Protesters & Criminals Making A Mess Of Vancouver Olympics
By Audrey Howard on February 17, 2010, 8:24 amThree things are synonymous with the Olympic Winter Games, snow, ice and protesters. Every city that has hosted the Olympics has had to deal with their fair share of protesters and general unruly mobs. Just as synonymous is the cracking down on those protesters by the local authorities. There is however, always an odd feeling when the authorities who are cracking down are generally associated with a free country like that of Canada. Still the Canadian government has basically issued a warning that the areas around the Olympic Games will be that of a police state, and civil unrest shall not be tolerated.
What They’re Protesting
The majority of those who are doing the protesting are environmentalists who have chosen the big stage of the Winter Olympics to air their grievances. Among other hot topics that have drawn crowds are people who are upset about the number of trees that have been chopped down to facilitate the games as well as those who don’t like the amount of trash that will surely follow so many visitors. There are also those Canadians who are simply upset about the amount of money that is being spent to set up the games in such hard economic times for so many.
Protesters Or Rioters
Synonymous with protesters, are rioters and looters. Canada is no different in this regard either. According to local police, what started out as peaceful protests devolved into violence on Saturday night, with at least seven protesters being arrested. A group of about 300 people wearing the apparel of a local anarchist group are said to be blamed as they damaged mailboxes, slashed car tires, and broke in a few store front windows. The group’s spokesmen claim that they are actually quite peaceful and that their good name is being sullied by a few bad eggs.
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I am surprised to see this issue of environmentalist concerns addressed in your post, considering that most BC residents are concerned over mounting debt anticipated in the aftermath of the 2010 Games. Furthermore, should you bother to review the initial promises of the 2010 organizers, you will quickly see that social housing was one of the most prominent concerns for British Columbians, and yet, government has failed those promises and faced cost overruns at every corner.
In fact, I urge you to visit the Downtown East Side Tent City. You might learn a lot about what makes people tick in this city, and why spending over $6 billion on a party is found to be distasteful by some residents of this city.
Additionally, you mention “rioters and looters” – Vancouver has not experienced any looting, and the protest deemed “violent” staged at the very centre of downtown core has seen mere 2 arrests for “mischief,” which included spraying a car with paint, and breaking a window of a nearby shopping centre.
What has been looted? Who are you referring to? Do you actually write for living or is this just some report that you’ve scribbled between the LOLs and smileys?
“The majority of those who are doing the protesting are environmentalists who have chosen the big stage of the Winter Olympics to air their grievances.”
I disagree. There are many environmentalists, but by far the main chant is “No Olympics on Stolen Native Land”, maybe followed by “Homes Not Games”. Homelessness, poverty, and the mistreat of the First Nations are major concerns for the majority of the protesters.
“Synonymous with protesters, are rioters and looters.”
Again, I disagree. The vast majority of the protests, involving thousands of people on different days and about different topics, have been non-violent. And the one incident that you could characterize as riot (or, probably, vandalism/damage to property) involved no looting whatsoever, as far as I know.