Photographs by Alex Firmani / Shot In Vancouver Photography.
An anti-Olympics protest called the 2010 Heart Attack turned violent today in Vancouver as black-masked marchers clashed with over 200 police.
The protest started calmly at Terminal Station on Main street. The entire block was surrounded by police on bikes and in cars, both marked and unmarked.
Bike patrols accompanied the protesters down Main street and soon blocked traffic for the march.
The vandalism began with local newspaper boxes and this VANOC-marked vehicle.
The protest headed down Georgia street and left a wake of overturned newspaper boxes and traffic barriers.
A ladder was stolen from London Drugs.
The first windows were broken at the Hudson Bay Company.
The TD Bank on Georgia street was hit.
A VANOC-marked vehicle was told to quickly turn around as the marchers approach. The passenger continued to take photos.
A line of police on bicycles was positioned on Georgia street and Thurlow avenue but quickly fell back to their reinforced stand at Georgia and Denman.
The first clash between protesters and police.
The real violence erupted at the police stand on Denman.
Some sources say over a dozen arrests were made. The march regrouped briefly on Robson street but the violent aspect had either been quelled or removed from the scene.
Tags: Olympics Photos, Protest, Vancouver
- Red tents & red banners wrap around LiveCity Downtown
- Fans, Sports, Flags, Pride, Fun – Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics is Rockin’
- Stephen Colbert takes Vancouver
- With Glowing Hearts Canada welcomes the world to the Vancouver 2010 Olympics
- Olympic Tent Village goes up downtown drawing attention to homelessness
- Banner hung from Cambie Bridge demands “Homes For All”
wow. just taser them all. what a disgrace.
DB, silly, you know that you only get tasered if you’re Polish and at YVR!
That’s true. Especially when you’re acting like a spoiled, out of control child. Unless of course you’re from a foreign country, then that behaviour is perfectly acceptable.
BC Mom
You are so delusional. I feel sorry for your kids who will be raised with fairytales.
yeah, fairytales are really toxic for kids to grow up with. good point.
Ha-ha. So true. Having grown up in Soviet Union I spent half of my university years reading Marx. Anybody from the Anti Poverty Committee who reads this stuff is better off reading Sleeping Beauty.
Thank you, good to see someone with some insight!
Wake up sheep and smell the coffee. The government and powers that be are lying to you. Don’t turn your eyes because you can’t stomach it. It doesn’t go away. You feel it every time your strewed by the man. I know you’ve been strewed cause we all have. It’s a war and it’s time we have some soldiers on our side too!!!
whoops, I meant screwed
Yes, the government is lying to you. So are the “liberals” who tell you that social change can happen by breaking a window. Yes, there are serious issues in this world that need addressing. No, yelling really loud with no clear analysis is not going to get you any closer to change.
ya no kidding its about time some people started standing up and showing the big governmtent pigs whats what probly one of my favorite protests to hear about governments dont care about us so why dont we go by what jfk said “Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will mkae violent revolution inevitable
whats delusional, ma am…a society whose industrial complex is laying claim to their extinction (not the earths) and whom youre indirectly, ironically, and laughably, standing up for…or a those who are against it….Didya get that…you are defending a beast that is consuming you…and your future logically-functioning children.
whats delusional, ma am…a society whose industrial complex is laying claim to their extinction (not the earths) and whom youre indirectly, ironically, and laughably, standing up for…or a those who are against it….Didya get that…you are defending a beast that is consuming you…and your future logically-functioning children…
You get tasered in Vancouver if you are being stupid in an airport
No, you get killed for acting stupid in an airport (stupidity = death by non-lethal force).
Were these demonstrators demonstrating the use of a ladder against an opposing force or protesting the lack of cheap (read free) housing in Vancouver?
i totally agree!! these people are insane…
I agree–unbelievable.
Check out their boots. These are most likely agent provocateurs as the real protesters are peaceful. Remember Montebello.
Wow. Socially stunted trouble-makers acting under the guise of a “cause”. Very disappointing. That said, really great collection of photos!
Let’s see them try to do this in Cuba or China. Bunch of losers.
