Torch runner knocked over in Guelph, Ontario

Olympic Torch Bearer Knocked to Ground in Guelph, Ont. December 29, 2009

Torch not extinguished in fall, police say

CBC News, Monday, December 28, 2009

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/toronto/story/2009/12/28/ontario-torch-relay-fa...

A 19-year-old protester is facing assault charges after an Olympic torch bearer was knocked to the ground Monday morning in Guelph, Ont. Cortney Hansen, 28, was carrying the torch on Wyndam Street at about 7:50 a.m. ET when a group of protesters approached the Olympic Torch Run procession. Police said Hansen was knocked to the ground — but the torch was not extinguished in the fall. Hansen was treated by torch run medical staff and continued her leg of the torch relay. Police said about 1,000 people were watching the torch procession when the incident occurred. Brittney Simpson of Kitchener, Ont., has been charged with assault and will appear in court in February, police said. The torch relay will have covered 45,000 kilometres over 106 days before ending in Vancouver on Feb. 12, the opening day of the 2010 Winter Games. Protests have greeted the torch at many events along the way. When the torch passed through Toronto, organizers were forced to delay the procession and take a different route to Toronto's city centre after critics rallied against the Games. Olympic torch bearer knocked to the ground by protester in Guelph, Ont. By Katherine Laidlaw, Dean Tester and Philip Ling, The Province/Canwest News Service, December 28, 2009 http://www.theprovince.com/news/Olympic+torch+bearer+knocked+ground+Guel... HANOVER, Ont. — A woman carrying the Olympic torch was knocked down by a protester Monday morning during the Olympic Torch Run in Guelph, Ont. Brittney Simpson, 19, from Kitchener, Ont., was arrested and has been charged with assault, according to Guelph Police Service. She is scheduled appear in court in February. Simpson allegedly knocked the torch bearer to the ground at about 7:50 a.m. Monday morning. A crowd of demonstrators appeared and disrupted the relay but the torch remained lit, police said. The torch bearer got back up and continued that leg of the relay. Cortney Hansen, 28, from Milton, Ont., was treated at the scene for her injuries by Olympic Torch Run medical staff. Vancouver Olympic Organizing Committee said the disruption was an "isolated incident" and was responded to "rapidly and appropriately" by the Vancouver 2010 Integrated Security Unit and the RCMP. The two groups are responsible for the safety and security of the torchbearer and the escort team. "It is unfortunate that this torchbearer's once-in-a-lifetime experience with the Olympic Flame was disrupted in this manner," said torch relay director Jim Richards. "We understand that the Olympic Games are a high profile event and will attract attention and that people have the right to express their opinions," he said. "We ask that they do so peacefully and respectfully." The incident occurred in front of about 1000 children and parents who attended the festivities, police said in a release. Simpson is part of an anti-racism protest group known as AW@L, gathered to protest the flame passing over native land and the continued prevalence of poverty in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside, according to fellow member Alex Hundert. Hundert said the protest was meant to be peaceful and was escalated by police. "The RCMP people kind of freaked out and basically caused the person with the torch to stutter-step and then trip," he said. "And then things got much worse, because as that person went down, they basically (started) . . . what sounds like a minor attack on the protesters. "Basically, the relay team caused a disaster and the police decided they needed to arrest somebody." A local reporter said it appeared the woman fell after bumping into a police officer. "The 28-year-old Milton woman hit the ground hard . . . , seemingly tripping over the leg of a police officer who was struggling with protesters trying to interrupt Hansen's Olympic moment in downtown Guelph," Tony Saxon of the Guelph Mercury wrote. There have been protests throughout the torch relay, mainly peaceful. The relay route was altered Dec. 21 as the torch made its way through the Six Nations community in Grand River, Ont. The move was a response to anticipated conflict with protesters. One of the protesters gathered outside a news conference that day said she was protesting the Olympics as a call to fair treatment of aboriginal people in Canada. The torch was briefly delayed in Toronto Dec. 17 when hundreds