Posted Nov 1, 2009, 9:20 PM
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Security can't prevent idiots from protesting
Why ruin other people's fun experiences?
By Michael Smyth, The Province
November 1, 2009
I took my wife and kids to see the Olympic torch relay and we got so close to the sacred flame that I swear I could have reached out grabbed the thing myself.
Not that I had any desire to be body-slammed by one of the hundreds of cops around, but I mention this to illustrate a point: If some anarchist knucklehead is determined to disrupt the torch relay, it's not exactly Mission Impossible.
Which makes me wonder if the overwhelming security apparatus attached to the relay is really worth it. There were hundreds of police officers assigned to the relay launch, a helicopter whirring overhead, a SWAT team assembled inside the legislature, bomb-sniffing dogs prowling the route and even those men-in-black types wearing earpieces and talking into their sleeves.
I think it was the most security I'd seen since the Vancouver APEC summit a decade ago. And they still couldn't stop the mob of usual suspects from partly spoiling the party.
About 100 anti-Olympic "zombies" -- their word, not mine -- decided their orderly protest wasn't enough and blocked a road near the lieutenant-governor's house Friday night. That forced the relay route to be juggled, ruining the event for hundreds of spectators and about six torch-bearers who settled for an abbreviated flame pass-along instead of running their promised 300-metre segments.
Very nice. Spoil someone's experience-of-a-lifetime to make some ill-defined point and get your selfish moment on TV. Some idiots even threw marbles at mounted police in an apparent effort to frighten or injure their horses.
Sadly, this is the kind of garbage that $1-billion worth of Olympic security won't stop -- though police hinted they're aware of larger threats.
"In past Olympic events, there has been terrorist activities," said Sgt. Grant Hamilton of Victoria city police. Still seems like overkill to me.
That said, don't let the heavy security or threat of protesting party-poopers stop you from getting out and experiencing the torch relay. My family had a great time connecting with friends and neighbours, waving little flags and joining an impromptu chorus of "O Canada."
This is what the Olympic experience is really about and it felt good. It struck me this was a genuine Canadian cultural celebration, not just the "two-week party" that critics like to trash.
Expensive? Yes, which is why scrutiny of the costs must continue. Will politicians milk it for all it's worth? Sure, Gordon Campbell is dreaming about his "Olympic bounce" in the polls.
But the 2010 Games should be judged on more than just profits, losses, ticket sales and tourism stats. As Syracuse University professor Rick Burton wrote: "Evaluations of the Olympic Games bidders and hosts should not be based solely on costs and cost overruns, but the holistic outcomes generated. Evaluations must go beyond dollars and scratch at what hosting the Games really does to a city."
That includes intangible benefits like increased volunteerism, inspiring kids to get active, greater awareness of disabled people and their strengths and plain old Canadian pride. Or, like I experienced, just watching the wonder in your children's eyes.
Get out and see the torch relay -- security, protesters and all -- before you decide if it's all really worth it.
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