NO GAMES TORONTO JOINS RALLY
AGAINST THE OLYMPIC TORCH IN TORONTO!
(report back)
Over 250 people took to the streets Thursday night to welcome the
Olympic Torch with a resounding: “No Olympics on Stolen Native Land”
Enthusiastic folks met up at 5:15 at College & University, gathering
around a 15 foot homemade torch of our own, banners reading “Resist
2010 for the land”, “No 2010 Torch” and sharing in some homemade food.
Organizers from Six Nations read the Declaration of the Onkwehonwe of
Grand River Territory on the 2010 Olympic Torch Relay, Doreen
Silversmith also from Six Nations spoke about how the attacks on women
are attacks on the land and Mark C. from ARA spoke of Indigenous Youth
rising up and taking power. Messages of Solidarity were delivered by
No One Is Illegal-Toronto, No Games Toronto and Kitchener-Waterloo’s
own Torch Welcoming Committee.
Grounding the crowd in the reasons we were here: to decry Canada’s
colonial violence and expose the lies of Olympics Circus, chants began
that would ring through Toronto all night. While the cold seeped, our
MC got the crowd jumping and amped to go meet the torch.
Anticipating the torch taking a lil’ streetcar ride, people took to
College Street. The first line of bike cops at College and Elizabeth
set up as we began a fluid game of cat and mouse. Our people took some
surprise routes towards Yonge and Gerrard where we regrouped and faced
a row of riots cops, holding the intersection. We gathered at the line
of cops and turned back suddenly, going North, walking up Yonge St. to
meet the Torch. At Yonge and College we ran into the crowds there to
cheer on the Torch some of whom started booing and hissing. We handed
out thousands of pieces of ORN and No2010 literature and some people
even joined our action. One onlooker pushed over our speaker. The
horses arrived and tried to split us in two but that failed. Then a
small group stayed back at Yonge and College, while the rest of the
street party walked North, slowing to regroup and coming closer to the
Torch. At Yonge and Maitland, we decided to stop and hold it, as
people from the back rushed to join us. With messages streaming in
that the media were reporting we had blocked the Torch and having
chased the torch around the city for nearly two hours (it was now
7:30), we euphorically declared victory! We had forced VANOC to split
the Torch in to two, and brought our message right to the centre of
the Olympic Circus.
While all of this was going on, the March in Honour of Harriet
Nahanee, led by indigenous women, had split off to follow the torch
into Nathan Phillips Square, where a climber free climbed an arch
directly opposite the stage and hung a banner reading “Gego Olympics
Da-Te-Snoon Nishnaabe-Giing Ga-Gmooding” (No Olympics on Stolen Native
Land in Anishinaabemowin). Our people had infiltrated the crowd,
holding up banners and handing out flyers, and booing the flame as it
left Nathan Phillips Square around 9:30pm. The banner stayed up till
the end of the festivities and the climber only got a $100 ticket.
Two arrests were made when two protesters ran alongside the Torch
following the disruption at Yonge and Maitland. They were released
later that night.
We stole the Torch’s thunder, with CTV, NDNTV, APTN, City, the Globe,
the Star, the Sun, Now Magazine and some Ryerson folks reporting on
the disruption and relaying the message that we took to the streets
demanding justice for indigenous peoples, an end to corporate
domination and the truth about “Canada’s” ongoing policies and
practices of colonialism. Though there has been a serious damper being
put on the size and effect of our actions, everyone on the streets of
Toronto heard us last night.
This protest was organized by an autonomous group of people coming
together for this occasion, and showcased a broad spectrum of
Toronto’s resistance. As we head into 2010, we urge folks to support
Six Nations as they stand up and block the Torch from entering their
territory on December 21st, to head to Kitchener-Waterloo on December
27th, to converge on Vancouver from February 10-15th, and to start
thinking about your plans for the G8/G20 meetings in June. Overheard
during the street party: “Man, the G20’s coming here, and we can’t
even handle this!”, cop.
‘See you in the streets.
