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2010 activists already organizing says consultant

The Olympic year, 2010, could be a big one for protests in Canada and activists are already getting ready, according to a new report by a former RCMP intelligence and security consultant.
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Up in Arms In 2001, the RCMP policed the Pacific Northwest Economic Region summit, which was held in Whistler.

The Olympic year, 2010, could be a big one for protests in Canada and activists are already getting ready, according to a new report by a former RCMP intelligence and security consultant.

And in a growing trend, said Thomas Quiggin, diverse activists groups are coming together to plan their protests two years in advance of the event.

2010 will also see Canada host the meetings of the G8 group of developed nations and the Security and Prosperity Partnership of North America, a regional-level dialogue with the stated purpose of providing greater co-operation on security and economic issues.

“The most interesting thing from my point of view… is the convergence between the various groups involved,” said Quiggin, a former RCMP security consultant and the only court-recognized expert on jihadist terrorism in Canada.

He pointed to groups who are active in First Nations affairs, housing issues, anti-poverty groups, and even anarchists networking with each other to make their arguments heard across the country.

“The whole social activists movement is a neat thing to watch because it is the perfect example of network-centric warfare almost, in that they are all individual groups all over the place, all doing their own thing most of the time,” said Quiggin.

“Some are in Vancouver, some in Ottawa, some in Guelph; some anti-poverty, some housing, some land, some native, some political — but every now and again an issue will pop up which will grab mutual attention.

“…You will see them all of a sudden coalesce and converge around a common issue and all of a sudden a group of folks that might not talk to each other on the street suddenly… have a common interest. And what is fascinating this time… was the fact that it is occurring two years ahead of the event.”

Chris Shaw of the Olympic watchdog group 2010 Watch, agrees that divergent activist groups are coming together.

“It is true and it is interesting,” he said.

“And a lot of groups that originally had issues with the Olympics from a particular perspective… are now beginning to see common patterns. So people who think that environmental destruction is the big thing say, ‘well that is not unrelated to what happens in the downtown eastside,’ and vice versa, so various groups are finding common cause and multiple reasons to oppose the Olympics, not only in Vancouver but everywhere.”

Shaw has even been contacted by a group who are opposed to Tromso, Norway, hosting the 2018 Games.

“There is that international thing building,” said Shaw.

“I think it is good that these groups are talking to each other and broadening their perspectives so it is not just about their own particular issues but broader issues of governance and accountability and environment and poverty and things like that.”

Quiggin, who also spent 15 years in the military and 20 years overall in various intelligence positions in Canada, the U.S., Croatia, Bosnia the Netherlands and other countries, documents no less than 19 attacks so far in Canada where violence has been used in Olympic demonstrations. They include: spray painting and throwing objects at the Olympic countdown clock outside the Vancouver Art Gallery, stealing the Olympic flag outside Vancouver City Hall, nine instances of breaking windows at bank branches of Olympic sponsor RBC, paint bombs thrown at the Olympic clock in Ottawa and Vancouver Olympic Committee signs being hit with paint bombs.

Shaw takes exception to Quiggin’s position that protest may become more violent.

“…I don’t think any of the groups, certainly not to my knowledge, is talking about doing anything that I would classify as violent,” he said.

“I think this gentleman is building up this demon which in my view doesn’t exist.”

According to Quiggin’s report the threat of violence is a real one and varies in level from protests during events to terrorism.

He believes that the security officials for the 2010 Games are not moving quickly enough into the operational phase of preparation to head off problems.

“With an event of this magnitude, the Olympics, and (then) throw in the G8 and the SPP meeting just for fun, we should not be in the planning stage at this point we should be in the doing stage,” said Quiggin.

But Olympic security officials refute his position.

“Our security planning is on track and Vancouver 2010 (Integrated Security Unit) is continuing to grow proportionately to our planning needs,” said spokeswoman Cpl. Gursharn Bernier.

“We are on phase three, which is our detailed functional planning. So of all the levels of planning we are on the most detailed one.”

This planning includes looking at the equipment to be used and making sure security personnel are trained to use it, carrying out mock exercises, deciding on the number of personnel needed and their level of training, and confirming where security officials will be stationed for the 2010 Winter Olympics.

V2010 ISU has also put in place a community relations group with lay members to reach out to anyone planning to protest.

“…We will continue to work with these groups to facilitate peaceful and lawful protests…,” said Bernier, adding that the provincial and federal governments have yet to release new budget estimates for security.

Officially the budget still remains at $175 million.

The 2010 Games are an attractive target for many different groups, from social activists, to First Nations, to extreme environmentalists, to international terrorists, said Quiggin.

“…For your better heeled terrorists the world media is already assembly, the focus is there and the lights are turned on,” he said.

“All their work is done for them, all they have to do is do something.”

And Canada may be seen by some overseas as a target due to its involvement in Afghanistan and other past global theatres such as Bosnia.

“…Our narrative tends to be, ‘aren’t we a great bunch of fuzzy, warm, peacekeepers,’” said Quiggin. “(But) the reality is a lot of other folks have a different point of view and we were seen (in Bosnia) as a crusader state aiding and abetting the larger crusade against Muslims.”

Added to this is the fact that the Games are a major political event, are being held in a major international port, and are near a U.S. border, he said.

Despite the efforts of the International Olympic Committee and other organizing committees to have the Games seen as a sporting event the world can’t escape from the politics of the Olympics said Quiggin.

“The reality is the Olympics roughly got started out as a sporting event, but certainly since 1930 and onward they have been a political event,” he said.

“It is very political — you compete as a nation, medals are awarded on a (national) basis, you enter the ceremonies by flag and it is a ready-made political event for anybody who wants to score political points, from Tibetans, to natives, to homeless folks, to social activists, to anti-globalization (supporters) to anti-capitalists and on goes the list.”

Renee Smith Valade, vice president of communications for the Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Games said by e-mail: “We accept that there will always be critics of our project and believe that everyone has the right to peacefully express and publicly demonstrate their beliefs; we would only hope that criticism will be constructive and truthful.

“Our pre-Games and Games-time activities and events will always be organized with safety top of mind.”