Sunday, January 10, 2010


CANADIAN POLITICS:
MORE OPPOSITION AS THE OLYMPICS DRAWS CLOSER:
Only about a month to go until the 2010 Vancouver/Whistler Winter Olympics, and people continue to protest as the Olympic flame sputters its way across Canada. Here's the latest on anti-Olympic events from the Olympic Resistance Network.
►►►►►►►►►►►
Speaking Tour and Upcoming Actions and Events:‏
1) Anti Olympic Speaking Tour in BC and US West Coast!
2) Jan 9 and 16: Flyering and Skate-in Against Corporate Sponsors
3) Jan 20 - 21: Dave Zirin in Vancouver
4) Jan 22: Solidarity in the Face of Police Repression
5) Feb 2010: Anti Olympic Convergence
(1)(1)(1)(1)(1)(1)(1)(1)(1)(1)(1)(1)(1)
- please forward to contacts in BC and US West Coast -
Why Oppose the 2010 Olympic Games
As part of a provincial and west coast speaking tour, join us in a series of events to learn more about the Olympic industry and its impacts, why opposition to the Games is growing, and how you can participate in and support the resistance. We will also hear about plans for a global Feb 10-15 anti-colonial and anti-capitalist convergence against the Games. No Olympics on Stolen Native Land!
Watch:
Eight Reasons to Oppose the 2010 Winter Olympics:
DATES!
Check back frequently for updates on Facebook at:
Or subscribe to our low traffic list to receive updates:
1) US:
* Sat Jan 9th - Seattle. 3 PM-5 PM, @ the Cascade Peoples Center ( 309 Pontius Avenue North, Seattle, WA 98109-5421.
* Mon Jan 11th – Olympia.
* Tues Jan 19 – Oakland @ 7 pm, Eastside Arts Alliance, 2277 International Blvd, Oakland. Suggested donation: $5-10 sliding scale (no one will be turned away for lack of funds)
Co hosted by: Chiapas Support Committee, East Side Arts Alliance, and others.
* Wed Jan 20: San Francisco at 7:00 p.m. Station 40, 3030B 16th Street (at Mission Street BART), San Francisco Hosted by the Institute for Anarchist Studies Suggested donation: $5-10 sliding scale, to support tour (no one will be turned away for lack of funds)
* Thurs Jan 21: Davis
* Fri Jan 22: Orange County at 6 pm. Women's Civic Club, 9501 Chapman Ave. Garden Grove, CA 92841. Contact: jhaghor@yahoo.com or 714-478-3155
2) BC:
* Fri Jan 15thPenticton.
* Sat Jan 16th – Nelson @ 2 pm. Senior's Branch 51, 717 Vernon Street, Nelson (across from Extra Foods) . Contact Sandra at 250-352-5274 or sgnelken@shaw.ca . Organized by Council of Canadians-Nelson Chapter.
* Sun Jan 17thCastlegar. Castlegar Public Library 1005 3rd street from 3-5 pm. Contact info: ieatskiers@hotmail.com
* Mon Jan 18th – Golden at 7pm. Jita's Cafe. B-1007 11th Ave S.
* Tues Jan 19th- Kelowna at 7 pm
* Fri Jan 22ndNanaimo
* Sat Jan 23rd – Comox Valley @ 7pm. BCGEU meeting room, 2nd Floor, 910 Fitzgerald Ave, Courtenay. Contact Ernie at 250 338 3504 or ernieyacub@gmail.com .
* Sun Jan 24th – Powell River
(2)(2)(2)(2)(2)(2)(2)(2)(2)(2)(2)(2)(2)
2 upcoming actions against 2010 Olympic sponsors:
General Electric and the Hudson’s Bay Company
1) Flyering outside the Hudson's Bay Company Olympic Store
* *Saturday, January 9
*1:00 pm-4:00 pm
Meet outside the Bay on Georgia Street The 2010 corporate campaign will be flyering for 3 hours outside the Hudson's Bay Company to inform people about HBC, the Olympics and their links to colonialism.
*Blood on your hands: Are you wearing HBC's history of colonialism?
* The Hudson's Bay Company is the oldest commercial corporation in North America. HBC forcefully controlled the fur trade throughout much of British-controlled North America for several centuries. The corporation took control over several areas of Canada, forcing their rules of trade, immigration, settlement and governance onto indigenous people.
