APC Attacks Premier's Office with Paint, Feb 22, 2008

APC Attacks Premier's Office with Paint, Feb 22, 2008

APC Press Release on attack and corporate media accounts.

Although the APC statement refers to militants gaining access to the office, they were blocked by office staff and instead threw paint on the windows.

Statement from Anti-Poverty Committee, Feb 22, 2008: Gordon Campbell's Office Attacked by APC

On Thursday at 1:30 p.m. the office of Gordon Campbell was attacked by members of the Anti-Poverty Committee.

Gallons of paint in the colors of the Olympic rings where thrown throughout the office, both inside and out. No one was arrested.

The demands were pasted to the window, calling for the budget surplus to be spent on social housing, rent reparations, community centers, and
tuition.

The Anti-Poverty Committee has recently announced, following the defacement of the Olympic clock, an escalating campaign targeting the
Liberals and Olympic organizers. The protesters vow that more actions have been organized and will be carried out over the next few weeks.

Video footage of the action was taken by activists on site and is making the rounds threw corparate media.

UNITED WE WILL WIN!

B.C. premier slams poverty activists for paint incident

Last Updated: Friday, February 22, 2008 | 5:32 PM ET CBC News

British Columbia Premier Gordon Campbell fired back Friday at the anti-poverty activists who threw paint at the windows of his Vancouver constituency office.

Campbell said the activists were engaging in public bullying by dousing the office windows with red, yellow and green latex paint on Thursday afternoon.

He also said they stand for nothing except a desire to draw attention to themselves.

"Frankly, this is about seeing their faces on television,'' Campbell told reporters, when asked for his views on the incident.

Campbell said his first concern was for the welfare of his constituency office staff.

"I think the activists should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.''

The Anti-Poverty Committee (APC) was quick to claim responsibility Thursday afternoon for putting paint on Campbell's office on 3615 West 4th Avenue.

Police said there were no injuries in the incident and no arrests were made.

Charges possible after premier's Vancouver office vandalized

Anti-Poverty Committee has claimed responsibility
Last Updated: Friday, February 22, 2008 | 12:35 AM ET CBC News

Anti-poverty activists threw red, yellow and green latex paint on the outside windows of Premier Gordon Campbell's constituency office in Vancouver Thursday afternoon.

Vancouver Police Department spokeswoman Const. Jana McGuinness said the vandals left before police arrived but officers have interviewed witnesses.

"Just after 2 p.m. a group of people attended the premier's office … and threw paint on the exterior of the building," she said.

"This is a criminal charge. This is mischief, so if charges are warranted we'll definitely be laying charges."

Police said there were no injuries in the incident and no arrests were made.

The Anti-Poverty Committee (APC) was quick to claim responsibility Thursday afternoon for vandalizing Campbell's office on 3615 West 4th Avenue.

At least four APC members in masks and coveralls tried to break into the office, said Attorney General Wally Oppal. They got a foot in the door, frightened staff and sprayed paint around, he said.

"It's disturbing when you have people like these, who are continually intimidating law-abiding citizens and I think the public is getting sick and tired of this group," Oppal told CBC News, referring to the protesters as louts.

Solicitor General John Les called the protesters' actions reprehensible.

Lack of social housing prompted protest: APC
David Cunningham, an APC organizer, told CBC News the action was prompted by the lack of funding for social housing in Tuesday's provincial budget.

"This was done in protest of the recently announced budget — a budget that has billions of dollars compounded in surplus at the expense of poor people's lives," Cunningham said.
"We did this to express our anger and to really bang away at our demands that the surplus be spent immediately on decent housing — not purchasing hotels, but building decent social housing."

Premier's office splattered with paint

By Jack Keating and David Carrigg, The Province
Published: Thursday, February 21, 2008

Vancouver police vowed Thursday to track down and charge the culprits who splattered paint on Premier Gordon Campbell's Point Grey constituency office.

"A group may take this action and think it's funny, or think they want to make a statement. But this is, bottom line, a criminal act," said police spokeswoman Const. Jana McGuinness. She said police will press for mischief charges against all those identified as being responsible for the paint attack.

Attorney-General Wally Oppal described the attackers as "acting like thugs," adding: "We encourage peaceful protest, but they are intimidating people. It's very, very disturbing and it's upsetting that these people are terrorizing people by doing this."

The Anti-Poverty Committee immediately claimed responsibility for the attack, in which anti-Olympics militants hurled cans of yellow, green and red paint - three of the five colours of the Olympic rings - at the window and door of Campbell's West 4th Avenue office.

APC spokesman David Cunningham said the attack was carried out by three committee members wearing paint suits and paint masks and a fourth carrying a digital camera.

He said the paint colours were chosen to "symbolize the contradictions between the B.C. Liberals and their surplus of billions of dollars, the millions they are spending on the Olympics and the thousands of people sleeping out in the streets every night."

Two constituency assistants, Peter Marsh and Jessica O'Connor, were in Campbell's office at the time of the paint-bomb attack.

"It's somewhat intimidating," said Marsh, who blocked the protesters from entering the office. "I was a walking barrier to them, and I managed to close and lock the door."

Passersby were not impressed by the paint-throwing spree.

"It's pretty childish," scoffed Chris Mallalue. "It doesn't really solve any problems or get the point across in the proper manner."

Stefan Gollasch said: "I think it's obviously a sign that people are not satisfied with how things are run. But it's not right to damage other people's property."

The paint was removed by a window cleaner within two hours.

The APC has staged several protests against the Olympics, including paint-bombing the Olympics clock in downtown Vancouver and interrupting an outdoor Olympics promotion event.

APC activists also trashed the premier's downtown office last year.

Cunningham said the APC will continue its campaign against the Liberals and Olympics organizers until the government commits to spend an estimated $2-billion budget surplus on social housing.

APC leaflets left at the door of Campbell's office were seized by police as evidence.