[van-announce] THE GLOVES COME OFF CAMPAIGN: OLYMPICS

[Cockroach Prophet]

URGENT MEMO FROM:
OUST THE OLYMPICS (OUT-O)
STRATEGY ASSEMBLY, FEB 23rd 2003 IN VANCOUVER
"THE GLOVES COME OFF"

Friday January 10th, 2003

It is important that people start to talk in terms of actually defeating the 
2010 Winter Olympic bid. The golden opportunity will arise when the 
International Olympic Committee Technical Team comes to B.C. March 2-6, 
2003.

The plebiscite regarding the future of the Olympic bid, takes place in 
Vancouver February 22nd.  Oust the Olympics does not believe that a 
plebiscite alone is politically or legally powerful enough to stop the 2010 
bid.

On February 23rd, Oust the Olympics will host an assembly to co-ordinate a 
fight against the IOC (location to be announced to responding groups). OUT-O 
is calling for a province wide variety of non-violent actions when the IOC 
Team visits Vancouver/Whistler.  The more diverse the resistance, tactics 
and methods, the more strength we have.  Plan your actions, put them on the 
No Games 2010 calendar, and come to the strategy assembly called 'The Gloves 
Come Off'.

We invite all concerned individuals, students, anti-poverty, First Nations, 
womyn, queer, peace, and active community groups to participate in the 
assembly, and sign on to the campaign.  No Games 2010 Coalition and Oust the 
Olympics emphasizes that there is a place for everyone in this struggle.  
There needs to be a wide scale political mobilization to defeat the Olympic 
bid.

The goal is for both high risk and low risk actions to happen across B.C. 
when the IOC comes with the intent to disrupt, and disqualify 
Vancouver/Whistler from the Olympic bid.  To do this we will need:

-Musicians, clowns and poets for parties in February and March.
-Food to be prepared for February 23rd's meetings, and for the protests in 
March.  We call out to groups that are involved in food activism to start 
gearing up for that.
-Community coalitions across the province to mobilize politically in their 
neighborhoods, through protests, petitions, public forums, and speaking out 
to their MLA's.
-First Nations people and friends of their communities to sanction and 
participate in the March actions, and to rally in mutual solidarity.
-Medics to organize and attend as many actions as possible.
-The disabled to oppose the cutting and elimination of programs to fund 
sports competitions.
-A legal defence committee to spring up out of February 23rd.  We call out 
to groups involved in the fight against police brutality, civil liberties 
and the law to organize a Legal Team and Call Centre.
-No Games 2010 Coalition has volunteered to organize a Legal Forum before 
the Campaign.  We will need people to come to that forum when it is 
organized.
-Anti-Poverty and Human Rights groups to look at the impact of the Olympics 
on First Nations Land Claims and urban gentrification.  We call on you to 
make this information public as part of the campaign.
-Rank and file union membership to take part in the March actions, and 
mobilize in the work place.  We call on the union leadership to endorse and 
sign on to the campaign.
-The Green Party and other concerned political bodies to mobilize and show 
their position on the bid.
- Critical Mass to have a presence on their rightful streets, and to disrupt 
the highways.
-Environmental groups  to look at the impacts of the Whistler bid on the 
regional eco-system and make that information public.
-Mass faxes to the IOC inspectors, media exposure, letters written, 
blockades, and people 'walking out' and coming to the demo's.
-Anybody willing to sign on and network through the No Games 2010 Coalition.

Sign on to the campaign; we'll set a world record for opposing the Olympics! 
  There will an OUT-O meeting in classroom #2,  Saturday January 18th, 5pm, 
at the Carnegie Centre, Main and Hastings St. Vancouver.

please contact OUT-O; streetpoet77 at hotmail.com
and CC to NO GAMES 2010 COALITION; bella_donna_36 at yahoo.com

Oust the Olympics is an emergency response team of organizers, and is a 
member of the No Games 2010 Coalition. OUT-O is chiefly concerned with 
coordinating strategic protests in March.  No Games 2010 and Oust the 
Olympics also has some capability to send representatives or speakers to 
discuss this campaign in person with interested groups.

NO GAMES 2010 COALITION ENDORSES ALL NON-VIOLENT FORMS OF RESISTANCE TO THE 
OLYMPIC BID.




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