Feb. 12, 2007, Anti-Olympic Protest (Countdown Clock)

F12 Anti-Olympics Protest & Direct Action
7 Arrested as Protesters Disrupt 2010 Countdown Clock Ceremony

“Until yesterday’s protest, the 2010 Games had attracted little public hostility, with opinion polls showing a large majority of the public supportive.”
Rod Mickleburgh, “Olympic Clock Ticks off Protesters,” Globe & Mail, Feb. 13, 2007

On Monday Feb. 12, 2007, some 60-80 protesters disrupted a public event held by the Vancouver Olympic Organizing Committee (VANOC) in downtown Vancouver. VANOC had prepared to unveil a 3-year ‘countdown clock’ to 2010, permanently installed at the Vancouver Art Gallery (made by Omega, the clock resembles a large tombstone).

The event, which featured government & civic officials (inc. Premier Gordon Campbell & Mayor Sam Sullivan), the CEO of
Omega, as well as Olympic athletes & First Nations performers, was broadcast live on CTV.

Just before 12 noon, protesters from a recently-formed anti-Olympic coalition arrived & gathered to one side of the crowd at the Art Gallery.

The coalition was comprised of Natives & non-Natives, including members of the Native Youth Movement (NYM), Anti-Poverty Committee (APC), and others. Slogans, including “No Olympics on Stolen Native Land” & “Homes Not Games!” were shouted out by the group (and a small PA system). A masked member of NYM spoke. A large banner stated “No Olympics on Stolen Native Land,” another said “Real Natives Oppose 2010.” There were Natives carrying Warrior flags, and another banner had a Native Thunderbird breaking apart a set of Olympic rings. There were also many placards regarding homelessness & poverty, a life and death issue in Vancouver and one that has been in the
forefront of anti-Olympic resistance in the city.

Before the starting of the official event, members of APC attempted to float a banner held up by helium balloons reading “Shutdown 2010.” Vancouver police grabbed this, however, preventing it from being released & causing the first small skirmish.

At 12 noon, the protest group moved forward to join the crowd of spectators, closer to the stage. About a dozen Vancouver police quickly came out and formed a line to block them, and some pushing & shoving occurred. A couple of protesters, one with a hood & bandana over his face, made their way through the crowd to stand in front of the stage & podium. At this time, CTV’s live coverage had begun.

VANOC official and event emcee, Renee Smith-Valade, began by welcoming the crowd when she was cut off as a masked protester jumped on stage, grabbed the mic, and shouted “Fuck 2010! - Fuck Your Corporate Circus!” The PA
system was then shut off, and the protester grabbed by Vancouver police. A member of APC also jumped the barricade and got on stage, shouting “Homes Not Games!” This person was also grabbed by police, and wrestled to the ground.

At this time, the main protest group was pushing against the police line on the outside of the crowd. After the first arrests, more police began arriving (responding to a distress call) and more arrests occurred as scuffles broke out between protesters & police.

The VANOC organizers carried on with speakers & performances, frequently disrupted by slogans & yelling from the protesters, including when ‘O Canada’ was sung. Native protesters sang the Constitution Song. Projectiles such as eggs, paint bombs and paper mache rattles were hurled at police, the stage, and podium. This continued on throughout the event, visibly affecting speakers & performers. Altogether, seven people were arrested (3 males, 4 females), and some 65 officers had been deployed to the Art Gallery.

Although the disruption of the Feb. 12 Countdown Clock caused widespread media coverage of the protests, the corporate media did not mention the presence of Native peoples. Instead, protesters were described as being
anti-poverty & housing activists, mentioning only slogans such as “Homes Not Games”. They do not want to portray Natives as being involved in anti-Olympic actions, even though 3 of those arrested were Natives, and there are clearly Natives taking part. Only APTN covered Native
participation in the protest.

In the end, four people were charged with mischief, causing a disturbance, and one count of assault police.