THEY DID TRY THIS IN CHINA AND THOUSANDS DIED THERE FOR THEIR OLYMPIC GAMES. NEARLY A HALF MILLION PEOPLE WENT WITHOUT WATER BECAUSE THEY HAD TO HAVE RUNNING FOUNTAINS IN BEIJING. OLYMPICS ARE FOR NAZIS AND FACISTS!!!!!! NAZIS AND FACISTS
REMEMBER 1936 WE ALL HAILED TO THE ONE OF THE MOST EVIL DICTATORS OF ALL TIME RIGHT BEFORE HE CAUSED POSSIBLY THE GREATEST GENOCIDE OF ALL TIME!!!!
These people are not protesters. Are TROUBLE-MAKERS. They should be panished to death. No cause that spreads violence around is really a good “cause”… Shame on them.
These people are protesters. Go back to sleep, maybe the world will be here when you wake up but I doubt it. You’re just a sheep herding the sheep. Shaming anyone who steps out of line! You’ve been brain washed well, slave.
Bravo on some excellent photography here.
These people are probably just rent-a-mob who are just looking for trouble rather than representative of a cause. If the cause endorses this then they have lost all credibility and will loose the sympathy of members of the public.
Whats rent-a-mob? You have any evidence of this or are you just pulling it out of your ass to discredit and disregard the anger and rage that was demonstrated on the streets of Vancouver?
If you’re in a protest march and you see someone ahead of you knock over a newspaper box, that’s the time to leave. That’s the time you know that your cause is about to be co-opted by some idiots who want to get their ya-yas out. Whatever happens, you’re responsible for whatever the people marching with you do.
Did you miss this one, know-it-all:
Those who make peaceful revolution impossible (sorry, the peace, love generation has demonstrated this truth), make violent revolution inevitable.
In retro, judging from corporate cock-suck-of-a-comment, you probably did.
Of course they are from out of town. Same black dress, same black masks. They are squatters using the “Black Box” technique to co-opt local protests. A violent, anti-democratic mini-minority bent on stopping progress that could cure the problems they pretend to support. Small little people. Too bad for your Vancouver that this virus came to you otherwise wonderful and pleasant city.
yeah, they re probably all jobless drug addicts, losers, crackheads, fuck-ups, freaks, and bums.
Boy, Id like to be a part of your enlightenment.
Good.
I agree, TASER all of them!! This is NOT a peaceful protest & destroying property that they won’t be paying to replace is ILLEGAL & a DISGRACE>>PLEASE don’t give them the MEDIA PLATFORM that they are looking for???????
These idiots need to be punished to the fullest extent.
After seeing this, I’m interested in their point of view (tic)
They should just be fined. A $400 fine per should be adequate along with a little community service in the DTES. Also, they should just be forgotten.
Seeing the level of violence in Vancouver by protesters is very disturbing. I feel any level of violence is wrong.
For several years now, BC residents have had to deal with school closures, cuts to health care, and the gutting of our tax funded social safety nets and programs to fund the Olympics. So many have lost their homes and basics. The violence was intitated by the BC government forcing children, the ill, families and the already marginalized and needy to fund the Olympics.
Sadly, the protesters engaged in violent behaviours are no better than those they are protesting.
BC Mom,
you are a very naive person. Please do not give excuses to pathetic children like these people. The olympics did not cause any poverty. These people stupid with too much time on their hands. Reminds me of WTO here in Seattle.
That said, I’m glad you guys got saddled with games instead of Seattle.
Seattle Guy,
Sad to say but you are the naive person with a comment such as this “The olympics did not cause any poverty”. The Olympics did cause poverty, there were about 3 apartment buildings that got condemned and those living there were evicted with no help from the government on where to relocate. This all happened in 24 hours and why did this happened, to make way for Olympic Housing. Did the olympics create poverty, simple answer yes.
I don’t agree with Vancouver hosting the olympics during a recession as much as the next guy but this isn’t helping Vancouver case… Now that they’ve spent billions of dollars on the event these degenerates are trying to stop any possible financial recovery? And to boot they’re making this city look like L.A. Whether they like it or not, the olympics aren’t going anywhere, they’re here to stay and hopefully draw more tourism. Jobs are created temporarily while the olympics are here, and they say poverty prevention is their cause. Congratulations losers, you’re hurting your city, not helping it. Thanks for your mandatory donations to the city wallet courtasy of your hefty fines.
