With the close of the 2010 Winter Olympic Games in Vancouver, much of the media was quick to declare them a total success. This goes against the mounds of journalism produced before and during the games by the Vancouver Media Co-op, the city’s newly launched independent media center. Believing that their might be more than one answer regarding the success of the games, and one of those should come from the host communities, The Real News spoke to Franklin López, Video Producer with the Co-op, to find out more about the legacy of the 2010 Olympics for the people of Vancouver.
Indigenous Peoples are celebrating Worldwide after claiming victory over the 2010 Winter Olympic Games. Invaders were warned not to enter our Lands and now they are to blame for the “worst Olympic games ever”. For the first time there is no natural snow in the host Olympic city, which sits on un-surrendered Indigenous Territories. 20,000+ tickets had to be refunded after the cancellation of many events because of no snow. A Georgian lugers’ name now stands alongside Harriet Nahanee and millions of other life forms that were killed for the Olympics. The bad outcome can be seen as a small taste to what awaits any investors, companies or civilian invaders* who enter Indigenous Territories.
Why we must Fight
Indigenous Objectives
We fight for Land and Freedom. The struggle for our Lands and way of life remains the exact same as when Crazy Horse, Geronimo, Tecumseh and Tupac Amaru were alive. The only thing different is the minds, the physical reality is that another group of humans are still imposing their beliefs and will on our Indigenous Peoples and Lands at gunpoint. Our Lands are occupied by invaders, raped for profit, war, entertainment and human comfort. The invaders have not stolen our land, the land is still here, under concrete or not, it remains, and as long as we remain we will fight to expel all invaders who destroy or seek to destroy it.
February 14th, 2010 – Vancouver, Coast Salish Territories
On February 12th and 13th, 2010, thousands of courageous individuals came together to resist the 2010 Olympic police state and to attack the corporations plundering the land and deepening poverty. We write this communique as participants in and organizers of the black bloc presence at these demonstrations, known as “Take Back Our City” and “2010 Heart Attack.”
On February 12th, the Vancouver Police Department pacified us with a force of mounted police. The next day during 2010 Heart Attack, they deployed riot police armed with M4 carbine assault rifles. They claim this was necessary in order to stop the march from “jeopardizing public safety” – yet the only threats to public safety were in their own hands. Participants in the demonstration only undertook strategic attacks against corporations sponsoring the Olympics and did not harm or attack bystanders.
The Olympic Resistance Network has called for a convergence to protest the Vancouver Winter Olympics. This video explains some the reasons why these activists have organized the first ever anti-Olymopic summit.
ALL OUT AGAINST THE 2010 WINTER OLYMPIC GAMES! The 2010 Winter Olympics will take place in Vancouver & Whistler, on unceded Indigenous land, from February 12-28 2010. We call on all anti-capitalist, Indigenous, housing rights, labour, migrant justice, environmental, anti-war, community-loving, anti-poverty, civil libertarian, and anti colonial activists to come together to confront this two-week circus and the oppression it represents. We are organizing towards a global anti-capitalist and anti-colonial convergence against the 2010 Olympic Games. * BASIC SCHEDULE: The basic plan thus far is: - Conference and People’s Summit on Wed Feb 10- Thurs Feb 11 - Fri Feb 12: Take Back Our City! “Welcome” the 2010 Olympic Torch with Free Games, Free Speech, and Free Food! Beginning with a festival at the Vancouver Art Gallery at 3 pm, followed by a parade and protest to BC Place Stadium. Details, including childcare arrangements, at: http://2010welcoming.wordpress.com/
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