Sweeping criticism under the rug
B.C. Government bill aims to quiet Olympics critics
NANAIMO, B.C. (CUP) — With only a short time remaining until the Olympics come to play, one wonders what will be most memorable once the games end. For some it will be the day the torch ran through their hometown, for others it will be the opening ceremony, and for some unlucky British Columbians it will be the day the Vancouver Police Department stormed their houses, destroyed their personal property, and fined them $10,000.
A proposed B.C. law will give city officials permission to enter homes with no more than 24 hours notice and seize unauthorized Olympic signage. The B.C. Civil Liberties Association is condemning the province's Bill 13 proposal as a violation of people's free speech.
“Telling people who exercise free speech that local authorities may barge in, rip down signs inside your property, fine you, or throw you in jail will underscore the growing impression that our government cares more about their own camera appearances at Olympic events than about people's rights,” said Robert Holmes, President of the BCCLA, in a statement on the BCCLA website.
This June, the city passed the Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games bylaw, which restricts the distribution and exhibition of unapproved Olympic or anti-Olympic materials in any Olympic area during the Games.
The province's Ministry of Community and Rural Development suggests that the laws are intended to speed up the process of removing illegal signs and graffiti during the limited timeline of the games.
“That to me seems like a reasonable thing to do when you've got the Olympic games lasting 20-odd days,” said Minister Bill Bennett in a CBC News interview. “You've got the potential for some businesses to try and exploit the games logo without having paid for the rights to do that. I think it's a reasonable thing for communities to want to remove those kinds of signs, and to remove them before the end of the Olympic Games.”
The BCCLA suggests that the wording used is vague enough to allow punishment not only for unlawful marketers, but also for anyone opposing the games, which in the eyes of the BCCLA and other civil liberties activists is a major shot to free speech.
The bill has yet to be passed, but Holmes said in the statement that “If Vancouver acts on this provision, people will be risking $10,000-a-day fines and six months in jail just to criticize the Olympics.”
“Six months in jail,” he continued, “is usually reserved for criminals who have a record of several convictions for breaking and entering, but now it's the government that wants to break in.”
If passed, these amendments will apply only to the three Olympic cities — Richmond, Whistler, and Vancouver — from February to March. Other municipalities will need to enact their own bylaws to take advantage of the powers granted.
NANAIMO, B.C. (CUP) — With only a short time remaining until the Olympics come to play, one wonders what will be most memorable once the games end. For some it will be the day the torch ran through their hometown, for others it will be the opening ceremony, and for some unlucky British Columbians it will be the day the Vancouver Police Department stormed their houses, destroyed their personal property, and fined them $10,000.
A proposed B.C. law will give city officials permission to enter homes with no more than 24 hours notice and seize unauthorized Olympic signage. The B.C. Civil Liberties Association is condemning the province's Bill 13 proposal as a violation of people's free speech.
“Telling people who exercise free speech that local authorities may barge in, rip down signs inside your property, fine you, or throw you in jail will underscore the growing impression that our government cares more about their own camera appearances at Olympic events than about people's rights,” said Robert Holmes, President of the BCCLA, in a statement on the BCCLA website.
This June, the city passed the Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games bylaw, which restricts the distribution and exhibition of unapproved Olympic or anti-Olympic materials in any Olympic area during the Games.
The province's Ministry of Community and Rural Development suggests that the laws are intended to speed up the process of removing illegal signs and graffiti during the limited timeline of the games.
“That to me seems like a reasonable thing to do when you've got the Olympic games lasting 20-odd days,” said Minister Bill Bennett in a CBC News interview. “You've got the potential for some businesses to try and exploit the games logo without having paid for the rights to do that. I think it's a reasonable thing for communities to want to remove those kinds of signs, and to remove them before the end of the Olympic Games.”
The BCCLA suggests that the wording used is vague enough to allow punishment not only for unlawful marketers, but also for anyone opposing the games, which in the eyes of the BCCLA and other civil liberties activists is a major shot to free speech.
The bill has yet to be passed, but Holmes said in the statement that “If Vancouver acts on this provision, people will be risking $10,000-a-day fines and six months in jail just to criticize the Olympics.”
“Six months in jail,” he continued, “is usually reserved for criminals who have a record of several convictions for breaking and entering, but now it's the government that wants to break in.”
If passed, these amendments will apply only to the three Olympic cities — Richmond, Whistler, and Vancouver — from February to March. Other municipalities will need to enact their own bylaws to take advantage of the powers granted.