Excuse me, in L.A we save our riots for valid causes like a Lakers win.
BCP – Unfortunately when the games were awarded to Vancouver back in 2003 there was no way to forecase a recession. Events like this can’t be cancelled at the drop of a hat.
BCP
What do you mean “Now that they’ve spent billions of dollars on the event these degenerates are trying to stop any possible financial recovery?”
The Bay, TD and Newspapers did not spend billions of dollars on the Olympics. They made money. There is no deficit for them to recover. They can certainly afford some broken windows and newspaper boxes!!!
Although I wouldn’t have become violent I’m proud that they did something.
Great photography indeed! I’ll keep my comments on these type of protests to myself…
Don’t these people realize that, the instant they start stealing stuff and breaking windows, they are no better than a mob? So what if you “got arrested for your cause”? About all it means that, when you try to travel later in life, you’ll probably be refused travel visas. In the meantime, the rest of the world glazes over the headlines “Anti-Olympic Protest Turns Violent blaa blaa blaa blaa”.
What kind of protest ever accomplished anything by being well-mannered? Most anything that has been worth winning has been won with blood and sweat. If voting and peaceful protests could change anything, they would make them illegal.
And who would listen to the peaceful ones without people like these putting their personal freedom on the line to throwdown?
“Well, you can talk to these reasonable peaceful people, or us? Which would you rather have to deal with?”
Perhaps you might learn from Gandhi’s example.
The myth of pacifism’s success is sad and pathetic. If a large non-violent mass actually ends up being “successful” it is only because of the threat that the individuals making up the group may become violent. also, if you look more closely at the non-violent “successes” you will find violent elements which complimented them; malcolm x for martin luther king junior and terrorists bombing british supply trains for gandhi. non-violence is the lesser evil as well as the less practical.
no jenni, what’s sad and pathetic is how a tiny group of disorganized hooligans spoil VBC’s chance at having this international event benefit them. Violently protesting something that is supposed to BRING TOURISM MONEY into the area is counter productive to their own cause. As annoying as hosting the Olympics is, it should be seen as an opportunity for the local economy. You should be embarrassed and ashamed for supporting this, protesting poverty and wasted tax dollars by scaring the money away and destroying property is called “digging your own grave”.
redbeardtheirate…
YOU NEED TO GROW UP.
LOL, yeah, listen to the anonymous guy posting in all-caps!
Yeah, by vandalizing stuff, you really make a great point. Unfortunately, the point is that anti-Olympics protests should be heavily oppressed because people will target random businesses and steal things. Great move. I do not support the Olympics, but breaking shit and endangering innocent bystanders doesn’t do a lot for our cause except make us look unbalanced.
Gandhi?
Amazing images.
I used some for my commentary:
Olympic Log Day 2: Anarchists “fuck shit up”
http://thevancouvermanifesto.blogspot.com/2010/02/olympic-log-day-2-anarchists-fuck-shit.html
these actions have the earmarks of a (terribly feeble) black bloc, a direct action tactic started in germany in the early 1980s. in europe, they can involve thousands of demonstrators. objectively, the optics can be chillingly effective as a manifestation of’ ‘propaganda of the deed.’ since at least the WTO in Seattle, however, the black bloc has been heavily infiltrated by the police in both north america and europe. in quebec city, provocateurs were outed by peacekeeper demonstrators. there is fascinating video of this incident on the web. unfortunately, the bb mode of dress and, here in vancouver, its sabotage, have stolen the public and media focus from truly worthwhile issues.
Thank God we Spent Billions on the Olympics so rich people and politicians can watch their children compete in athletic competitions. While 1 million children in Canada go without proper nutrition and housing.
I expect fully that within my lifetime the Olympics will cease to exist because it will be considered morally irreprehensible on the grounds that is anti-humanitarian and anti-environment.
Don’t we have some tanks in Vancouver we could use? Hahahahaha. What scum.
Yup there’s some in Chiliwack… comin your way!
