Internet posting has to have responsibilties... YOG is a big
event, an international one... how can I, if i am govt, allow
people to speak irresponsible towards such events and organising
committee and let him tarnish the reputation...
It's their right.
If they oppose the YOG, then so be it.
If they incite violence, slander people, then they will pay the
price.
Singapore only small fry, other countries even worse.
More than 200 masked protesters smashed
windows, vandalized cars and newspaper boxes and intimidated
pedestrians in downtown Vancouver Saturday morning before being
confronted and dispersed by police in riot gear.
The anti-Olympics protesters, many
dressed in black balaclavas and masks, and carrying a ladder,
smashed up to three windows at the Hudson's Bay store and one at
the Toronto-Dominion Bank near the intersection of Granville and
West Georgia streets.
The group also sprayed the windows with
red paint, were involved in several confrontations with supporters
of the Olympic Games, and threw marbles and spat at police before
marching down West Georgia Street toward the Bayshore Hotel in Coal
Harbour where the International Olympic Committee members are
staying.
But as the marchers neared the hotel
they were turned back by the Vancouver Police Department crowd
control unit and the 2010 Integrated Security Unit at the Cardero
Street intersection.
The police then managed to disperse the
protesters into several smaller groups, and at one point a core
group of the most violent protesters was encircled by police at the
intersection of Robson and Jervis streets in the downtown area.
Police said seven suspects were
arrested, including one with a bicycle chain wrapped around his
fist, and charges of mischief were pending. They also said they
seized a bag containing a hammer.
'What
we saw today is the criminal element has taken over the
group.'—Vancouver
Police Chief Jim Chu
By noon, the rest of the protesters had
been largely dispersed by police, although some of the protesters
said they planned to regroup later in the day.
Vancouver Police Chief Jim Chu later
blamed a group of about 100 anarchists at the protest for causing
many of the problems.
"The demonstration involving a number
of anarchists, some of whom dress all in black and employ a tactic
called Black Bloc. This included a loosely organized group of thugs
from Central Canada known to attach themselves to any cause, travel
to any event that attracts media coverage and promote anarchy
wherever they go," said a statement issued by police.
"What we saw today is the criminal
element has taken over the group," said Chu.
Police
will respect the rights of those who wish to express their
criticism through protests, but that does not give them right to
commit crimes and jeopardize the public’s safety, he
said.
Meanwhile, TransLink, the Metro
Vancouver transit authority, said it was forced to reroute buses
away from the Lions Gate Bridge after it was closed to traffic in
both directions because of a serious accident, but the bridge was
reopened at 11:30 a.m. PT.
http://www.cbc.ca/canada/british-columbia/story/2010/02/13/bc-vancouver-olympic-protest.html