*2) Skate-in and flyering at GE Plaza at Robson Square
* *Saturday, January 16
*1:00 pm- 4:00 pm
GE Plaza at Robson Square
Meet on Robson side of the Vancouver Art Gallery
Join us for an ice-skate while we hand out information on General Electric, another Olympic sponsor with a shameful track record. Non-skaters are welcome as well to distribute information to people outside of the rink. Please bring skates if you have them, otherwise skate rentals are $3.00 each.
*General Electric: Imagining War Profiteering and Privatizing Rivers
* General Electric is a worldwide partner of the Games but is also one of the world's top 3 producers of jet engines, supplying Boeing, Lockheed Martin and other military aircraft makers for the powering of airplanes and helicopters. The "war on terrorism" has seen GE's military contracts rise substantially. GE is also involved in the privatization of BC rivers. "Run of river" private power projects are destructive to river ecologies, cause roads and power lines to intrude on wilderness areas, and undermine public control over power supply. General Electric is involved with Plutonic Power in the 1,027 megawatt project in Bute Inlet. For more info: 2010corporatecampaign@gmail.com
(3)(3)(3)(3)(3)(3)(3)(3)(3)(3)(3)(3)(3)
"POLITICS IN THE RING: DAVE ZIRIN IN VANCOUVER!"
Award-winning sports writer Dave Zirin will be speaking in Vancouver on the politics of sport and mega sporting events on January 20 and January 21, 2010. You will not want to miss him!
--------------------
Wed Jan 20 @ 2:30-4:30
MBC 2290, SFU Burnaby campus
Organized by Teaching Support Staff Union (TSSU), email organizer@tssu.ca
Wed Jan 20 @ 6:30 pm.
Maritime Labour Centre, 1880 Triumph Street (corner Victoria Drive).
Suggested donation $10, no one turned away.
* Dave will be available for a book signing, People’s Co-op Books will have his books for purchase.Organized by Olympic Resistance Network, olympicresistance@riseup.net
Endorsed by: Vancouver Action, Submedia, No One Is Illegal, Anti Poverty Committee, Council of Canadians, Warrior Publications, Stopwar.ca, Impact on Communities Coalition, Streams of Justice, Student Christian Movement -UBC, 2010 Watch, 2010 Corporate Campaign.
Thursday, Jan. 21, 4pm
UBC - Student Union Building, room 205
Organized by UBC Social Justice Centre.
---------------------------
Named one of the UTNE Reader's "50 Visionaries Who Are Changing Our World", Dave Zirin writes about the politics of sports and resistance in sports. His writings appear in the Nation Magazine, SLAM Magazine, the Progressive, Washington Post, San Francisco Chronicle, New York Daily News, and Los Angeles Times. Zirin is also the host of XM satellite's popular weekly show, Edge of Sports Radio. He has brought his blend of sports and politics to other television and radio programs including ESPN,CNN, MSNBC, Al-Jazeera, C-SPAN, Democracy Now, National Public Radio, Air America, and Pacifica. Author of several books, his new book is "A People's History of Sports in the United States," part of Howard Zinn's People's History series for the New Press.
* Some recent articles:
Amy Goodman and Canada's Olympic Paranoia
Message to Obama: You Can't Have Muhammad Ali
Tiger Woods Falls from Grace
Obama's Olympic error:
Gaza anger overwhelms hoops contest
* More about Dave and his writings:
(4)(4)(4)(4)(4)(4)(4)(4)(4)(4)(4)(4)(4)
Solidarity in the Face of Police Repression
Mass Demonstration
Friday, January 22nd,
1:00 pm
Anyone posing even a potential threat to Olympic Security is being subjected to police "friendly visits" and blatant harassment,from active organizers and their families to people who attend events or write critical letters. These visits have escalated and are likely to continue escalating as we near the February games. Some have faced the sharper swords of prosecution, imprisonment, deportation, and even death in the case of Harriet Nahanee. We see the clear connection between Olympic repression and ongoing police intimidation & brutality, the mounting deaths in police custody, the gross negligence in missing women cases, the social cleansing in the Downtown Eastside, and all the other symptoms of this unjust system.
We call for a mass public outcry and for increased resistance amidst this climate of increasing social control. To show we do not fear their tactics when we rise together. Tell your friends and family, co-workers and classmates. Let's show that our solidarity can be stronger than their repression.
Intentions:
We are planning on this march being a family friendly demonstration of our solidarity against police repression. We intend to create a festive atmosphere that is safe and inviting for a wide range of people. Our goal is to spread information and to strengthen our will to band together and support each other in the face of ongoing police repression. We ask that people not attempt to provoke the cops. This said, we are not responsible nor can we control attempts by authorities to suppress our solidarity, and therefore, we stress the importance of supporting those who choose to defend themselves and others against police abuse.