Roll out the tanks. These lowlife punks deserve maximum force against them.
NAZI FACIST MUST HAVE ELECTED HITLER, ERRR I MEAN MIKE HARPER.
i sincerely dope you’re a troll
The part that gets me is that they are protesting that all this money has been sunk into the Olympics. How much does it cost in policing these friggin morons, and replacing the damaged property they have destroyed? Hey moron, here is a shovel and there is your grave, start digging….
The games are here. The games will stay. We were not in a recession when we got them, and there is NOTHING we can do about it but soak it up and enjoy it! At least it is a small minority of idiots that are the troublemakers…. Stand proud Canada!
I completely agree with you. I just wish those numbskulls realize this somehow but I doubt that’s gunna happen
HEY YOU SOUND LIKE THE NAZIS WHEN THEY TOLD JEWS TO START DIGGING THEIR OWN GRAVES. YOU MUST BE A RACIST AND FACIST BIGGOT. GOOD FOR YOU, YOUR NAZI PARENTS MUST BE PROUD. TOO BAD WE DIDN’T HAVE A DICTATORSHIP SO THAT WE COULD JUST KILL ANY FREE-THINKER
Your an idiot, so get over yourself.
The games are here, we just won GOLD! GO CANADA!
Oh, you dropped your shovel while being an a$$hole.
they are Nazis… I wish they’d own it. Still to this day people will loose all humanity just for the promise of a little gold.
Re: redbeardtheirate
Have you heard of Gandhi? Maybe you haven’t. Not many people know who he is.
These protests are irrelevant. The Olympics are going to happen whether they like it or not. Causing destruction is NOT going to help their cause.
rdbeardirate you have a lot to learn. The example of Ghandi comes immediately to mind of a non-violent action that won what they wanted. The Mothers of the Plaza in Argentina helped stop young men from being disappeared. The civil rights movement in the southern United States, helped win rights for African Americans. The United Farm Workers, led by Cesar Chavez abd Delores Huerta won migrant laborers more rights. And right now in West Virginia, we are leading the fight against mountain top removal using NV Direct Action. And none of the people in these movements hid their face or smashed windows in impotent frustration. Now maybe you can enlighten me on what was accomplished by breaking windows and news boxes, and give me examples of when your methods actually worked, other than to make yourselves feel cool?
IT COST 1 MILLION DOLLARS A DAY IN SECURITY DETAIL FOR GHANDI TO REMAIN FREE AND POUR OR HE WOULD HAVE BEEN ASSASINATED.
What a bunch of fucking losers. How completely shameful that you’re disgracing our country by beating up your fellow citizens and destroying things and companies who did absolutely nothing to you. The protests should have happened two years ago — not during the games. No one cares about your “cause” — NO ONE.
i do – keep it up b’ys
my thought about the riot in vancouver bc is this what the fuck are they prostesting to begin with? want more housing? i mean come on fuckers is the winter olympic games for crying out loud have some country spirit cheer for canada not this bullshit vandalism! for all those fuckers that was sent to jail if it was up to me they wouldnt just go to jail they should be sent to the middle east to get blown the fuck up! for fuck sakes thats showing a poor example to world with the riot! they dont care for incident lives that was at risk! what the fuck is there problem. did one day something big and raunchy crawled up their ass, layed eggs, died? or that they are crying to the city to give them money for weed or something? if thats the case get a fuckn job like everyone else. my final thought is they need serious help and they dont always need to be the center of attention. maybe they didnt get any attention as kid!
Always get concerned whether there were agente provacteurs in their midst. It happened in Quebec, it can happen anywhere now right?
Interesting picture of the unmasked guy getting busted under the bridge (jpg 25) Looks like the shorter guy in the hoody is not a pr0tester, and is possibly the police infiltrator that Emma was talking about. Which might explain how the police handled it so well.
In a democratic country, citizens have the right to protest. Peaceful protest.
These are nothing but thugs and should be treated as such. A few good baton hits across the back of the head and a few rubber bullets carefully aimed ought to do the trick.
