Olympic Coke bus fizzles out
In another glaring example of how much the Olympics are run by big corporations, Coca-Cola has embarked on a three-month tour driving the Olympic torch around in a Coke bus.
After meeting resistance and protests in other Southern Ontario cities, The Coca-Cola bus rolled into London, Ontario for two public events aimed at ‘spreading the spirit of the 2010 Olympic Games' this past Monday. However, local activists were ready to greet them with their spirit of resistance. Protests were organized for both the first event at the Victoria Park Band shell, and the second one at Fanshawe College by the Olympic Resistance Network - London; a coalition of various activist groups including the Fanshawe Social Justice Club, The Re-Education Project, the Kings Social Justice Club, the Empowerment Collective and more.
The first event of the day was at the Victoria Park Band Shell and drew a dismal turnout of only a few Olympic supporters. In fact there was just as many people there protesting the bus as hoping to get a picture with the torch. Protesters armed with a giant “Resist the 2010 Corporate Circus” banner and “Resist 2010” flyers had situated themselves directly at the doorstep of the Coke bus, thereby creating an artificial wall between the bus and the torch.
As members of the public arrived, they were greeted by Anti-2010 activists and directly engaged about the devastating effects of the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Games. This action successfully disrupted their event, as protesters ensured that those who came to visit the bus also learnt about the Olympics industry's dark side.
Protesters not only focused their attention to those outside the bus but also inside. People infiltrated the Coke bus and began asking questions to the “officials” inside. One of the most confrontational questions was: “Since Nazi Germany started the torch run, why is Coke so proud to support it, let alone proudly display the torch from the 1936 Berlin Olympic games on their bus.”
People don't realize that the Olympics and the torch run have ‘ALWAYS' been about politics and power. Just as Hitler used the torch run to legitimize his claim of dominance over his neighbours, and China ran the torch through Tibet to enforce its rule there, Canada plans on running the torch through more than a hundred native communities that they continue to colonize and oppress, including Tyendinaga, 6 Nations and Akwesasne. Canada is playing political games with the torch.
Protesters remained at the event until Coke had completed packing up their exterior tent, which was used for photo-ops with the torch, then left to prepare for the afternoon's event at Fanshawe.
Over 20 protesters, many of them Fanshawe students, gathered with their allies and awaited the bus. But Coca-Cola decided to cancel. Whatever their reason they were wise to avoid Fanshawe, and should avoid us in the future, as we had a special surprise waiting for them if they did come. We would have turned their Fanshawe stop into a PR disaster.
The funny thing is that the only people who were disappointed the torch wasn't coming were us; as we'd put a lot of effort into organizing a disruption. Nobody else even knew, or seemed to care that the torch was going to be on campus. Even though it was cancelled at the last minute we positioned ourselves where the bus would have came in the hopes of talking to students who supported the Olympics; but none came. It seems as though if the Coca-Cola Olympic Bus did come it would have been met exclusively with protesters.
So instead we took our protest to the McDonalds at the corner of Richmond and Dundas; another major Olympics sponsor. Once there we hung a massive banner on their wall that read ‘Resist the 2010 Corporate Circus' and handed out hundreds of flyers about the Olympics and their corporate sponsors during the peak of transit rush hour.
The 2010 Olympics and their corporate sponsors need to realize that they will be met with resistance everywhere. The movement is growing every day, and they are losing the information war. They can try to green-wash the Olympics, and buy-off sellout Chiefs in order to mask the environmental devastation they are causing and the theft of massive amounts of native land, but people can see through their lies.
They can claim it will be good for the economy, but all the Olympics ever leaves in its wake is a mountain of debt and vacant venues. They can claim that the Olympics bring the world together, but we know it only serves to reinforce nationalism and rivalry among peoples. Just as people resisted the Beijing Olympics because of their human rights abuses, we will resist the Vancouver Olympics because of Canada's human rights abuses.
NO OLYMPICS ON STOLEN NATIVE LAND.
Editorial opinions or comments expressed in this online edition of Interrobang newspaper reflect the views of the writer and are not those of the Interrobang or the Fanshawe Student Union. The Interrobang is published weekly by the Fanshawe Student Union at 1001 Fanshawe College Blvd., P.O. Box 7005, London, Ontario, N5Y 5R6 and distributed through the Fanshawe College community. Letters to the editor are welcome. All letters are subject to editing and should be emailed. All letters must be accompanied by contact information. Letters can also be submitted online by clicking here.
