Ageed!

For once I agree with Sir Wilfred!

Good show

Everyone behaved. A good start. Good marks to the protestors who kept themselves in check at BC Place.

Looking good so far.

Just keep it and we'll all get what we want. A voice of concern from the protestors out to the world and enjoyment of events and games for those who support the Olympics and activities.

Good show

Your report suggests that there was minimal trouble with only one arrest. However, CBC and the Van. Sun are going overboard with assaults, spitting and vinegar throwing with the story line that protesters were trying to provoke police.

What really happened?

There was violence, and it makes me sick

I walked with the protesters... while finding some of them shrill, hyperbolic and in some cases off-message. What made me sick was hearing over the loudspeaker that some of the protesters were taking part in more "militant" action. And then there's this:

"Some protesters sprayed vinegar in officers' eyes, threw sticks, and spit on officers, police said.

"Two officers were injured with flying objects and one was sent to hospital with a shoulder injury but was treated and released, said Const. Lindsey Houghton." (-CBC)

These protesters DO NOT represent me. They disgust me. I am for a thoughtful, critical demonstration that reminds the world of the plight of those who are shoved aside to make way for the Games. I am for greater compassion towards the marginalized, and mindfulness of the environment. What this has to do with spitting on cops or throwing blunt objects at them, I don't know. We're lucky they didn't break out the batons. Protesters, be peaceful or get lost.

I was there!

It was a raucous spectacle, the theme chant seeming to be "Fuck the Olympics!" Concerns addressed by speakers and protesters varied but strong themes included, of course, olympics issues (debt, security state, neglect of the poor and services), native issues (theft of native land and destruction thereof, etc), and prominently, tar sands exploitation.

The protest was tightly controlled until the near the end - by the protesters! Tight lines were held up front and long pauses were taken at every intersection to cause maximum interruption. We passed many, many trapped cars, including some which were abandoned mid-street by owners who probably went to go grab a coffee at the Starbucks. In front of the art gallery, at Georgia, a couple of trapped Olympics boosters sat in their sun roof and waved their mittens, only to receive a 100-person chant of "Sellouts, sellouts!" before the protest moved on, people dragging their two-man banners over the poor boosters' car and heads, but gently, and all in good fun it seemed.

Sometimes it seemed like the protest was held up by a stronger force... the stuboorn wall of photographers and cameramen that inched ahead of the frontlines and at one point caused a bit of a crush when police lines were met at BC Place. It was an unbelievable media circus, everywhere high-priced SLR's and HD-cams, some on rods, putting my cybershot to shame... everywhere I went to take a photo, a million super HD shots were being made already, making me think it would make more sense to browse the web in the next few days.

I was there, part 2!

The professionalism of the police was remarkable; I was in the front lines and many provocative protest kids wearing full masks were in the cops' faces, calling them names, mocking them, and saying rather offensive things (the word "cum" was mentioned where I was at, to give you an idea of the intellectual level). The police were poker faced and unperturbed for the most part. No riot gear mainly, the cops were baseball capped up, except for a line of horse brigade at the back. There was one good push back, but the cops took it easy and it was clear they were just establishing their perimeter. Interesting note: the RCMP were definitely there... I guess BC Place was in-venue so this was their operating area, but they were definitley interacting with the front lines, getting whacked by and grabbing signs.

Of course, it wasn't surprising that the police had on the kid gloves.. this ain't no WTO summit! I asked one officer, half-jokingly, if gas was in the works, and he laughed, "No, definitely not," right before his line pushed us back ten metres.

Other than some front line drama initiated by the few hardcores, and the push by the olice, the most violent thing I saw was group of bulging-eyed Americans in their team America jackets pushing through the crowd in a line, nervously looking back for each other and around at the otherwise innocuous black-masked protest-kids, a choice quote being, "Let's MOVE, we can't stop here!" Noone was even paying attention to them heh heh

poltourist

What really happened was there was a VERY small group of hardcore protesters who were intent on starting shit with the cops, with most of the action happening in a short period inside of a ten-by-ten metre area at the frontlines. It was mainly the black-clad, masked contingent starting it, beginning with throwing a couple of those plastic barricade pylons, then trying a break through the lines which was easily pushed back by the police. The most violent part of the protests occurred in a very short period of time, and diffused very quickly... I saw many masked shit-starters leaving quickly after things (briefly) went down. I saw some police getting feebly whacked by signs (which they tore away and discarded) and some projectile throwing at the front, but it was incredibly miniscule, even pitiful. In fact, before it even started, Garth Mullins came on the microphone and said the march was headed back to the art gallery, though he said "autonomous" protesters could do what they want, and they did, and it was over quickly.

