Native activists protest 2010 Winter Olympics
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
Filed Under:
First Nations
|
Sports
A Native-led group called the
Olympic Resistance Network is protesting the
2010 Winter Games in Canada.
Activists plan to disrupt the torch relay and the games, which take place in Vancouver, British Columbia. "No 2010 Olympics on Stolen Land" is the group's slogan.
Not everyone agrees with the group's efforts. Chief Wilton Littlechild, 65, is looking forward to carrying the torch.
"When I grasp the torch, I know I will be feeling the pride of representing my people in the world arena," Littlechild, who sits on the
Indian Residential Schools Truth and Reconciliation Commission, told The Globe and Mail. "I'm hyped."
Hundreds of Natives are scheduled to carry the torch throughout Canada. But the
Penticton Indian Band in B.C. won't let relayers come through the reserve.
"We don't support the Olympics," said Chief Johnathan Kruger, citing Canada's vote against the
United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.
Get the Story:
Olympic torch stokes warm pride and fiery protest among aboriginals
(The Globe and Mail 9/8)
Phil Fontaine hired as 2010 torch relay adviser (CBC 9/4)
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