Anti-2010 protesters aim to disrupt Olympics beginning with Opening Ceremony

[Yume-sama]

At first I thought it was The Onion. It has the look / feel of a college broadcast.

Ditzy girl: 3000 people displaced BECAUSE of the Olympics, and now I understand that police harassment is going to pick up?
Clueless guy: That's absolutely correct!

Here's an article by the same guy on The Nation (think ultra left wing, like the kind who think Obama is too right wing) website.
http://www.thenation.com/blogs/notion/528319/when_snow_melts_vancouver_s_olympic_crackdown

[Stingray2004]

This scenario certainly might be entertaining:

VANCOUVER/CKNW AM 980
Gord MacDonald
2/10/2010


There could be dueling Olympic demonstrations on Friday afternoon, just ahead of the opening ceremonies at BC Place.

While opponents have previously said they will be out to demonstrate against the games, there is now a pro-Olympic rally being planned for 3 o'clock at the Vancouver Art Gallery.

Organizer Jason Dussault of a local clothing company says it started with a newspaper article about the opponents.

He says a lot of people love Vancouver; they want to come together and show the world what an amazing city we have.

http://www.cknw.com/Channels/Reg/NewsLocal/Story.aspx?ID=1194862

Up to 1,400 out-of-town Olympics protesters:
By Geoff Dembicki

Somewhere between 1,000 to 1,400 people from outside Vancouver will join local Games protesters, according to Olympics security forces.

Most will come from across Canada, though police information suggests some American involvement. There will likely be “minimal numbers” from outside North America.

The estimates came courtesy of RCMP Assistant Commissioner Bud Mercer, who provided reporters with a Games security update today.

In 2007, delegates at an indigenous people’s assembly in Sonora, Mexico, called for an international boycott of the 2010 Olympics. The Olympics Resistance Network, a vocal protest coalition based in Vancouver, sent out a request for solidarity in early 2009.

A two-day summit for the "2010 Convergence" started Wednesday afternoon at two locations in east Vancouver.

The first major protest takes place Feb. 12, day one of the Games. A "welcoming committee" plans to meet at 3pm on the front lawn of the Vancouver Art Gallery.

Security forces haven’t identified any credible threats to the Olympics, Mercer said. Still, the 2010 Integrated Security Unit will go to “enhanced levels of resources” for major events such as the opening ceremonies.

Anti-Olympics activists have indicated their willingness to block roads and cause disruptions. A Feb. 13 protest is entitled “2010 Heart Attack: Street march to clog the arteries of capitalism.”

http://thetyee.ca/Blogs/TheHook/Olympics2010/2010/02/10/protesters-convergence-Mercer/

[BCPhil]

Wow, like less than 2000 protesters.

In White Rock we had 30,000 people line the streets for the torch relay. So around 1 in 2 people from the peninsula came out to see the flame... at 6 in the freakin' morning.

These protesters obviously do not represent the majority of people.

I support people presenting their views and opinions, but no one should expect they have the right to inconvenience the majority of the population.

[WarrenC12]

The organizer for the anti-Olympic event was on the radio. She sounds like an arrogant coont. But anyway, she welcomed the supporters... I'm sure she has no idea what she's in for.

I'd be there except I don't want to miss the opening ceremonies, so on that note I hope enough supporters show up.

[Stingray2004]

Originally Posted by BCPhil

In White Rock we had 30,000 people line the streets for the torch relay. So around 1 in 2 people from the peninsula came out to see the flame... at 6 in the freakin' morning.

Yeah, I couldn't figure out where all that unreal loud noise and cheering was coming from (and what it was about) so early in the morning at around 6 am until I later realized that the torch was in town.

[TransitBandit]

Originally Posted by Yume-sama

Jesus. Can they not add cliffnotes to their articles?