We invite everyone to bring their friends and family, as well as banners, chants, noise makers, flags, torches and, most importantly, lots of energy! Let's bring the celebration of our resistance into the streets! If you have any questions, please leave us a comment and we will respond ASAP. If you do not wish to make your comment public, please let us know and we will act accordingly.
(5)(5)(5)(5)(5)(5)(5)(5)(5)(5)(5)(5)(5)
CONVERGENCE FEB 2010
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:
- Autonomous days of action on Sat Feb 13 and Mon Feb 15 including anti-corporate actions, rallies to oppose militarization, and more.
- On Sun Feb 14th, we will be standing with the 19th Annual Women's Memorial March to honour all the missing and murdered and women in the DTES (this is not an anti-Olympic protest). Details at:
We will also be updating our website with additional anti-Olympic events occurring during the month of February:
* LOGISTICAL INFORMATION:
We are working to coordinate the logistics to host this convergence. For information on billeting (whether you are in need of billeting or can provide billeting), travel and border information, legal updates, food and childcare arrangements, community spaces, welcome package, and more, please check http://olympicresistance.net frequently for updates.
* SUPPORT THE CONVERGENCE AND GET INVOLVED!
1) Sign-up for our low-traffic list (1-2 emails per week) to stay updated on upcoming events, meetings, and actions. Please email olympicresistance@riseup.net and ask to be added to our announcement list.
2) If you are part of another group (artist, activist, community, union, campus etc) and are planning any kind of activity or event to oppose the Games during Jan-Feb 2010, please do let us know so we can stay in touch.
3) Host an anti-Olympic educational on your campus or at your next conference. Or invite a speaker to your next meeting to discuss what your group can do. We are able to provide educational materials including films, tshirts, comics, buttons, stickers and more!
4) Get involved in the Olympic Resistance Network or other anti-Olympic groups in your neighbourhood or campus. The ORN has regular General Meetings on Sundays as well as many committees.
5) Spread the word about the convergence! Forward this notice to your contacts, join our facebook group (http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=22399134613&ref=ts), download posters and flyers about the convergence from our website and pass them on!
6) Please donate! Hosting this convergence requires significant funds, including legal defence funds. You can donate securely through PayPal on our website: http://olympicresistance.net/content/send-us-money or cheques can be made out to Olympic Resistance Network and mailed to
ORN,
6 - 1857 Kitchener St,
Vancouver, BC,
V5L 2W5.
Email ornfundraise@riseup.net to arrange direct deposits or other queries.
* WHY OPPOSE THE GAMES:
The 2010 Winter Olympics will take place on unceded Indigenous land. Far from being simply about sport, the history of the Olympics is one rooted in displacement, corporate greed, and repression. As Olympic promoters and sponsors seek to present their sanitized corporate brand image to the world, the real impacts of the Games are apparent to everyone:
* Expansion of sport tourism on Indigenous lands
* Increasing homelessness across the province and especially in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside
* Misdirected public spending and debt totaling $6 billion while funding for the arts, educations, and health care are suffering cutbacks
* Corporate bailouts and corporate profits for companies with some of the worst social and environmental records.
* Threats to basic civil liberties and free speech
* Union-busting and vulnerable working conditions for migrant labour
* Unprecedented destruction of the environment
* Unparalleled $1 billion police and security spending that is turning our city into a militarized zone.
Watch:
Eight Reasons to Oppose the 2010 Winter Olympics:
* ABOUT US:
The Olympics Resistance Network is primarily based in Vancouver, Coast Salish Territories and exists as a space to coordinate anti-2010 Olympics efforts. The ORN supports the international resolution passed by over 1500 Indigenous delegates at the Intercontinental Indigenous Peoples Gathering in Sonora, Mexico to "boycott the 2010 Olympic Games" based on Resolution #2 of the Gathering which states "We reject the 2010 Winter Olympics on sacred and stolen territory of Turtle Island "Vancouver, Canada"". Based on this call, our organizing as natives and non-natives alike is largely being done under the slogan of "No Olympics on Stolen Native Land". In doing so, we act in solidarity with other communities across 'BC' - particularly indigenous communities who have been defending their land against the onslaught of the Olympics since the bid itself. We look forward to working together across our experiences and movements,while sharing a common understanding including an anti-colonial and anti-capitalist analysis; respect for diversity of tactics and strategies; an anti-oppression understanding and solidarity with those most directly affected; and organizational philosophy based on decentralization within a coordinated and accountable structure.
----------------
WEBSITE:
EMAIL: