If you are planning to cross the US – Canadian border you better not be against anything Olympic. Canadian activist, Marla Renn, from the Olympic Resistance Network was detained and questioned for hours when attempting to cross into the US on the way to Portland, OR to speak at an anti Olympic event. Eventually, she was put on a bus back to Vancouver.
"They asked very pointed questions about my anti-Olympic activities, how I knew anyone in Portland and whether I had been planning to recruit people there to the anti-Olympic cause. I also saw them going through my cell phone and writing down the phone numbers they found."
Groups are protesting various aspects of the consequences of hosting the Olympics. Laws have been passed making it illegal to sleep outside and beg for money in Vancouver thus criminalizing the poor. The public debt will increase by approximately 6 million dollars that could have been better spent on housing, health care and social services. The increase in tourists will bring increases in prostitution and trafficking of women. Most of the murdered and missing women from the area are reportedly involved in the sex trade and those numbers are expected to increase. Olympics are used as a means of increasing corporate investment and the incentives, by way of tax cuts, to increase resource exploration will result in greater corporate power and influence.
When reading about Amy Goodman’s detention I discovered just how far the Canadian government is going to stifle anything anti Olympic.
This is getting disturbing. I’m going to keep following this story and will post more as incidents happen. I thought Canada was better than this.
I only live approximately one hour away from Vancouver, British Columbia but you can be sure their Olympics is not getting one damned dime from me.