Direct Action & Police Repression

“We don’t want these things to look like they’re completely overrun by police officers and I’m sure the event organizers don’t want that either… Do they want to see police shoulder-to-shoulder in front of the Olympic stage?” Insp. Schnitzer, Vancouver Police
(“Police to beef up Olympic security,” Globe & Mail, Feb. 14, 2007)

Insp. Steve Schnitzer was the officer in command at the Vancouver Art Gallery on Feb. 12. He appeared especially angry about the disruption, calling protesters nothing but “hooligans” & “criminals.” Police claim they were caught off guard by the Feb. 12 action. They say they expected a
protest, but nothing on the ‘scale’ of what occurred.

Nevertheless, at 12 noon, when the rally & event began, there were at least 20 cops, including uniformed personnel, surveillance units (the Forensic Identification section), plain-clothes, and 5 mounted officers. It was the presence of about a dozen uniformed officers, forming a line, that blocked the protest group from reaching the stage area and instead limited them to the outside of the crowd.

Despite this, two protesters slipped by police and made their way through the spectators, yelling and screaming, until they reached the area directly in front of the stage. With all the police off to the side, these two were able to climb over a flimsy fence and get on the stage when the official event began. One of them was able to yell “F#@k your 2010 Corporate Circus” before the mic was cut off and police pulled him away. Another yelled “Homes Not Games.” This incident led to the first two arrests & caused the greatest embarrassment to police & VANOC security (especially since it was broadcast live on CTV).

Following this, more pushing & shoving occurred between protesters and police, who made an emergency call for all available units to attend. More people were arrested, including four women, whose arrests were especially
violent. All the prisoners were placed in a police wagon parked on the street next to the Art Gallery. After the VANOC event was over, protesters moved next to the police wagon, chanting & singing & drumming. By the end, about 65 Vancouver cops were on the scene.

By 6 PM that evening, 3 of those arrested had been released without charge. They were greeted by a large crowd of Natives & non-Natives outside the city jail. Four remained in custody until 6 PM the next day, having been charged with 3 counts of mischief, 2 of causing a disturbance, and one of
assault police. They were released after signing an undertaking not to go within 1 block of the Art Gallery, not to conceal their faces, and to keep the peace.

Later in the afternoon of Feb. 12, Vancouver Police held a press conference where they displayed some of the items seized at the protest. These included paint-bombs (eggs & balloons), and papier mache rattles with rocks inside. They claimed these items had been thrown at police, the stage, and into the crowd. Although no one was injured, expect those assaulted by police, the cops denounced the protesters they arrested as violent hooligans and criminals (a technique known as criminalization).

This fear-mongering has been (and will be) used to justify more excessive policing of VANOC & Olympic-related events in the future. Although the precise nature of this increased security is not known, it will most certainly include greater surveillance of organizers & militants, as well as larger numbers of police at hi-profile 2010 events.

Although some may claim that the Feb. 12 direct action enables police & VANOC to justify more repression, it should be noted that there were already plans for 10,000 police, military & security personnel to occupy Vancouver/Whistler during the Winter Games. As well, routine police abuse
of Natives & the poor has increased as 2010 nears, with cops assisting in evictions of low-income hotels and anti-immigrant sweeps with Customs agents.

It should come as no surprise that police will use any act of resistance as a pretext for greater repression, and to justify their actions. They will even fabricate incidents, or allow actions to be carried out, in order to advance their interests. The fact that our opponent uses our struggle as a
justification for their repression does not discount the necessity (or effectiveness) of direct action.

Native Peoples & 2010

Although the corporate media did not report on Native participation in the Feb. 12 action (with the exception of APTN), about 1/3rd of the protesters were Native. Some of these were among the most militant, and were a primary
factor in police description’s of this particular action as being among the most ‘violent’ they had seen arising from similar street protests.