AGREED THEY SHOULD USE BATONS AND RUBBER BULLETS ON THOSE FILTHY OLYMPIC ATHLETES WE LET IN OUR COUNTRY THAT SHOULD GET RID OF THOSE ANIMALS!!!!
ok you definitely are lol
These people need to chill and kick up with a cuppa tea in front of the TV…what a joke, destroying stuff like that. Protesting is one thing but destruction and rioting and covering their faces like that…what did they THINK was going to happen?
Respect goes both ways, and of all things to protest…a peaceful games event. With all the crap the government spends our money on nobody seems to blink an eye or care.
You would think there would be violence over the proroguing of parliament (which IMO is against constitutional rights and a direct breach in Canadian democracy?) but noooo…on the TV for 1 week then nothing.
Proroguing of parliament puts all decisions in the hands of Steven Harper. Do you know we are living in a dictatorship right now? I bet your TV didn’t tell you that!!!
Pepper spray the mob, if the keep still keep fighting, tazer them.
I remember the APC and the so-called anarchists from when I organized protests with Greenpeace; they’re assholes who don’t really want to cure poverty, they only want to fuck shit up while retaining their sense of smugness.
I’m glad to hear that the peaceful protesters shunned them. They do tend to lose courage when they realize Oops, the crowd is not with them and they’re outnumbered by the police.
Really, it would only take about 20 arrests to spay AND neuter them as a force.
Great photos, but I must say more people needed to help out and do their CIVIC DUTY and stop these CLOWNS.
They were a bunch of twigs.
1. Great photojournalism!
2. Great demonstration on how Not to demonstrate.
3. Great way to lose public empathy for Any cause.
4. Great way to create fear in the hearts of legitimate peaceful protestors, subsequently diminishing other protests.
5. Greatly impressed by the Opening Ceremonies.
6. Greatly shocked at the 30 – 40 MILLION dollar budget…however…
7. Greatly dubious that smashing windows, and spray painting graffiti will somehow end poverty.
8. Greatly hopeful we’ll ALL come to our senses some day soon before it’s too late.
9.Great example to us all, Gandhi.
i was there on georgia when they were proudly showing off their NRK flag ….those people were just looking to smash mailboxes and breaking windows…nothing more to discuss
wow. just shoot them.
I don’t agree with the violent protestors, but I also feel sorry for them. This is what happens when people are pushed out of the system. When people feel like they don’t have other ways of expressing themselves and feeling heard.
It’s easy to look at these people from a place of privilege and judge them. But I think our society has produced them. If we took better care of our poor and disenfranchised; if we invited marginalized groups into more conversations, there would be less of this type of expression.
See article Olympic Anarchy at the above blog, for more lengthy discussion. Don’t miss comment on Giving to Haiti.
You do not get your point across by vandalism. These people complaining about poverty and homelessness should get a freakn JOB! Why should the government give you a home when we’re all working our butts off?
If you don’t like Vancouver or Canada, you’re more than welcome to MOVE and get the HELL out of here. Maybe living in China would be better, you’ll get all the help you deserve when you try “protesting” there.
Someone already made a comment about it. I just want to agree. It does looks like the aggressors are the same people, at least two of them. You could tell from the boots and shoes they were wearing. But that’s just from three pics and one video that I noticed.
Only chicken shits hide their faces during a protest. Is it a coincidence that it was the chicken shits that decided to pick up a newstand box and throw it through a window? Yeah, chicken shits, you’re really proving a point there. Don’t get me started on stealing a fuckin ladder…
fuckin pacifist rants,
solidarity with vancouver anarchists…its riot or never.
indonesian’s and hates white liberals…
Seems all to easy to go and bust up a few windows then pick a fight with some well prepared police to get a few headlines.
They should arrest people who cover their face in public at these events.
I can agree with people protesting about something (even I support the cause or not) nevertheless I will never accept the destruction as part of any protest, because that dilutes the message of the protest
Amazing photos.
I feel bad for anyone who WAS trying to protest in a peaceful way. The idiots in the masks ruined everything with their violence and vandalism- now the entire cause will be dismissed by most of the public.
Trying to provoke the police? Really? What is that supposed to accomplish?
