2010 Resistance: VANOC/AFN Press Conference Disrupted in Toronto

March 14, 2009 — no2010.com

On March 8, 2009, a promotional event for the 2010 Winter Olympics and Aboriginal torch bearers was disrupted in Toronto by 2010 Solidarity. Here is a video link to the action:

WATCH VIDEO-

VANOC, AFN Press Conference DISRUPTED in Toronto

March 8th 2009:

[AFN Head] Phil Fontaine confronted!

In memory of Harriet Nahanee. No Olympics on Stolen Native Land!

The Assembly of First Nations is at the Intercontinental Hotel to promote the Olympics and make deals with its corporate sponsors. But, grassroots movements in indigenous communities are saying no to the Olympics. They see their land being irreparably damaged by expanding Olympic developments.

The Olympics have brought a frenzy of development to [British Columbia] - the Olympics are the new gold rush bringing displacement and destruction to indigenous communities and culture. The Province of BC was carved out of land that was never surrendered by the indigenous peoples, and was never part of any treaty. Today, most of the province remains as unceded land. Despite this, the government continues to sell, lease and allow development on Native land for mining, logging, oil & gas, ski resorts, and other industries.

The Vancouver Olympic Organizing Committee (VANOC) has gone to great lengths to hide the negative impacts that the Olympics will have on indigenous peoples, by obscuring the facts on their participation in these games. VANOC would suggest that participation means appropriating and marketing indigenous imagery and culture, and also making a series of multi-million dollar business deals that funnel money through Band Councils.

Below is the original call out explaining the event to be disrupted:

2010 Solidarity emergency protest today (Sunday) against RBC at Metro Convention Centre, 255 Front Street, a few blocks west of Union Station, meet at 2:30 p.m., protest starts at 3:00 p.m. Part of 2010 Solidarity efforts.

This is a small protest against the Royal Bank of Canada's theft of
aboriginal culture to promote themselves, despite the fact that they are funding the tar sands, which kills aboriginal culture, gives aboriginal people cancer and destroys Mother Earth.

The occasion is the The Assembly of First Nations Inter-Nation Trade and Economic Summit, which the 2010 Solidarity organizers believe is a front for the corporate take-over of aboriginal culture. Instead of protecting the landbase from industrial development and extraction industries, for the benefit of current and future generations, AFN president Phil Fontaine is promoting its sale to developers - which furthers the colonial destruction of First Nations peoples on Turtle Island and around the world.

Fontaine is willing to sign agreements with all the worst companies
(Barrick Gold, RBC, etc) for money. The particular occasion of Today's protest is preparing for the 2010 Olympics. Other corporate culprits in this are DeBoer's diamiond mining corporation of South Africa (which has a horrible history of destroying indigenous culture and the Earth), the Ontario government (who promotes mining against the wishes of the Ardoch Algonquin and KI First Nation), Coca Cola, Barrick Gold, and many other corporations too numerous to list. The entire event is morally reprehensible.

The protest is organized by 2010 Solidarity activists, both indigenous and non-indigenous, working in solidarity with First Nations adversely affected by industrial development.

We are meeting at 2:30 p.m.

The event starts at 3 p.m.

First Nations' Youth 2010 Olympic Torch Relay Flame Attendants and
Youth Language Torchbearers Announcement with National Chief Phil
Fontaine, an representatives from VANOC, Coca-Cola, and RBC.

Location: Oakville Room, Intercontinental Hotel, 255 Front Street West,Toronto

Link which shows the full agenda for next three days:

http://www.newswire.ca/en/releases/archive/March2009/06/c6786.html