Native Collaborators

While this warrior spirit was seen at the protest, the same cannot be said for the larger Native community in Vancouver. If not victims of apathy & indifference, many Natives have accepted 2010 propaganda about jobs &
economic development. Most of the government-funded political, arts & crafts, youth, and other community service organizations in the city have either said nothing about 2010, or have been co-opted into accepting VANOC
sponsorship. Some are indirectly participating in pro-Olympics events, and/or are receiving some form of funding that is related to the Olympics.

For example, KAYA (Knowledgeable Aboriginal Youth Association), a government-funded youth group, accepted VANOC funding and collaborated at a ‘Countdown 2010’ event at the Pacific Coliseum in Feb. 2007. Earlier that
month, a 2010 Aboriginal business summit was held in Vancouver. An Olympic ‘community celebration’ is also scheduled for March 2007 at the Vancouver Aboriginal Friendship Center. This event is co-sponsored by the Greater Vancouver Urban Aboriginal Strategy (GVUAS), which includes the United Native Nations, ACCESS, and other government-funded service providers.

The co-optation of Natives began during the bidding process, when it was seen as vital to get local bands involved in promoting the Games. In 2002, the Lil’wat & Squamish band councils signed a ‘Legacy Agreement’, binding them to a partnership with 2010 in exchange for some $20-million in cash and an arts & crafts center in Whistler. They were also promised jobs, although
by 2007 the Lil’wat reported that out of 200 jobs on the Mt. Currie reserve, only 30 were linked to 2010 construction (see Damian Underwood, “Grab the gold rings, First Nations urged,” The Province, Feb. 2, 2007).

In 2004, the 4 Host First Nations Society was established, comprised of the Lil’wat, Squamish, Tseil-Watuth, & Musqueam. Its 2 main purposes are to better coordinate Native business opportunities related to 2010, and to
serve as a ‘representative’ of Native collaboration (i.e., at official events, such as the Feb. 12 countdown clock ceremony). Gibby Jacobs, chief of the Squamish band, is also a member of VANOC.

Through the band councils and other government-funded Native groups, VANOC has also been able to recruit Native artists, including singers & dancers, to use for 2010 propaganda. This exploitation of Native culture, along with
VANOC sponsorship of events & groups, serves to portray 2010 as being truly concerned about uplifting Native people and in ensuring they are ‘equal’ partners. This can be seen in 2010 propaganda reported by the corporate media:

“Business opportunities in the Games for First Nations include: building, supplying & servicing the 2010 Olympics, tourism, arts & culture, retailing & licensing… Tewanee Joseph of the 4 Host FN Society said the Lil’wat First
Nation has already been successful in completing contracts for work on the Nordic ski venue.. near Whistler…”
(Jim Jamieson, “Olympics seen as a boost to aboriginal self-sufficiency,” The Province, Feb. 2, 2007)

In reality, 2010 is a serious threat to Indigenous peoples, lands & culture. Already, hundreds of urban poor in Vancouver have been made homeless as a result of low-income hotels closing to make upgrades for Olympic tourists. Many of these are Natives, who comprise a large percentage of the Downtown Eastside population.

As part of its 2010 Strategy, the BC government has also opened up industries to greater corporation invasion, including mining, oil & gas, and ski resorts. This includes expansion of transportation infrastructure, such as roads, highways, railways, and port facilities.

Overall, 2010 forms an important part of greater resource exploitation & ecological destruction through its promotion of BC markets to international investors. This, in turn, will lead to greater dependence on corporations & jobs as traditional sources of food & medicines are destroyed through ‘development’ (i.e., resource exploitation, depletion, pollution & contamination).

Overall, 2010 is increasing the dislocation of Indigenous peoples from their lands & culture, and contributing to greater assimilation into the capitalist economic system. One aspect of this is the growing numbers of Natives moving to the cities (at least 50 % of Natives are now estimated to live in urban areas). Many Natives in Vancouver appear to have already accepted defeat and now seek to gain whatever economic opportunities 2010 may offer. But not everyone is so easily co-opted.

