Olympic protesters mobilize in Vancouver

By Carlito Pablo, Georgia Straight

After years of preparation, it’s all coming down to this.

B.C. Place opens its doors at 2 p.m. on Friday (February 12). Last-minute checks will be made for the extravaganza that starts four hours later. The show doesn’t come cheap; the federal government kicked in $20 million for its share. Around the world, huge numbers of people will be waiting in anticipation in front of their TV screens.

This is the opening ceremony of the 2010 Winter Olympics.

Several blocks away, people gather on the north lawn of the Vancouver Art Gallery. They too have waited a long time for the Games. They also want the world’s attention, although for another purpose. They want to show that Canada has a dark underside: poverty, homelessness, missing and murdered women, poor treatment of aboriginal people, and a military presence in Afghanistan. By 4:30 p.m., the crowd will surge toward B.C. Place. At a certain point, police will have to stop them so that they don’t disturb the party inside.

->Read More<-