of protesters filled the streets shouting, "No Olympics on stolen native land!" Several groups in Victoria caused disturbances early in the torch's national relay. Though that protest began peacefully in late October, it grew to a parade of around 200 people who effectively blocked the route and cut 10 torchbearers out of the relay. One protester that said there is concern about the amount of money being spent on the games when budgets for health and education are being stretched. The torch otherwise remained on schedule Monday; the snowy conditions through central Ontario didn't slow Day 60 of the relay as it passed through Erin, Orangeville, Hanover and Walkerton. "Don't drink the water there." That's the tired phrase Colin Wells heard when he told people where he would be carrying the Olympic flame during his portion of the relay. Walkerton is perhaps best known for the E. coli tragedy from nearly a decade ago, where contaminated water resulted in seven deaths and widespread illness. With supporters carrying flags and homemade Olympic rings lined the streets, cheering in support of the torch, Wells said he hopes being touched by the flame will remove some of the town's negative stigma. "That's getting old. I really hope it brings some positivity to the town. It's such a nice town — we get the best sausage at our local place." As the 39-year-old London, Ont., resident carried the torch over a bridge and into the town, snow blustered around him and coated his glasses. The wintry conditions didn't put out his flame — although a torchbearer later in the relay in Walkerton wasn't as lucky, as her flame had to be re-ignited twice. Wells was joined by his wife and 17-year-old son, as well as his father, who was dressed in his original red and white torchbearer suit, with the words "Calgary '88" printed on his back. Both Wells and his father had carried the torch in the 1988 Calgary Olympic torch relay, after Wells filled out countless applications for both of them until they were both chosen and passed the torch off between them. Wells said he believes in the spirit of the Olympics, and doesn't understand why the flame encounters protesters along its route. "It's horrible," he said. "We had an aboriginal girl on our leg of the relay and she didn't have a problem with the Olympics. I don't understand it." The torch's trek began Oct. 30 in Victoria. It will make an appearance in 1,000 communities before Feb. 12, when it reaches its final destination of the 2010 Vancouver Olympic Games. Olympic torchbearer knocked to the ground Guelph Mercury, Greg Layson, December 28, 2009 http://news.guelphmercury.com/News/article/579210 GUELPH — The Olympic flame was down but not out early Monday morning in downtown Guelph. As torchbearer Cortney Hansen cheerfully turned the corner from Wyndham Street to Macdonell Street minutes before 8 a.m., she was met by an angry, ugly mob of protesters carrying their own message. During a verbal assault by the protesters, which momentarily stalled the procession, Hansen, security personnel and a small number of protesters became entangled and Hansen fell. But the flame kept burning as the torch — its flame only inches from Hansen’s blond hair and its base wedged between Hansen’s midsection and the road — briefly skidded along the pavement. Hansen quickly got back on her feet and two security officers hustled her ahead of the ongoing confrontation between the 30-plus protesters and less than a dozen police from Guelph, the OPP and RCMP. Hansen, a 28-year-old from Milton, finished her run with a gracious wave and wide smile before being treated for minor injuries. Guelph Police arrested and charged 19-year-old Brittney Simpson of Kitchener with assault. She is to appear in court in February. The incident was, apparently, one of Hansen’s worst nightmares come true. Just after 1 p.m. Sunday, she posted on her Facebook page that she was “so nervous but very, very, very excited and proud for (Monday)!! Wish me luck I hope I don’t trip and fall that would be a nightmare!!” Monday, she used the same Facebook page to plead for anyone with video evidence of the incident to share it with police. A woman who answered the phone at Hansen’s home said Hansen wouldn’t be commenting on the incident and that all inquiries should go through the Royal Bank of Canada, one of two of the relay’s title sponsors and for whom Hansen works. A late-afternoon call to Royal Bank media relations coordinator Jackie Braden wasn’t returned. Vancouver 2010 media and public relations coordinator Chris Shauf said Hansen would be declining all media requests. Torch relay organizers