[An anonymous user posted a link to images from the demonstration that were supposedly available on "mega upload" but as far as we can tell, the link didn't work. If anyone has photos, please feel free to post them as a comment on this article. - Ron]

Protesters Disrupt "Spirit Train" Sendoff:
Two Arrested, Festivities Cancelled

by Dawn Paley; September 21, 2008 - The Dominion
http://www.dominionpaper.ca/articles/2103

About 50 people showed up to protest the "Canada Pacific Spirit Train" event Sunday in the Vancouver suburb of Port Moody. Taking a position in front of the main stage, the group carried signs and placards, and a large banner that read "Resist 2010: No Olympics on Stolen Native Land."

While demonstrators banged on pots and pans, Gord Hill, speaking on behalf of the Olympics Resistance Network, announced, "We want homes for the homeless, not corporate invasion on stolen native land."

Betty Krawczyk, a octogenarian mayoral candidate in Vancouver who was incarcerated in 2006 for attempting to defend a forest against the expansion of the Sea to Sky highway linking Vancouver and Whistler, said "there is no spirit on that train, this is all about money."

Most attending the event seemed relatively blasé about the protest, which carried on noisily for over an hour. A woman identified only as Gina led two children directly into the crowd of demonstrators, yelling at Krawczyk and pushing other protesters' signs. The children began to cry.

Para-olympian Peter Rosen, who will be accompanying the train to Montréal, said that "these are Canada's games, not Vancouver's games... [The 2010 Olympics] are a great opportunity for Canada." When asked about the protests, Rosen stated "everybody is entitled to an opinion, but professional protestors get it wrong."

Many at the event stayed closer to tents that were erected for the Olympic sponsors including Rona, Yves' Veggie cuisine and GE Transportation to house their wares.

"Spirit Train" tour manager and Canadian Pacific spokesperson Breanne Feigel told the Dominion that "The train will move the Olympic spirit across Canada," and that event organizers "respect everyone's right to make a statement."

An estimated 40 tour staff will be traveling alongside the train in vehicles. It is unknown if anyone will actually be riding inside the train as it travels east. Organizers are planning to run a second "spirit train" in 2009.

There were three separate police contingents that provided uniformed and undercover officers for the event: the Canadian Pacific Police Service, the Port Moody Police, and the Greater Vancouver Transportation Authority Police Service. In addition, there was a large group of private security guards from 'Vancouver 2010 Integrated Security' on-site.

Police stormed the protest at about 2:40pm, causing a ruckus and knocking over a number of participants. They arrested an unidentified young man, and three officers carried him to a waiting police van.

As the crowd watched, an undercover officer assisting with the arrest shoved an elder to the ground, and pushed her against the hood of a car. The officer told the woman that she was under arrest for assaulting a police officer. The officer that the woman allegedly assaulted was undercover and did not reveal his identity to the media.

The woman was put in a squad car and taken to the Port Moody police department. "Spirit Train" organizers did not make a statement about the arrests.

In a press release put out before the event, the Olympics Resistance Network stated "Canadian Pacific, the Vancouver Organizing Committee and the International Olympic Committee call the train an 'ambassador of goodwill.' A more careful read of history teaches us that the Canadian Pacific Railway Company has been a key instrument in the colonization of Canada and the genocide of indigenous peoples."

"With protestors nearly outnumbering spectators, the most spirited thing today was the spirit of resistance against the Olympics and the forced cancellation of the Spirit Train launch ceremonies," said Hill. "We are confident that this same spirit will inspire others as the train travels across Canada."

Corporate media reports emphasized the crying children and unspecified "clashes" with police. Conservative MP James Moore told CTV news that "Making kids cry to make a point is just a little bit over the line, and that's what we saw today."

The "Spirit Train," left Sunday from Port Moody and will be visiting 10 cities across the country, ending up in Montréal on October 18th.

Edmonton Event coming up:
http://oilsandstruth.org/no-games-stolen-native-land-panel-2...

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OLYMPIC SPIRIT TRAIN SUCCESSFULLY DISRUPTED!

A more complete reportback is forthcoming, however some basic news, updates, and photos are compiled below.

==> Olympics Resistance Network News Release to Mainstream Media:

CP-VANOC SPIRIT TRAIN DERAILED WITH 'SPIRIT OF RESISTANCE'; POLICE MAKE TWO UNPROVOKED ARRESTS

* For photos please visit:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/inkflip/sets/72157607424169310/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/30781453@N08/

Monday September 22 2008- Amidst pots, pans, sirens, and chants of “No Olympics on Stolen Native Land”, Olympics Resistance Network (ORN) activists - including families with children - successfully shutdown yesterday’s Canadian Pacific’s Olympics Spirit Train launch in Port Moody as intended.

According to Gord Hill, member of the Olympics Resistance Network, "With protestors nearly outnumbering spectators, the most spirited part of today was the spirit of resistance against the Olympics. We are confident that the forced cancellation of the Spirit Train launch ceremonies will inspire others as the train travels across Canada."

The action in Port Moody was the first in a series of actions against the Olympic Spirit Train planned across the country including in Edmonton, Calgary, Montreal, and Toronto over the next month.

Activists further state that they are outraged by the unjustified and unprovoked arrests of two people, including one elderly woman. The two have since been released.

According to protestor Peter Haywood “At no point during this protest did we threaten, provoke, or assault anyone. However, some members of the public as well as identified and undercover police officers aggressively shoved and assaulted protestors, escalating the situation.”

For example, a woman with two children entered into the crowd and very aggressively confronted protestors. Although protestors made space for her to leave, she – despite having two young crying children with her – decided to remain and hurl abuses at protestors. During this time, one
young male protestor was shoved by a photographer into a police officer, who promptly arrested him for no apparent reason. An elderly woman who, along with other concerned people, was following the police to question them about the arrest was violently pushed against the hood of a vehicle and arrested.

“The police refused to read the arrested people their rights or explain their charges. These arbitrary arrests are an expression of police fascism, who make freedom of expression expendable in order to protect Olympic interests”, according to Alissa Westergard-Thorpe, a witness to the arrests.

According to the Olympics Resistance Network, “Far from being simply about ‘sport’, the history of the Olympics is one rooted in displacement, corporate greed, repression, and violence. In Canada, the effects of the upcoming Winter Games are already apparent – expansion of sport tourism on Indigenous lands; increasing homelessness across the province; ballooning public spending; unprecedented destruction of the environment; and unparalleled police and security spending.”

* For more information or if you are interested in actively organizing or coordinating anti-2010 Olympics resistance efforts, please visit www.no2010.com or email olympicresistance@riseup.net. A previous ORN
communique is posted at: http://no2010.com/node/295

* Take action against the Spirit Train in your city! For Spirit train schedule and stops, please visit: http://www.no2010.com/node/295

==> COVERAGE OF SPIRIT TRAIN DISRUPTION:

* CKUT Audio:
http://www.ncra.ca/exchange/dspProgramDetail.cfm?programID=7...

* 24 hours "Train buoys the spirits - of protesters" by Bob Mackin
http://vancouver.24hrs.ca/News/2008/09/22/6836936-sun.html

* Additional Mainstream news coverage:

Canadian Press:
http://canadianpress.google.com/article/ALeqM5g2sZ79pilyGuih...

Vancouver Sun:
http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/news/story.html?id=22ca53...

Vanocuver Province:
http://www.canada.com/theprovince/news/story.html?id=e46b84d...

CTV BC (includes video footage):
http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20080921...