After meeting resistance and protests in other Southern Ontario cities, The Coca-Cola bus rolled into London, Ontario for two public events aimed at ‘spreading the spirit of the 2010 Olympic Games' this past Monday. However, local activists were ready to greet them with their spirit of resistance. Protests were organized for both the first event at the Victoria Park Band shell, and the second one at Fanshawe College by the Olympic Resistance Network - London; a coalition of various activist groups including the Fanshawe Social Justice Club, The Re-Education Project, the Kings Social Justice Club, the Empowerment Collective and more.
The first event of the day was at the Victoria Park Band Shell and drew a dismal turnout of only a few Olympic supporters. In fact there was just as many people there protesting the bus as hoping to get a picture with the torch. Protesters armed with a giant “Resist the 2010 Corporate Circus” banner and “Resist 2010” flyers had situated themselves directly at the doorstep of the Coke bus, thereby creating an artificial wall between the bus and the torch.
As members of the public arrived, they were greeted by Anti-2010 activists and directly engaged about the devastating effects of the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Games. This action successfully disrupted their event, as protesters ensured that those who came to visit the bus also learnt about the Olympics industry's dark side.
Protesters not only focused their attention to those outside the bus but also inside. People infiltrated the Coke bus and began asking questions to the “officials” inside. One of the most confrontational questions was: “Since Nazi Germany started the torch run, why is Coke so proud to support it, let alone proudly display the torch from the 1936 Berlin Olympic games on their bus.”
People don't realize that the Olympics and the torch run have ‘ALWAYS' been about politics and power. Just as Hitler used the torch run to legitimize his claim of dominance over his neighbours, and China ran the torch through Tibet to enforce its rule there, Canada plans on running the torch through more than a hundred native communities that they continue to colonize and oppress, including Tyendinaga, 6 Nations and Akwesasne. Canada is playing political games with the torch.
Protesters remained at the event until Coke had completed packing up their exterior tent, which was used for photo-ops with the torch, then left to prepare for the afternoon's event at Fanshawe.
Over 20 protesters, many of them Fanshawe students, gathered with their allies and awaited the bus. But Coca-Cola decided to cancel. Whatever their reason they were wise to avoid Fanshawe, and should avoid us in the future, as we had a special surprise waiting for them if they did come. We would have turned their Fanshawe stop into a PR disaster.
The funny thing is that the only people who were disappointed the torch wasn't coming were us; as we'd put a lot of effort into organizing a disruption. Nobody else even knew, or seemed to care that the torch was going to be on campus. Even though it was cancelled at the last minute we positioned ourselves where the bus would have came in the hopes of talking to students who supported the Olympics; but none came. It seems as though if the Coca-Cola Olympic Bus did come it would have been met exclusively with protesters.
So instead we took our protest to the McDonalds at the corner of Richmond and Dundas; another major Olympics sponsor. Once there we hung a massive banner on their wall that read ‘Resist the 2010 Corporate Circus' and handed out hundreds of flyers about the Olympics and their corporate sponsors during the peak of transit rush hour.
The 2010 Olympics and their corporate sponsors need to realize that they will be met with resistance everywhere. The movement is growing every day, and they are losing the information war. They can try to green-wash the Olympics, and buy-off sellout Chiefs in order to mask the environmental devastation they are causing and the theft of massive amounts of native land, but people can see through their lies.
They can claim it will be good for the economy, but all the Olympics ever leaves in its wake is a mountain of debt and vacant venues. They can claim that the Olympics bring the world together, but we know it only serves to reinforce nationalism and rivalry among peoples. Just as people resisted the Beijing Olympics because of their human rights abuses, we will resist the Vancouver Olympics because of Canada's human rights abuses.
NO OLYMPICS ON STOLEN NATIVE LAND.
Editorial opinions or comments expressed in this online edition of Interrobang newspaper reflect the views of the writer and are not those of the Interrobang or the Fanshawe Student Union. The Interrobang is published weekly by the Fanshawe Student Union at 1001 Fanshawe College Blvd., P.O. Box 7005, London, Ontario, N5Y 5R6 and distributed through the Fanshawe College community. Letters to the editor are welcome. All letters are subject to editing and should be emailed. All letters must be accompanied by contact information. Letters can also be submitted online by clicking here.