Definitely not representative of the protest at large, almost not worth noting... bit of a sideshow really.

Was there

Great crowd, more like 2500-3000 as the square was full. Funny to see all the sheeple going to BC Place walking into the demo with out a clue. Will post some pics on the blog later today.

Marble-throwing?

I note the "marble-throwing story" resurfaced here. This was proven to be a lie at the Victoria demo. Anyone see marbles being thrown?

Protest yes - Hijack better.

Hijack the political system - much easier and much more effective than protest.

Great publicity but Harper and Campbell don't give a rat's ass about activists. The more you protest the more you scare their core support and more solid it gets.

You need to direct your resources more effectively at consolidating the left.

Here's the program:

1) 50% of you instead of protesting buy BC or fed liberal memberships. You show up at meetings and you vote out all the cons. You elect your homey's as delegates, go to conventions, and pass progressive agendas. You boot the Campbell cons from the BCLibs and backrooms boys from the fed Liberal party. Boot Iggy if he doesn't toe the line.

2) Send 10% of your protesters over to the green party and overwhelm the stupid irresponsible activists that run that organization and change its mandate to a lobbying organization like the Canadian Taxpayers Federation. No more candidates no more splitting the progressive vote.

3) In a similar fashion send 40% of your protesters over to the NDP party and get control or that party. Move a cooperate with the new Liberal brothers and sisters agenda. In ridings where NDP support is strong the Liberals run no or weak candidates. The NDP brothers and sisters return the favor.

Right now the Cons are owned by the evangelical movement. The vast majority of their members and MP's are evangelicals. They can get 100K people out to riding associations overnight. You can't beat them that way like David Orchard did years back.

Read this article for inspiration.

http://www.straight.com/article-281991/vancouver/defeatist-democrats-and-lethargic-left

There are lots of real Liberals in the Liberal party and they need your help!!!

Instead of organizing protests (other than for publicity), use a core leadership group to keep track of political party meetings, conventions, and nomination meetings nation wide provincial and federal. Use some sort of bot to send messages to union members and facebook adherents reminding them when a relevant political party event is taking place in their riding along with a suggested plan of action.

The Liberal, NDP, and Green parties have so few active members a well run internet based union/twitter/facebook group with dedicated members could take these organizations over easily.

If a small fraction of protesters did something effective instead of waving signs, we could get Canada and BC on the way to recovery.

very civil protest

I observed incognito for several hours mid afternoon at the art gallery and joined the march to the library. It was quite tame and the police were restrained. The black anarchists were mostly high school age kids out to have some fun and rebellion and I actually missed seeing any scuffles. Of course CBC wanted to maximize this angle. By the time we were marching it was too dark to get crowd shots in the streets with my Nikon D40 alas. It was rather cool with some drizzle and wind not great for standing around too long. Went home to watch the opening ceremonies on CTV quite an extravaganza. Just maybe Gordo and Harper can make some big deals with Arnold and Biden and crank up the gas taps in Fort Nelson to pay for all this hoopla.

My son was at the Victoria

My son was at the Victoria protests and he said there were some realy weird things happened. For example there were 'protesters' dressed up in black, wearing bandanas trying to cause trouble. These people were not at the rally prior to the march. He observed them going in and out of the march, throwing rocks at RBC vehicles. When these people were outside the perimeter they could have been picked up by the police, one by one, but they weren't. They also stuck together. His only explaination was that they were provacteurs. Same with the marbles thrown on the streets.

Everything was tightly controlled

I attended the Opening Ceremonies last night, my wife getting tickets in the first lottery. We were almost in the very top row, the cheap seats as it were.

Everything was tightly controlled. People were funneled in through two main entrances and we did a huge roundabout walk past GM Place to get into BC Place. Between the crowds, and the drone of many security helicopters overhead, we had no idea any protest was going on until after well after the Opening Ceremonies.

It was a great show. Those Aussies did an amazing job.

And in case no one has noticed the emerging theme in Campbell's promise to double tourism by 2015, there is a huge focus on BC's Aboriginal peoples. The first thing that happened after the raising of the Canadian Flag was the greeting and welcome by four First Nations. This is your time to shine Aboriginal Peoples of BC. Take advantage of it!

Maybe, just maybe the winds of change are upon us.

Change the people and you change the world. A violent world is part of what needs to be changed, creating more violence, well, that just gives us more violence.

To those people that represent a world of peace and humility, I hope and pray you find what your looking to create.