing what they are doing

these people won't be happy until they get a free 1000 sq foot apartment on the waterfront with a street car at their door step and a job that lasts 2 hours a week so they can play world of warcraft the rest of the week and use the poorest people in the DTES to do their work for them

Although I am an Olympics supporter, it's unfair to claim that all people who have issue with these games are losers, morons, or idiots. Some of the comments on here are as ugly and childish as the threats and acts of vandalism that have been reported :(

the ones planning violent acts are

they are the same ones who will protest against anythiontg that doesn't allow them to live for free

some like the ones who paraded quietly on sunday showed how it should be done

personally when i talk about people that are against the olympics i really mean the people that are still protesting the olympics and causing problems for the rest of us. those are the people that are losers, morons, and idiots.

all you can do is blame the NDP for this and blame the NDP for that... BLOODY HELL... open your eyes and see what the monster has created this province.... honestly, the guy needs to be sent packing to the grave for all the things he has done to this province

but getting back on topic...

YOU CANNOT BLAME THE NDP FOR THE SECURITY.....

i will repeat for you

YOU CANNOT BLAME THE NDP FOR THE SECURITY

The NDP is complaining about the lack of transparency that is occurring by this Liberal government.... they are hiding everything and lieing to the public whenever possible... this is the Provincial government.... they spew out lies and create fake emails ( read the declassified BC Rail documents... they are all there)....

the NDP is not opposed to the Olympics.... heck they are the ones that started the bid in the first place...

but it is time for the public to ask the questions and DEMAND ANSWERS from the Liberals.... IT IS TIME FOR THE BC LIBERALS TO COME CLEAN WITH EVERYTHING TO THE PUBLIC.... Transparency, Accountability are all essential components of a good government and sadly the BC LIBERALS fail in all!

Sorry, pal, but the NDP coddles these malcontents, fuels the fire, and then shrieks "POLICE STATE !!!" when society decides it's time to crack some reality into the thick skulls of said malcontents.

i agree that you can not blame the NDP on security. it's their job to bomb blast the government, especially on controversial topics like spending billions of dollars on a sporting event. i can understand that.

however, you can blame our weak ass judicial system. these guys should be in jail.

yeah... the liberals did the exact same thing when they were in opposition and will do the same thing when they are in opposition.... for more info read this about the opposition in Parliament

yeah i agree.... but getting back to topic....i am not looking forward to going to work in the next 332ish days

Arson is a serious crime, and certainly you will likely go to jail if convicted, however, throwing rocks through a window would probably only get you a mischief charge, a summary offense that would probably not carry jail time.

And besides, these people claiming responsibility are doing so anonymously right? And if a 'group' or 'organisation' claims responsibility who do you charge?

maybe they could freeze the assets of the groups that have put their name out there?

The NDP fans the same flames as folks like him:

http://www.straight.com/article-2062...-2010-olympics