Bunch of LOSERS!!! I would have have enjoyed throwing out free Hay-Makers to passing protesters had I witnessed this. None of these idiots are tough, and are a bunch of geeky nerds who want to make a statement, and desperately need an ass kicking. If any of you “protesters read this post and want to take me up on an ass kicking, please let me know and I’d be glad to kick your ass.
I PERSONALLY DISAGREE WITH THEIR METHODS HAD THEY DONE SOMETHING EFFECTIVE LIKE BUYING A LARGE NUMBER OF TICKETS FOR THE GOLD MEDAL HOCKEY GAME AND THEN AS THE GAME STARTED PROCEEDED TO THROW RED PAINT ON THE ICE THAT WOULD HAVE BEEN AN EFFECTIVE FORM OF PROTEST. ON A SIDE NOTE I WILL FIGHT YOU ALL DAY CAUSE I LIKE TO FIGHT…. HELL THATS THE REASON WHY I LIVE SO ME AND MY BUDDIES CAN BEAT EACH OTHER UP TILL WERE COVERED IN BLOOD!!!! FUN TIMES!
Jenni said: “The myth of pacifism’s success is sad and pathetic. If a large non-violent mass actually ends up being “successful” it is only because of the threat that the individuals making up the group may become violent. also, if you look more closely at the non-violent “successes” you will find violent elements which complimented them; malcolm x for martin luther king junior and terrorists bombing british supply trains for gandhi. non-violence is the lesser evil as well as the less practical.”
So, going by this theory, i.e., that violence is not only okay, it’s desired when one’s cause is just (and “just” of course gets to be determined by you), what the opposition to this violence gets to do is to grab a bunch of machine guns and mow the assholes down.
I mean if violence is a good and appropriate thing, Jenni, wouldn’t you support those of both sides of the issue using it?
no, because she is opposed to the Principal agressor…violence is a relative term in our relative(read: bullshit!) western society…what a Christian considers violent, a secularist considers as harmless entertainment; what a Christian considers as sacrifice, a secularist considers as suicide…where do you wanna hide now
I agree with the point that the protesters are just marching under a false flag and they were just out to vent their anger. They are angry at society because they are losers who make up excuses why they and poor and disenchanted. It’s always SOMEONE else that is the cause. They have no one to blame but themselves for their problems. They have no shame. technically, they would need self respect before they felt shame, which they don’t have either. These are the people that are going to be crushed by the New World Order. They have no skills, no money, no use to the greater good. They are human garbage. They should just eat their soylent green and live out their meaningless lives drunk, stoned, and in poverty >> Canada is way to liberal. People like this should not be able to mar a wonderful event like the Olympics. We PAID for them, and will be paying for them >>> It’s not like any of those ditch people pay taxes … F#*() them for raining on our parade.
DAMN THEIR NOT EVEN GONNA BE AS DESTRUCTIVE AS THE DRUNKS WILL BE IF WE ACTUALLY MANAGE TO BEAT RUSSIA IN MENS HOCKEY FOR THE GOLD MEDAL (DOUBT WE WILL) BUT THOSE HOCKEY HOOLIGANS WILL BE WAY MORE DESTRUCTIVE BECAUSE WE WON A MEDAL THEN THOSE PEOPLE WHO WERE TRYING TO SHOW THAT HUMAN RIGHTS ARE BEING STOMPED ON BY RICH NAZIS WHO CARE LITTLE ABOUT HUMAN RIGHTS AND MOSTLY ABOUT PERSONAL PRIDE.
Instead of protesting, why not try a days work ? Lazy ass scum. By “RICH” people, do you mean people that go to work everyday, pay taxes, support families, and contribute to their communities?
I have no sympathy for these “poor” people. Go to a 3rd world country and see how REAL POOR people live. Look at Haiti.
The Vancouver so call “poor” are LAZY, DRUG ADDICTED, DRUNKS who live off the system and turn around and complain about it >>> oh we have it so hard, we need more money, i have a problem .. F(*&#$ them.
GET A JOB and SHUT the F*#! UP !!!!!!!!
Rob, I couldn’t agree with you more. Apparently none of these people know the meaning or have ever heard of the word ACCOUNTABILITY.