Native Resistance

Beginning in 2002, representatives of the Lil’wat and Secwpemec voiced their opposition to Vancouver/Whistler being chosen for the 2010 Games by the International Olympic Committee (IOC). They made an official submission to the IOC, citing Canada’s violations of Indigenous & human rights, but were ignored. In 2003, members of Vancouver NYM and the APC organized forums & protests against the Olympics. Nevertheless, in July of that year, the IOC chose Vancouver/Whistler as host site for the 2010 Winter Games.

With this decision, most anti-Olympic opposition stopped, with the exception of ongoing campaigns against homelessness in Vancouver led by groups such as the Anti-Poverty Committee, Downtown Eastside Resident’s Association (DERA), and the PIVOT Legal Society. This struggle has raised the public profile & awareness of homelessness in the city, and has involved protests, civil disobedience, arrests, and widespread media coverage.

In 2006, the full-scale of the 2010 corporate invasion had become much clearer, including major expansions of transportation infrastructure. That year, construction work to expand the Sea-to-Sky highway began in N. Vancouver. In May 2006, Native elder Harriet Nahanee was arrested along with 23 others as a result of blockading the highway expansion at Eagleridge Bluffs, in N. Vancouver.

In January 2007, Nahanee, a 71-year old elder from the Pacheedaht (married into the Squamish), was sentenced to14 days in jail after refusing to apologize to the courts for her actions (other protesters received community service & fines).

Shortly after serving her sentence, Harriet became seriously ill with pneumonia and was admitted to St. Paul’s hospital in Vancouver. On Feb. 24, Harriet Nahanee passed away, the result of pneumonia & previously undiagnosed lung cancer, conditions which were affected by her imprisonment
(described as a “death sentence” by some). Native groups are now demanding a public inquiry into her jailing & death.

Prior to the Feb. 12 protest, it was difficult to engage the Native urban community about 2010. Besides a lack of information, this apathy & indifference is also increased by a lack of leadership from political & community organizations. As noted, most of these are government-funded and/or have some interest in 2010-related business.

The overall attitude seems to be that the Olympics are coming, there’s nothing to be done about it, so we may as well make money off of it.

It is unknown what effects recent developments, including the death of Harriet Nahanee, will have on Native opposition to 2010.

Conclusion

The Feb. 12 protest was successful in disrupting a major 2010 media event and showing that there is resistance to the Olympics. Although Native opposition was whited-out by the corporate media, the issue of homelessness received widespread publicity (which is a good thing).

The action helped raise awareness about the negative impacts of the Olympics, and inspired many who are already opposed. This has strengthened our cause. These are the positive aspects of direct action that are far more important at this time than any attempt by police to criminalize our methods (or movement).

The lack of media coverage concerning Indigenous anti-2010 opposition, while a clear act of censorship, also shows that greater effort must be made within Native communities to raise awareness about the Olympics. The ability of VANOC & the government to so easily co-opt many Natives into supporting 2010 is also, in part, a result of this lack of information.

VANOC & the 2010 Winter Games offer a unique opportunity around which to mobilize in defense of land & territory, sovereignty, the environment, the urban poor & homeless, and against corporate power (capitalism).

In the process, we can emerge as a stronger movement, better prepared for an uncertain future, and more capable of taking action in defense of our land & people. If Native peoples, and especially youth, are serious about defending the earth, our people & culture, then 2010 represents a major threat to all of these and must be challenged.

Get Active in Anti-2010 Resistance!

www.No2010.com

Anti-Olympic Organizing Activities

The following activities are recommended to raise awareness about the
impacts of 2010:

• Educational material, inc. leaflets, posters, magazines, postcards,
t-shirts, videos, songs, etc. be produced & distributed.
• Info tables be set up at public gatherings, on the street, etc.
• Art exhibits on anti-2010 themes be organized, as well as other arts &
cultural activities (street theatre, etc.).
• Public forums, meetings, & workshops on 2010 be carried out in
communities.
• Protests & Direct Actions as necessary.