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PHOTOGRAPHY about Solidarityposted on February 21, 2010 by isaac
Gigantic Canadian flag downtown defaced in protest
As people milled about on a birght Saturday morning at the Vancouver Art Gallery, a few cameras were focused on what workers were trying to hastily remove from the building opposite on W. Georgia St.
The topmost part of the Canadian flag draping the building had been defaced the night before; "F U 2010" had been cut into it.
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Comments
And a big censored fuck you
And a big censored fuck you to the people who did this to Canadians.
awesome, good work vandals,
awesome, good work vandals, and fuck canada
Are you serious?
Kurt, are you serious?
Just exactly what is a "Canadian" and what exactly did this act of protest "do" to them?
When life is a bunch of abstractions you are going to create misplaced emotions. This was a message to the people who sold out B.C. for some fun that will be gone in a couple days, while the bills will stay around for decades.
Life isn't some black and white bullshit and this faux nationalism, which didn't even exist in B.C. prior to the games, isn't going to do anyone any favours. Before the Olympics, British Columbians flew British Columbian flags, and felt an identity unique to the rest of Canada. Now, because of sports awards, everyone is expected to wave maple leaf flags and identify as a nation at whatever cost to ourselves, our communities, and the nation as a whole. Provincial diversity is a part of Canadian identity. This Canada flag waving phenomena is the type of abstract boosterism that typifies American enthusiam. It isn't something to be envied or mimicked.
Who cares about this flag? It is just a stupid symbol for tourists. There are far more important things in life than flags.
This was an insult to each of
This was an insult to each of us. I was Canadian prior to the olympics and will be so for long afterwards. For the life of me, I can't see my earlier comment as "faux nationalism", or any other sort. It's one of the things I and many others happen to be. Defacing that symbol was done to my neighbours and myself. To members of a community.
F U and your neighbours
I'm from around here too, and this is violently stolen land. Kurt, do you understand the words 'policies of assimilation and genocide'. if yes, explain them back to me.
This is in an outrage! I'm
This is in an outrage! I'm going to buy a bunch of Pro-Canadian clothing to protest these protesters.
Wait a minute... why does this tag say made in China?
turtle island
kurt makes a point here... his is not faux nationalism, its the real deal.
take a listen to testament's turtle island:
http://www.myspace.com/testamenthiphop
As a Canadian...
Look at this country: 22% of people voted for a political party that is now deciding what happens on behalf of 100% of us. If we don't like it, we can go to jail. Or, if we don't like it, the government will shut itself down to avoid the inconvenience of explaining themselves to the country. THAT is even more than an insult -- it's harmful to basically everyone living in Canada!
I wonder if you would explain how an insult -- cutting some holes in a flag -- is really harmful to you and your community? I'm afraid I don't understand that part.... Those Olympics, you see, really are harmful to many communities, but people who want to watch the games or see the torch go by don't seem to care much about the harm their games bring to others.
Questionable Priorities
Dear Kurt:
So of all the things that have been done to your community as a result of the Corporate Owe-lympics, THIS is the one that you're pissed off about?
Use your real name
Comment #3, I agree with you on all points, use your full name, it shows you can stand behind your words.
ashamed
To all of you who support this illegal act of vandalism, you should all be ashamed of yourselves. Its one thing to agree or disagree with the games or whatever else has your knickers in a knot, but to support a blatent act of vandalism is quite simply wrong. No ifs, ands or buts about it. Its illegal and its wrong. I hope these people are found and not only charged with a crime, but also sued for the damages.
That all said, I haven't even talked about the fact that this act of vandalism was committed against one of our most sacred national symbols. Our flag. And again, to all those who believe it is ok to deface our flag, or don't believe in our country, or don't like our governments etc, maybe Canada is not the place for you. Don't let the door hit you on the way out!!!
Open Your Eyes
That vandalism is directed at a symbol that represents genocide and occupation. What does it mean to you that we came and comepletely displaced entire nations of people, and effectively destroyed their culture? And why is the vandalism of the state itself not an issue for you? What about al the living things that were destroyed for these games to happen? All the trees and ecosystems that were harmed or destroyed mean nothing to you? You're crying over a flag? Why is it OK for people to be thrown out of their homes and on to the streets? Why can cops beat the shit out of people? Why can a government illegally occupy land and that is OK? This hierarchy is fucked up. The state and its violence are seemingly invisible to you. Did you know that Hitler modelled his plan for Lebensraum after the conquest and destruction of the First Nations of North America? The only difference between our culture and the Nazis is that so far no one ahs stopped our culture. Open up your eyes.
Congrats
Now that you all have broken windows and defaced a flag I can REALLY stand behind you.
All you have done is demonstrated you are like a child screaming and kicking yur legs in the air. And like an adult I am going to treat you like one and ignore your crying. If you want our attention gain it through peaceful non-destructive protests, through using facts and sounding intellegent.
Instead you insist on doing what 15 year old boys do when they got caught with weed at school.. Deface property and use 'big boy words.'
I stopped listening.
What is a True Canadian?
