28 Feb 2010 Security & Protest Update - XXI Winter Olympics

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28 Feb 2010 Security & Protest Update - XXI Winter Olympics

Postby grawp » Mon Mar 01, 2010 2:58 am

Good evening, everyone.

Was that a hockey game or what?!
Oh, Canada! indeed!
One heckuva way to wind up the Olympics with Canada besting the USA 3-2 in the last minute of OT.
Congrats to both teams for adding to the contiuing lustre of these Games.
And the start of the Closing Ceremonies was right on the mark, too!

Anyhoo, thanks for stopping by and all your kind comments and suggestions as to what I could do with the daily Security & Protest Update.

:-)

Enjoy!

grawp

++++


28 Feb 2010 Security & Protest Update for the XXI WInter Olympics:
(All updates are courtesy of the US State Department Diplomatic Security/Overseas Security Advisory Council, unless otherwise noted.)

February 28, 2010

In this Issue:
Tsunami Advisory for Vancouver
Two Killed in Burnaby Crash
New Crowd Control Strategy for VPD
Anticipating Hockey Victory, With Excitement and Dread
Black Bloc Taints Anti-Olympic Movement
2014 Games Site “an Extremely Bad Neighborhood”
Low Turnout in Protest Activities
Upcoming Protest Activity
OSAC Contact Information


Tsunami Advisory for Vancouver

Following the 8.8-magnitude earthquake off the coast of Chile, Coastal British Columbia was put under a tsunami advisory. The “Provincial Emergency Program” (PEP) officials stated that while strong localized currents were expected, no strong wave activity was expected to develop. Low-lying coastal areas and beaches were vulnerable to flooding, but the manager of emergency services for the district of Ucluelet confirmed, “there is nothing to panic about.” For more information, please see www.pep.bc.ca.

(Source: Vancouver Sun)


Two Killed in Burnaby Crash

Early Saturday morning, two people were killed and three sent to the hospital in critical condition after a vehicle crash full of Olympic revelers in Burnaby; alcohol is believed to be a factor in the accident. The crash happened around 1:15 a.m. at Willingdon Avenue at Still Creek Avenue, when the vehicle’s driver lost control and struck a lamppost, causing the vehicle to flip over. Two passengers were dead at the scene and three others were sent to the hospital in serious condition.

(Source: Vancouver Sun)


New Crowd Control Strategy for VPD
The Vancouver Police Department (VPD), which will once again be challenged during the gold medal hockey game on Sunday, is expected to maintain order without putting a damper on the celebratory mood. The new strategy for crowd control involves police in the streets wearing highly visible yellow vests and actively engaging with the crowds. A group of officers in a remote operations room will simultaneously watch the downtown area via security cameras, allowing the VPD to make connections with people on the street while having resources in place to spot problems before they deteriorate.
(Source: Vancouver Sun)

Anticipating Hockey Victory, With Excitement and Dread

The Vancouver Police Department (VPD) is preparing for Sunday afternoon’s much anticipated gold medal hockey game, between the U.S. and Canada (scheduled to begin at 12:15 p.m.). Although Olympic revelers have been well behaved, VPD is anticipating a large celebration if the hometown is victorious. Officers are placed in groups of four on every street corner in areas where Olympic celebrants have been gathering; the distribution makes the force appear larger.

(Source: The New York Times)


Black Bloc Taints Anti-Olympic Movement

Anti-Olympic activists are actively reflecting on the past two weeks of protest activity in downtown Vancouver, focusing largely on movement’s fall from grace. Although many anti-Olympic activists continue to support the so-called “diversity of tactics” that were encouraged by protest organizers prior to the beginning of the Games, long-time Vancouver activists are openly criticizing the Black Bloc tactics employed on February 13, which they believe attracted negative publicity and detracted from the movement’s larger political and social message. The Olympic Resistance Network (ORN), however, claimed its protests against the Games were “a victory both against the Olympic industry and for local struggles for social and environmental justice.”

In contrast to Vancouver’s anti-Olympic movement, the Vancouver Police Department (VPD) has received glowing reviews for its handling of protestors during the first week of the Games. Despite warnings by civil liberty advocates and various political and social activists, the VPD demonstrated considerable restraint when approached and confronted by anti-Olympic protestors, some of whom attempted to provoke VPD into using more aggressive tactics. Since the beginning of the Games, 12 protesters have been arrested and six people charged with disturbing the peace, assault, assault of a police officer and mischief.

(Sources: Vancouver Sun, Straight.com)

2014 Games Site “an Extremely Bad Neighborhood”
Although the 2010 Vancouver Winter Games have not yet concluded, the German Marshall Fund (GMF) of the United States, a prominent think-tank, has already turned its focus to the 2014 Sochi Winter Games. Europe-based GMF analysts have highlighted the many security-related issues that will confront the International Olympic Committee (IOC), Olympic attendees and sponsors. Russia’s Black Sea region is infamous for its widespread poverty, corruption and violence, much of which is committed by the numerous criminal organizations operating in the region. The region is a source and route for the trafficking of people, drugs and weapons into Europe.

Sochi also borders Russia’s six autonomous republics of the North Caucasus, which has experienced considerable violence since the breakup of the Soviet Union. Separatist and militia violence continue to flare in Chechnya and Ingushetia, and Islamic extremists are known to operate in the region. However, potential security concerns are not confined to Russia’s North Caucasus region. Unresolved political and border issues between Russia and Georgia could spark future conflicts between these two countries, similar to the Russia-Georgia war of 2008, which coincided with the Opening Ceremonies of the 2008 Beijing Summer Games. To read the full report, please visit the GMF website.

(Sources: Vancouver Sun, German Marshall Fund)


Low Turnout in Protest Activity

OSAC constituents reported only a small number of people (25-30) taking part in the Red Tent gathering at the Canada Pavilion. Few people were also spotted participating in the Pirates of Justice movement. It’s believed the rain served as a deterrent to joining the demonstrations. Constituents noted ample police presence at both events.

(Source: Constituent reporting)


Upcoming Protest Activity

Resistance Bike Ride (February 28)
Bike ride will begin on the north side of the Vancouver Art Gallery at 9 a.m.

Anti-Sealing Demo (February 28)
Organized by Campaign Against Cruelty to Animals (CATCA); annual anti-sealing event
Taking place from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Vancouver Art Gallery

Games Over! Resistance Lives! (February 28)
Demonstration scheduled to take place at the intersection of Smithe and Cambie streets from 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m.
Event advertised as a “noisy public festival to celebrate our communities and our resistance”

Olympic Tent Village: Two Weeks of Dignity, Hope, and Freedom (February 28)
Event will take place from 4:30 p.m. through 7:30 p.m. at 58 West Hastings Street
Food and entertainment (drummers) will be provided; approximately 60-70 people are scheduled to attend

OSAC would like to remind constituents that additional protest and demonstration activity may take place sporadically during the remainder of the Games. Potential rally points may include the Vancouver Art Gallery and the Tent City near E Hastings and Abbott. Constituents are encouraged to report any demonstration activity they observe.

(Sources: Activist websites, YouTube.com, twitter, facebook, OSAC and constituent reporting)
The world will never love us. They respect us - they might even grow to fear us.
But they will never love us, for we have too much audacity!

- Theodore Roosevelt – “The Wind & the Lion” (1975)
grawp
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