CSIS and the Olympic Police State
-Press release sent in response to artical below-
CSIS and the Olympic Police State:
The Anti-Poverty Committee, and others, have been publicly targeted by Canadian Security and Intelligence Services (CSIS), again.
Over the weekend, news outlets released a document from CSIS that outlined their intention to surveil and neutralize anti-Olympic protest groups.
This news comes as no surprise to most groups. Following last February’s disruption of the countdown clock VANOC made a joint statement vowing to utilize all forces and affiliated security agencies, which include the RCMP, the VPD, the Canadian Armed Forces and CISIS, to ‘target specific protesters and protest groups’.
Mary Claremont of the APC said, “This is what we have been protesting. Not just the Olympic lies and the millions of wasted dollars, but the coming Olympic police state. People thought we were nuts, but look, from 40 kilometers of electric fence, surveillance cameras, civil city, CSIS, add this and every thing else up- and its here.”
Mary pointed out that the APC has already been targeted with mass arrests, mis-information campaigns and the incident that had an organizer arrested by police posing as a journalist. As well organizations associated with the APC, like the Downtown Eastside Residents Association, have been targeted.
“We echo the concerns of the BC Civil Liberties Association. We also fear police intervention, surveillance and undercover operations. In fact we are certain that we have been and continue to be subject to all these things.”
“But this is all part of the Olympic package. It states very clearly in the rules of the IOC that there shall be no protests or strikes allowed. We want to know how far they are prepared to go. CSIS does not just look into things. The history of covert intelligence agencies and their relationship with protest organizations, especially direct action groups like ours, has been one of state sponsored disruption and violence.
Mainstream media article:
‘CSIS on lookout for violent protests at 2010 games’