Or a true American, for that matter. One thing we are learning as these Games progress is that one of the qualifying traits for both what it means to be a true Canadian and a true American, it seems, is that you have to love the Olympics. The City of Vancouver did what it could to appease local civil libertarians' demand for changes in the Olympic Games By-law that would have restricted free expressed and peaceful assembly markedly, but we see where the federal governments of both countries have chosen to draw the line. If you don't like the Olympics and you're intent on speaking your mind about it, you aren't welcome.
Seems pretty clear to me. A True Canadian loves the Olympics. A True American loves the Olympics. Plus True Canadians and True Americans don't mind footing the multibillion dollar bills for the Olympics nor do they mind the involvement of corporate sponsors like the Royal Bank (major backer of the Alberta Tar Sands - the world's greatest polluting industrial project) who don't appear all that interested in going green. So, True Canadians and Americans are also people who don't mind eating lies like 2010 being the greenest games ever.
True Canadians and Americans don't care about these things. They care about owning the podium.
I can't help wondering what
I can't help wondering what sort of a world these people would bring us.
Again, this was a slap in the face to 34 million honest, hard working people who call themselves Canadians. A couple dozen arrogant individuals choose to swim against the tide, even going so far to refer to those working people as "dupes".
Anyone who doesn't want to stand with working people can fuck off!
shame on Canada
Tim,
if you think we should be 'ashamed' for this act of vandalism against a symbol, how should we feel about how we treated Afghan detainees? How should we feel about the way we treat the poor and homeless, and the Aboriginals of this country? How about the fact that part of our Canada Pension Plan is invested in a company from South Korea that manufactures cluster bombs?
Should we be proud that we're a nation at war? Maybe we should pride ourselves that we were THE country to veto a resolution brought forward by the UN that would make clean water a human right? Or stand behind the tar sands, the biggest industrial project on the planet, and our shame on the world stage in Copenhagen? Turning lakes into tailings pond?Owning the podium? Supporting a $1 billion security budget for a two-week party and shrugging our shoulders when massive cuts in public spending are announced? Maybe if we weren't working so much we'd see where we're headed. We'd see that big money is really dictating how this country is run.
I love Canada, wouldn't want to live anywhere else in the world. It's this love that wants to see a better nation.
Congratulations on further
Congratulations on further alienating the public from whatever your message(s) was/were.
Vandalism, whether justified in your opinion or not, has turned off the undecided and borderline sympathetic toward your cause.
Propaganda of the deed and direct action only succeed when the overwhelming majority of society agree with its means and ends. For better or worse, that is not the case in Vancouver and Canada as a whole.
If any of you truly want to achieve social justice and an end to colonialism, you must engage the public in open civil debate, and abandon hooliganism and violence as tactics.
Maybe EVERYONE should leave.
Maybe EVERYONE should leave. All the whiteys fuck off the Europe, All the Asians fuck off the Asia, all the 'First Nations' fuck off to Siberia and so on. Leave the land to the goddam bears.
But please leave the flag alone.
What a bullshit attempt at a
What a bullshit attempt at a protest.
Scissor out some paper dolls from OUR flag.
Weak weak weak
Get some balls and take over the government or really make shit hit the fan.
Cowards.
Well Well Well
It seems obvious the one who defaced the Canadian flag was trying to make a point and succeeded ... He brought himself lower then his "claimed enemy".
Who should we really trust the Government or someone who defaced a Canadian flag while high on drugs....
How do you know they were
How do you know they were high on drugs. Did you help them? Were you in on it?
I think being a "Canadian"
I think being a "Canadian" means you're mentally weak and mentally ill; you don't know the difference between real violence and the struggles of everyday life that are violent. Violence is a part of nature - you're just blind because you're enslaved and your thoughts are mistaken - you falsely imagine that you're outside of nature. Resistance is not vandalism. I applaud the people who managed to cut out the message Fuck You 2010. Because it is certain that all those people who put on this brainwashing show deserve to be told to go fuck themselves. They've imposed enormous harm on your community and you can't even see it because you're a stupid, ignorant, blind "Canadian". Yes, indeed, go fuck yourself, fuck your stupidity, fuck your completely fabricated identity - it's weak. I'm smart enough to remain anonymous on this site - because my words are far more powerful than my identity. You cannot understand the importance of being anonymous - obviously you're privileged and would impose far greater forms of violence on people for the sake of your fucking pathetic nationalism. Have some courage to really analyse what's going on with the Olympics. Your “Canada” is a parasite.
Im in awe right now by the
Im in awe right now by the ignorance and stupidity displayed in some of the comments above. It is a huge insult to deface the Canadian Flag, especially on the world stage. Most of this is done by people whom create their own cause and nothing that the canadian people really support. Well everyone is hating on Canada and B.C for bringing tourism and freedom to a provence well deserving, Keep in mind that I am serving and watching friends and comrad's dieing for your flag, upholding your pride and freedom and making sure that at home or foreign, no one takes your flag, murders your friends or family and destroys what you hold sacrate and love. Im glad to see as a soldier i ut my life on the line for a country that many would love to see be torn.