Olympic Resistance at Barrie Torch Celebration

December 29,2009
Barrie, Ontario

Olympic Resistance at Barrie Torch Celebration

Members of an environmental and social justice group peacefully demonstrated their resistance to the 2010 Olympics at Barrie’s regional torch celebration yesterday. The $45,000 event drew thousands from the local area, not all of whom were glad to see how their tax dollars were being spent.

“The budget for the Olympics is quickly skyrocketing to $9 billion, and in the midst of a recession. We have a healthcare crisis, child poverty is higher than ever, we’re being told that it’s economically irresponsible for Canada to be environmentally sustainable, and yet we’re throwing a massive 17 day party in February, one of the lowest points of the fiscal year? Who do these games really benefit?”

Bystanders who stopped to talk to the protesters came away thoughtful, some shocked by the realization that there is a dark side to the Olympics, hidden by the hype, the merchandise vehicles and the gyrating dancers passing out colourful Coke bottles. Others were more angered. Shortly after unrolling their banner, which read “No Olympics on stolen native land”, one of the protesters was attacked by a man whose ‘olympic spirit’ caused him to lunge at one of the banner-holders. Barrie police intervened, but the incident was nevertheless a burning reminder of the aggression which has threatened peaceful demonstrations of resistance along the torch route in Ontario since early December.

“For an event that’s supposed to be about mutual respect and goodwill, we are seeing a disturbing undertone of hostility. This isn’t just about people getting upset over the torch being blocked in Toronto, for example, these are some very confrontational physical and verbal attacks on political dissent, including VISU (Vancouver Intensive Supervision Unit) harassing activists and their families, accosting them in their homes and at work. We’re not terrorists. We’re informed citizens, Indigenous people, activists, students, and we have very good reasons for resisting the torch relay.”

As they stood at City Hall, the protesters shrugged off shouted remarks of “Go home!” and obscene gestures. One thing is certain: they could have been anywhere else tonight, but they chose to come here, a voice of dissent in the middle of a corporate celebration.

In Toronto, peaceful protesters were shoved, spat on, two were arrested, several even had garbage thrown at them. In Kitchener, one woman holding a sign was grabbed and shoved. In Guelph, a woman was struck in the face by a police officer. And yet, a misleading headline in the Guelph Tribune skewed one torchbearer’s fall into an apparent attack, even when the Tribune itself stated that the torchbearer “tripped and fell”, reportedly over a police officer’s leg.

“Obviously, we must have good reasons for being here. Otherwise we would have packed up and gone home. It’s easy to stand up for something when everyone around you is cheering you on. But when your resistance is unpopular, it takes the real thing, not a cheap ‘made in China’ imitation.”

This isn’t the first time the Olympic games have been used to “whitewash” (or greenwash) the ugly image of a regime. In fact, the origins of the torch relay itself began in 1936 Berlin, when Joseph Goebbels, chief propagandist for Adolf Hitler in Nazi Germany, conceived of the idea of a torch relay which would “link” the fascist regime with the ideals of ancient Greece. Hosting the Olympic games, with all its nationalistic hype and marketing of vague ideals, is a marketing tool for states to look good on the world stage. In 2008, the Beijing Games hid China’s terrible human rights record, its repression of Tibet and the massive displacement of Chinese citizens under one of the grandest opening ceremonies in Olympic history.

Now, Canada is set to do the same thing. After sabotaging the Kyoto Accord in 2006, and abandoning its commitments to reducing carbon emissions at the recent Copenhagen summit, the Royal Bank of Canada (RBC), still funds the Alberta tar sands, yet Canada prides itself on what it is claiming are the “greenest Olympics” so far, with RBC as one of its main sponsors.

But you wouldn’t guess that by looking at the crowd gathered here against the backdrop of dancers, singers, bright lights and music. “We’re not asking people to do anything more than ask questions. Blind acceptance is never wise, and it never fosters good governance. We’re not a herd of cattle, we have the ability to think and ask questions for ourselves. That’s what should make us proud to be Canadian. Not some corporation like Coca Cola or RBC.”
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