More Police Visits to Olympic Protesters

Georgia Straight, April 2, 2009
http://www.straight.com/article-210661/police-visiting-olympic-protester...

By Carlito Pablo

A number of Olympic critics have been paid visits by members of the RCMP–led Vancouver 2010 Integrated Security Unit, activist Harsha Walia claims.

“I can easily cite over 10 to 15 individuals at least who have been visited in some form—some at home, some at work, some at their family members' home, phone calls,” Walia, a member of the Olympic Resistance Network, told the Straight. “There's probably more than we even know about.”

Citing privacy reasons, Walia declined to identify the activists subject to these calls, which she described as a “tool of intimidation and surveillance”. She also didn't disclose how activists intend to deal with these actions by the police. Asked if she had been visited by the V2010-ISU, Walia responded, “I don't think I would answer that.”

Olympic Resistance Network member Chris Shaw attended a March 26 forum
in which RCMP assistant commissioner Bud Mercer and Vancouver deputy police chief Steve Sweeney spoke about security issues related to the 2010 Winter Games. Shaw, the author of the 2008 book Five Ring Circus: Myths and Realities of the Olympic Games, claimed that after the forum he was approached by V2010-ISU officers, who wanted to chat with him in private.

“I essentially reiterated that I will not personally speak to police one-on-one about security issues,” Shaw told the Straight. He added that if police officers want to be transparent about dialogue with anti-Olympics protesters, they should host a forum that's open to the public.

A document called the Inner-City Inclusive Commitment Statement was part of the Vancouver bid book for the Games. It describes a commitment to “a timely public consultation that is accessible to inner-city neighbourhoods, before any security legislation or regulations are finalized”.

That commitment hasn't been met, according to Am Johal, chair of the Impact on Community Coalition.

The V2010-ISU didn't return the Straight 's calls by deadline.