would only issue a statement. “It is unfortunate that this torchbearer’s once-in-a-lifetime experience with the Olympic flame was disrupted in this manner. She is an active participant in the torch relay that shares a message of peace, brotherhood and friendship. We understand that the Olympic Games are a high-profile event and will attract attention and that people have the right to express their opinions. We ask that they do so peacefully and respectfully,” director of torch relays Jim Richards said in the statement. Dave Kenny, a torchbearer during the 1988 torch relay prior to the Calgary Games, witnessed Monday’s confrontation from a nearby sidewalk. “That’s the great part about living in Canada, you have the right to protest, but when it becomes physical like that, it crosses the line,” he said with a large Canadian flag in hand. After the flame had been run out of town — off to Erin and then on to Orangeville — a lingering and curious onlooker questioned the protesters’ anger and message. “Educate yourselves and you’d understand why we’re angry,” protester Alecks Holtom answered. Protesters began the day peacefully passing out pamphlets that outlined their position. “I think we got through to a few people,” fellow protester Drew Garvin said. “There were some people who seemed genuinely interested.” Waving banners emblazoned with Prime Minister Stephen Harper and Nazi leader Adolf Hitler carrying torches lit with swastikas and the Vanoc, Coke and RBC logos, the protesters decried the Games for their use of what they called “stolen native land” and taxpayer money. The protesters’ handout claims $6 billion of government money has been spent on the 2010 Games. They also cited Vancouver’s lack of affordable housing. “The price of these Olympics is being paid by people who can’t afford it,” Garvin said. The protesters rallied in St. George’s Square well before 7 a.m. About 15 minutes before the flame’s arrival there, the protesters left, marching, en masse, through the city. They looped past city hall and met Hansen face to face on Macdonell. In an unsigned email from a group calling itself Olympic Resistance Guelph, the protesters said “the torch route was supposed to be along Carden Street, but instead they basically ran right into the protest one street to the north.” The email also claims Hansen was not knocked down, but rather fell and that the only physical confrontation came when an RCMP officer struck a protester. As they marched prior to the clash, the protesters were met with several choruses of boos and boisterous a cappella renditions of O Canada as people tried to drown out the chants of “No Olympics on stolen native land!” and “Homes, not Games!” “Chanting ‘Go, Canada, Go,’ that’s not effective, it’s just a blind argument,” Garvin said. Prior to Monday’s mishap, the torch relay had covered more than 30,000 kilometres in 59 days without physical confrontation. However, Shauf said the relay had previously been rerouted “a couple times” already to avoid planned protests. There were peaceful protests and no arrests made Sunday in Kitchener, which the torch relay committee deemed a “celebration community.” “That’s why they didn’t stop in Guelph,” said one onlooker, while pointing at the protesters as they erected their banners before dawn. “Just a bunch of nuts,” said another, who verbally confronted one of the protesters as they marched past. Kenny said the scene was nothing like he experienced as a torchbearer in the streets of Strathroy in 1988. “I don’t remember any incidents at all, anywhere,” he said. “This was very overwhelming for the kids,” said Laura Klein, who, with her two young girls Megan and Riana, watched alongside Kenny. “But, we just try to explain to them that they have their right to protest.” Police, officials dispute protesters’ accounts of torch relay Guelph Mercury, December 29, 2009, Greg Layson http://news.guelphmercury.com/News/article/579279 GUELPH — Police and Olympic torch relay organizers deny protesters’ claims that Monday’s relay route through downtown was suddenly changed and that 28-year-old torchbearer Cortney Hansen simply fell. The alleged unannounced change led to a physical confrontation between protesters and security personnel. During the pushing and shoving, Hansen fell to the pavement of Macdonell Street with torch in hand. In an email sent Monday from a group calling itself Olympic Resistance Guelph, the protesters claim that “some torch relay vans passed us going the other way (on Macdonell) and then to our surprise the group of runners turned as well. The torch route was supposed to be along Carden