RBC Targetted by Anti-Olympic Protesters in Kingston, Ont.

May 12, 2009. – With 9 months to go before the Vancouver Olympics, local anti-Olympic activists are stepping up their activities and taking on one of the biggest Olympic sponsors: Royal Bank of Canada.

Members and supporters of AW@L and KW Anti-Racist Action held a rally in front of the main Waterloo branch of the RBC at 74 King St. South. The protest began at noon and continued until around to 2pm.

The Royal Bank of Canada (RBC) is a primary sponsor of the 2010 Winter Olympics. Activists say the Olympics are resulting in human rights abuses and environmental destruction. Homelessness in Vancouver is skyrocketing due to soaring property values and redevelopment of low-income apartments into condominiums and hotels. More than 12,000 police and military are to be deployed for the Games at a cost of more than 1 billion dollars. Groups such as the BC Civil Liberties Association have raised concerns that free speech will be suppressed and an “Olympic legacy” of surveillance cameras will remain. Grassroots movements in indigenous communities and environmentalists are saying no to the Olympics. They see the land being irreparably damaged by expanding Olympic development.

The protestors call on the RBC to withdraw support for the Vancouver Olympics. Until such a time, people will be asked to take their banking business elsewhere.

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dan kellar