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

I am in Seattle, and if there is ever a riot in my area the best security I got is a 5 shot .357, that will keep stupid anarchist punks away better then any "security system"

[flight_from_kamakura]

wow, pretty neat though about the pro-insite protest! way to go, protesters! if i had known anything about it, i might well have showed up myself to holler and take photos. and the turnaround was so quick (gov announced the appeal yesterday) that it must have taken the pmo completely by surprise. fantastic little ambush, point well-made.

[BCPhil]

Originally Posted by flight_from_kamakura

wow, pretty neat though about the pro-insite protest! way to go, protesters! if i had known anything about it, i might well have showed up myself to holler and take photos. and the turnaround was so quick (gov announced the appeal yesterday) that it must have taken the pmo completely by surprise. fantastic little ambush, point well-made.

It's not like they have day jobs to go to that keep them from showing up spur of the moment.

[SpongeG]

• Video Link

[s211]

Originally Posted by SpongeG

• Video Link

Sweet sweet biscuits.

It's like every Gulf Island draft-dodger hippie stereotype writ large.

[dreambrother808]

I am very much pro-Olympics but the Insite protest was awesome in my opinion and so was the anti-Coke choir in the video. Their song was great. What a creative and positive way to protest! While I don't know much about that particular situation vis-a-vis Coke, it does what protest should do: it sparks my attention, and directs me to new information that I can explore. From there I can choose my own opinion on the matter, without having it forced upon me. It's sad that some seem to want to caricaturize and diminish all protest, even when it's peaceful. It's not like the world is without wrongs to be righted.

I think that a key factor in the Coke protest video is age. They are an older, wiser group of activists. They realize that anger and disruption is not the answer in most cases.

[WarrenC12]

The Coke song? Entertaining, but cutoff the BC Ferries' subsidy to the Gulf Islands and it would be half the size.

I liked the Insite protest, but I heard later that by locking the front gate, they actually locked 250 people inside the building. That's a big no-no.

[IanS]

Originally Posted by WarrenC12

The Coke song? Entertaining, but cutoff the BC Ferries' subsidy to the Gulf Islands and it would be half the size.

I liked the Insite protest, but I heard later that by locking the front gate, they actually locked 250 people inside the building. That's a big no-no.

They actually locked people in? I'd like to say that was surprisingly stupid, but it's not, really. The protesters are lucky no one inside was hurt by their actions.

[GeeCee]

Does anyone have more information about the Pro-Olympics rally at the VAG tomorrow?

[Stingray2004]

http://www.theprovince.com/technology/an...demonstrations+Friday/2547867/story.html

[Yume-sama]

The pro-Insite protest was fine. However, the tactic of CHAINING the doors to the building shut with over 100 children and people inside, was not.

The police quickly cut the chain and dispersed the crowd, as they should have.

Stephen Harper still managed to show up later, something that they forget to mention

Such a beautiful rainy day today. Gonna stay away from the VAG, the sludge being washed off the protesters will be enough to make you gag.

[WarrenC12]

Originally Posted by IanS

They actually locked people in? I'd like to say that was surprisingly stupid, but it's not, really. The protesters are lucky no one inside was hurt by their actions.

Well they locked the gated the main front entrance. Probably not the only exit, but if there was a fire... ugh.

[mezzanine]

Originally Posted by Stingray2004

http://www.theprovince.com/technology/an...demonstrations+Friday/2547867/story.html

WTF? and this is the group in favor of the olympics? now, this is embarassing..

This guy makes chris shaw look like a man of balance and reason....
[/vanoc facepalm]

[Yume-sama]

The creepy panda bear thing or the guy himself ?

Cuz it takes a lot to make Chris Shaw himself look normal.

[dreambrother808]

Originally Posted by WarrenC12

The Coke song? Entertaining, but cutoff the BC Ferries' subsidy to the Gulf Islands and it would be half the size.

I liked the Insite protest, but I heard later that by locking the front gate, they actually locked 250 people inside the building. That's a big no-no.

Where they're from is largely irrelevant. It may make for humorous caricature, but nothing more.

Letting Harper know how out of touch he is with Vancouver's problems is important. As for locking the doors, yes, that is definitely going too far.