Street, but instead they basically ran right into the protest one street to the north.” “We did not veer from our published or planned route,” Vancouver 2010 media and public relations co-ordinator Chris Shauf said. According to RCMP Const. Mandy Edwards, spokesperson for the Vancouver 2010 Integrated Security Unit, 28 agencies work together to protect torchbearers and secure the 45,000-kilometre, 106-day event. On Monday, Guelph Police were responsible for “securing the route” in Guelph, according to Davis. “They followed the right route,” Guelph Police chief Rob Davis said. More than 36 members of the Guelph Police Service worked to do so Monday — more than enough to keep the 30 or so protesters in check and the flame lit, according to Davis. “There were enough to control the activity,” he said. “We were monitoring the activity . . . and there was no anticipation that they were going to charge the road and block the procession. That caught everyone off guard. It was pretty brazen activity.” The protesters, who oppose the Games for various reasons, including allegedly staging them on what they claim to be “stolen Native land,” began the day by peacefully distributing pamphlets outlining their numerous positions. They took to the streets and began marching and chanting, “No Olympics on stolen Native land!” and “Homes not Games!” approximately 15 minutes before the torch relay made its way through the downtown core. While marching east along Macdonell, the protesters ran smack into the torch relay procession, which had just turned west after travelling south on Wyndham Street. During what began as a verbal confrontation, Hansen, security forces and protesters became entangled and Hansen and the torch eventually landed on the ground. Brittney Simpson, 19, of Kitchener was arrested and charged with assault. She is to appear in court in February. The protesters claim police and security personnel initiated the contact and that no protester ever made contact with Hansen. They claim she simply fell. A press release issued by the Guelph Police Service said Hansen was “knocked to the ground.” “My understanding is when the group charged forward, the security forces, the torchbearer and relay staff were pushed,” Davis said. Davis said he couldn’t say for certain whether Hansen tripped over a security officer’s leg when asked if that was a possibility. “I haven’t talked to the investigating officer,” Davis said. Protester Kelly Pflug-Back claimed she was punched in the mouth by an RCMP officer. Edwards wouldn’t comment and calls to regional RCMP media relations offices in Toronto and Ottawa on Tuesday weren’t returned. Police did request from relay videographers two copies of video of the incident. And on her Facebook page, Hansen pleaded that any citizens with video of the event share it with police. Protesters have forced the relay route to change at least three times in December during the flame’s cross-country journey — once near Montreal, once in Toronto and once at Six Nations on the Grand River, where the torch simply circled a bingo parking lot in fear of protests. Monday’s incident was the first physical confrontation to occur during the relay, which completed its 61st day Tuesday. “It’s certainly discouraging, particularly in Guelph,” Davis said. “It’s not what you want to be known across Canada for.” Citing security reasons, the RCMP’s Edwards wouldn’t say much in response to Monday’s incident or about potential changes to security measures during the final 45 days of the torch relay. “Our relay team, with any incident, assesses the incident and determines if anything needs to be changed,” she said. “We have flexibility to increase or decrease our security detail based on intelligence. It’s going to be examined to see if any tweaking needs to be done.” Edwards refused to say whether Guelph was of a particular concern given the city’s recent history of protests, including the occupation of the Hanlon Creek Business Park land this last summer. Several protesters Monday were also involved in that nearly month-long occupation. “I can’t comment on that,” Edwards said. “But given our intelligence and knowledge of protest groups, we do know protests are planned. We just hope they’re lawful and peaceful, but we plan for the inevitable and the unlawful.” Kitchener and Orangeville, the two centres that bookended the torch’s trip through Guelph, were named “celebration communities” where the torch stopped for concerts and rallies. The torch was in Guelph for about an hour. -- "it isn't the rebels that cause the troubles of the world, it's the troubles that cause the rebels"