Protesters Block Olympic Torch In Victoria

Protesters agitating for years against the 2010 Olympics took their first chance to disrupt Games planning Friday and forced a diversion of the torch relay just before the Olympic flame was to be triumphantly presented at a community celebration wrapping up its first day on Canadian soil.

Several hundred anti-Olympic activists, angry that billions are being spent on the Olympics instead of housing and health care, blocked Victoria city streets for hours.

As the run was supposed to pass by Government House, protesters jammed the streets, forcing organizers to reroute.

Torchbearers were packed into the vehicle that transports them to their starting points as organizers tried to move around the demonstration. But they eventually gave up, driving the torchbearers several kilometres to Victoria’s waterfront instead.

The 10 or so torchbearers in the van were lined up side-by-side along the road, where they passed the flame from torch-to-torch. Lieut. Governor Steven Point joined them for the impromptu ceremony.

The torchbearers missed their chance to run their 300-metre segments and they won’t be slotted in at a later date, said Jim Richards, director of torch relays for the Vancouver Games’ organizing committee.

He said relay organizers managed to make the experience meaningful, despite the disruption.

“It was a very unique moment for those torchbearers, very different from what was anticipated. So in a round-about way we were able to create a very positive experience out of something that could have degenerated.”

The relay then resumed, with a short run covering the rest of the distance to the day’s final stop, the B.C. legislature.

Some of the protesters were jubilant, saying their efforts to draw attention to their issues were successful, even if it meant dashing the torch-running dreams of others.

Two women protesters, who wouldn’t give their names, said they were able to deliver their message that not everybody supports the Olympics.

“It was fantastic,” said one woman.

Another woman said the protest was peaceful.

“The energy was high. We kept tabs on each other.”

However, Sgt. Grant Hamilton of the Victoria Police, said the decision to reroute the relay was not taken lightly.

Hamilton said police were also worried about the actions of some protesters who threw marbles at the feet of horses being used by the Vancouver Police mounted squad.

“This was extremely disappointing considering the possibility that one of the horses could have taken a bad fall causing significant injury to both the officer and the animal itself,” said Hamilton in a release.

But police said no protesters were arrested.

Victoria resident Randy Marsh, who had been waiting along the part of the route that was skipped, said the protesters ruined his chance to see the Olympic torch.

He was waiting with his friend’s daughter who was going to hold the torch, and he said he can’t understand why protesters would want to interrupt a once-in-a-lifetime experience for the girl.

“I saw children who were upset,” he said. “As far as I’m concerned they should all be charged. An event like this will probably never happen here again.”

As Marsh spoke, protesters chanted “This is what democracy sounds like.”

Richards said the relay team is ready if such disruptions happen again, adding the team has had to make contingencies for all sorts of unpredictable situations.

“We’re facing risks everyday, and risks are the weather, risks are the road, risks are the potential for protesters. So we’ll never lose sight of the fact that these are the same issues we could face day after day. We’re pleased with the results of today and we’ll get better every time we face a challenge.”

The protesters took a meandering route through downtown, blocking several major intersections for up to 20 minutes. City buses pulled U-turns and left the scene. Some motorists appeared angry, but police helped them turn around their vehicles and leave.

Earlier in the evening, about 400 protesters dressed in Halloween costumes joined a so-called Zombie March to the provincial legislature, where a concert was planned by Vancouver Games organizers to celebrate the completion of the Olympic flame’s first day on Canadian soil.

The protesters walked in a New Orleans-style drum-and-trombone procession. Many chanted “Whose streets, our streets.” They stopped outside a downtown Victoria homeless shelter and chanted,”No Olympics on stolen native land.”

In the beginning, there was no sign of trouble and police officers dressed in yellow vests walked within the throng.

Protesters representing a variety of causes were there, from environmentalists to anti-war demonstrators to native-rights advocates.

Tamara Herman, an organizer with the group No2010 Victoria, said whatever opponents’ specific objections to the Games, it all comes down to money.

“The reasons that we oppose the Games are very multifaceted. We oppose them because we see homelessness is a bigger priority than a two-week parade, we see health services is a bigger priority,” she said in an interview.

“Why have we decided to spend such an enormous amount of money on what is essentially a two-week party?”

Several anti-Olympics groups have sprouted up as the Games approach, promising to protest not just the torch relay but the Games themselves.

Their complaints vary.

Some are concerned about the amount of money spent on the Games, while others claim the Olympics are being held on “stolen native land,” a reference to the fact British Columbia has no treaties with many of its bands.

Still others object to sponsor RBC’s involvement in Canadian oil sands development or the environmental impact of building so much infrastructure for the Olympics.

Megan Schlase, 50, who travelled from Vancouver to attend the demonstration, acknowledged the complaints make for a long list.

“It (the Games) benefits very few people in the long term, and I just think it’s a huge waste of money,” said Schlase, holding a sign that read, “Stuff your wasteful opulent militarized spectacle.”

“I just really don’t feel that the planet can sustain this sort of over-consumptive spectacle anymore. It’s just a huge waste of the planet’s resources.”

The Olympic Resistance Network has sent out a call for activists across the country to use the relay to protest the Winter Games or other issues.

Some activists have said they were inspired by the protests along the international torch relay ahead of last year’s Beijing Olympics, primarily targeting China’s human rights record. Those demonstrations showed the torch presents a useful podium for getting a message out to the world.

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