You are where you are because you put yourself there. You are on the street because you put yourself there. You are poor because you put yourself there. You are a drug addict because you put yourself there. You are an alcoholic because you put yourself there. You are homeless because you put yourself there. This is all because of CHOICES you have made.
Be accountable and stop looking for someone else to ‘rescue’ you. Make a different choice, get a different result.
They should try it sometime and stop being victims of their own circumstances & trying to get the system to bail them out of their own bad choices…. It ain’t rocket science.
Ahaha look at those “anarachists”. If any of you are reading this, you’re a bunch of useful idiots for government bureaucrats to justify further militarization of the police force. Why dont you leave the protesting to the serious people.
What a bunch of disgusting idiots.
Wearing masks and destroying private property makes them no difference than neo-nazi.
The protesters and their causes at the Olympics have lost all my respect and sympathy.
These thugs needs to get a life.
lol. A few broken windows really get you people worked up.
Games for earners before handouts for uneducated, lazy none contributors. LOL at how under developed the protesters made themselves look.
Poor gene pool.
Only in Canada could these organized violent anarchists flourish. Even when the few that were eventually collared by the Vancouver Police were released to continue their merry mayhem whenever and wherever. (If anyone had tried this kind of stunt in China during the 2008 Beijing Olympics they would have been beaten and jailed.)
How many of the comments above are made by law enforcement agents pretending to be regular citizens? Every protest movement is infiltrated by undercover cops and agent provocateurs. For those of you that don’t understand this, educate yourselves.
AnarchistProvocateur,
Yeah, I’m sure the police dress up in black and smash windows and instigate violence even though Anarchists themselves advocate these actions (sarcasm off).
I’ve been an Anarchist for years and I know the f#ck sh#t up attitude of Anarchists. Black Bloc just looks for trouble and then blames the authorities for what they started. It has been this way since time immortal.
After years of marching with ARA and the Anarchist Youth Federation, its obvious to me that these are just spoiled kids who have had too much prosperity and not enough common sense.
Some degenerate into homeless “squatters” because Anarchism is nothing but a degeneration of privileged society. The rigid and conformist dogma of Anarchism is completely detached from reality.
Educate yourself…
Funny that I move within anarchist circles and all of the anarchists I know would condemn violent protesting of this sort. Most serious anarchists reject ‘propaganda of the deed’ type crap for a couple of reasons:
1. It is completely stupid and irrational to confront the state on the grounds that it is most powerful (violence).
2. It usually turns the public against any movement and actually gives more power to the state in crushing subversive activity.
And most importantly:
3. If you know anything about anarchism (as you claim) then you know that most anarchists reject violence as violence simply perpetuates or even creates new forms of hierarchy; the primary thing that anarchists (if understood as a philosophy or ethical tradition) are opposed to.
You also seem to be conflating what some refer to as ‘lifestylism’ or ‘lifestyle anarchism’ with anarchism as a philosophical and/or ethical tradition.
Educate yourself…
Law enforcement doesn’t consist of regular citizens? Every protest is infiltrated with undercover agents? Good god did you type that from the basement with an aluminum foil hat on?? And we are the ones that need an education??
It blows me away how quickly the latte-sipping revolutionaries defend hostile, destructive actions with far-fetched conspiracy theories about agent provocateurs. The “men in black” are actually just a bunch of adventurous kids from affluent families having fun playing guerilla. I know some of these guys – they’re pumped up on testosterone, Marxian ideology and recreational drugs and looking to raise a little hell. They go home from these things and have a good laugh, smoke some weed and head for the slopes in dad’s Benz. The mom-n-pop protesters who ended up riding on their coat tails oughta be ashamed for being taken in by this rowdy bunch of frat boys.
So instead of doing something that benefits the whole country, shows off a beautiful city, and brings pride to Canada, that money should be GIVEN to people who don’t feel they have the energy to stand up and do something for themselves? Ooooooookkkkkkkk.
Even if someone is homeless through no fault of his own, he needs the motivation to go find charities, figure out what he can do to support himself, and find some way to pull himself up. Not expect the government to hand him a house. Where’s MY free house?
