Pro-Olympics supporters wave Canadian flags in front of the torch processional being stopped on Hastings street by anti-Olympics protesters.
The 2010 Welcoming Committee‘s protest and disruption of the Olympic Torch Relay in Vancouver stopped the torch in its tracks for over 10 minutes this morning at 9:20 am at Hastings Street and Cambie. The protest seemed to encompass a wide range of anti- slogans including anti-racism, anti-tar-fields, and of course, anti-Olympics. A few also came out that were pro-Marc-Emery and openly demonstrated their particular form activism in front of the Vancouver Police.
After 10 to 15 minutes of tense stoppage and a close range face-off between protesters and police, someone made a decision to re-route the torch relay back on to Pender street and then back to its planned route. The Olympic torch runner has probably never run so quick as they did rounding the corner to get off of Hastings. Police then moved in on horseback to disperse the crowd.
Protesters gather at Hastings and Cambie a few minutes before the torch arrives.
2010 Welcoming Committee organizer, Lauren Gill.
Protesters start to blockade Hastings street.
The Mounted Police force moves in for crowd dispersal as the Coca-Cola torch trucks wait behind.
The torch is diverted from its planned route back on to Pender street.
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Tags: Olympics Photos, Protest, Vancouver
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Do these protesters seriously believe that money not spent on the Olympics would have been spent on social housing etc?
Reality check people.
So how does it make you protesters feel that there was a bunch of kids almost in tears cuz they had to reroute because of your protesting.. Like its okay to protest but there is a rite way to do it and a wrong way… Give it up the olympics are happening regardess of how you feel about them
Good job, everyone.
Kids in tears? Why, because of the poor people kicked out of their homes in vancouver with rising rents? Or are those kids crying because of the 800 teachers being laid off in BC due to budgetary shortfalls– shortfalls because of the ridiculous and unjustifiable amount of public money spent on this dog and pony show? I can think up dozens of reasons why kids might be crying because of the olympics, and none of them have to do with supporting ‘canada’. Except that willfully ignorant parents buy their kids those red olympics gloves made by kids in china and get these canadian kids all excited about athletes nobody supported before, winning some stupid medal at a security cost alone of one billion dollars.
yea. right. reeeall important stuff. Shut down canadian democracy for that one.
Very well said. I totally agree with you there.
Way to go Ditty! You tell ‘em!
I think the kids cried because they were looking forward to seeing the olympic torch for most likely the only time ever in their lives and the protesters took that away from them. But that’s just me.
Oh, and that security tab? Sounds like the protesters are proving that all that money needed to be spent…
of course they don’t really think the money would have been spent on social housing. but it SHOULD have been and COULD have been. All those lies about there not being enough money is crap. When it’s time to show off or time to fund corporate welfare there’s plenty of money…
I just want to say that I am really proud of all the people that stopped the torch. I think it’s about time that we stand up, united across the turtle’s back. It’s funny, that just two years ago Canada put out the 100 things that make Canada list….which First Nations people upped to 101 because some where between winter and the maple leaf we were forgotten. Now Canada’s hosting the olympics, on stolen land, thousands of people homeless, but they want the outside world to think it’s all honkey dorey. It didn’t even make the news when any of the protests of the torch happened. You all have to remember the olympic games are just that. GAMES. I cannot believe that in this day and age a hockey game, or someone sliding down a hill on a freakin’ board trumps people left in the cold and children going hungry. Did anybody think of the little brown children that are without homes while worrying about the kids in tears? It’s disgusting to see how people can’t look past the “glory” to see the real issue. No matter what anyone says the olympics ARE NOT more important than women and children left in the street. I highly doubt that if it were your family forced to leave thier home in the name of the olympics you would say, “Oh well, it’s for the olympics, suck it up.” Have you not heard the saying “before you pass judgement walk a mile in your neighbours shoes?” Maybe you should try it.
I am a 10th generation Canadian, and I mention it, to get the attention of Americans, who believe in their democracy. The protests are a symbol, that represents, Canada is no longer the North, of the true and free. It is free for the selected few, and the rest of have become special interest groups where some are more equal than others in our Canadian Mosaic. The Canadian democracy is at risk.