And lastly – way to show that poverty should be decriminalized; by stealing and vandalizing and fighting. I see by your actions that the poor are wonderful peaceful people who just want a chance. Protesting FAIL, big time.
mo,
quote “You are where you are because you put yourself there. You are on the street because you put yourself there. You are poor because you put yourself there. You are a drug addict because you put yourself there. You are an alcoholic because you put yourself there. You are homeless because you put yourself there. This is all because of CHOICES you have made.”
That’s probably the most ignorant quote on this whole thread.
I suppose you get to choose your parents, who may abuse you. I guess you get to choose if you have a mental illness or any illness for that matter. Some of these people have influences in there lives that you couldn’t even imagine.
Not providing basic essentials for the people that aren’t able to make it in our society breeds violence and theft.
Which I’m sure the BC Government and security firms love because it creates more money for them. Creating fear and provoking Violence and Theft stimulates the economy.
I wouldn’t be surprised if some of the people you see in these pictures are the police.
Just like in Montebello.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=St1-WTc1kow
In the unlikely event anyone’s still reading these -
re: use of agent provocateurs by police
Use deductive reasoning folks:
In montebello, ap’s were being used by police to provide an excuse to use harsher measures on large peaceful demos going on nearby.
This demo in Vancouver (feb 13th) was organized on a set day, nowhere near any peaceful protests. This was a deliberate choice by the organizers out of respect for all the other groups in the olympic resistance network.
If the police infiltrate a black bloc under these circumstances, it changes nothing because the demonstrators set out to push the limits of legality anyway. The only result would be that cops on state payroll end up smashing stuff alongside the real anarchists.
As amusing as that would be, I was at this demo, and I highly doubt there was police infiltration, and I REPEAT, if there were any agent provocateurs IT WOULDN’T MATTER.
Black bloc tactics, when used intelligently, remain highly effective, on large AND small scales. The small scale is admittedly a publicity stunt, aimed at forcing a dialogue with less receptive demographics. If you let the mainstream media spoonfeed you your opinions, we’re not that interested in talking to you, but we will rattle your cage for fun. Carpe diem.
Alright. I don’t really care about the Olympics. I also understand that places that host the Olympics end up with a lot of debt.
I do not understand how going about breaking windows solves anything.
Someone?
The way it “solves anything” is that it solicits opinions like yours. You yourself just said “I don’t care about the Olympics”.
The politicians think that 90% of people DO care about the Olympics. So they are spending 90% of their budget on promoting the olympics and making sure they happen without a hitch.
The result is that they ignore the poor, the down trodden. Just before the olympics started, the BC government announced cuts in healthcare and education.
When given a choice, I think most Canadians would choose more nurses, doctors, and education for their kids, over a 10 day olympics celebration.
But instead the government has taken the wrong turn and is making their rich friends (who finance the politicians campaigns) richer by giving them contracts to build olympics venues. It’s really taking money out of the mouth of unborn children and weakening our schools. For what reason? for a 10 day party?
Anyways, To answer your question, people getting arrested, getting attention, rabble rousing, starts the conversation. People that normally wouldn’t talk about it now are talking about it. The more there is awareness, the more (hopefully) things can change.
Unfortunately, judging by all the blind brain washed retarded responses on this site (like “just tazer them all”), it’s pretty sad to know that most people don’t care about the facts and just want to party and drink beer.
Lumpen.
What the hell are you people talking about? Do you even know why they’re doing this? In many ways violent protest is important, think about woman’s rights, there’s no way they would have succeeded if they didn’t make a real stand. racial equality, if it was a few people saying “Please Mr, I don’t think this is right” fuck all would happen. They’re not just thugs. It’s important to realise that these people are anarchists, that doesn’t mean they’re mislead kids “fucking the system” they’re fighting a cause that the strongly believe in, and can justify. They oppose having their lives dictated by another, and they oppose the corporations having all the money while people are starving, so let them smash a few windows, that’s the least the greedy companies deserve. It’s clear to me that many of you can’t justify your arguments, just saying “them damn liberals, they don’t appreciate anything!”. I’m sure you’ve been taught that this system is as good as it gets since you were a child, so it isn’t a surprise when you see people who have a different opinion you see them as the enemy. of course, I’m making many assumptions about “you” but it is true for many.