ASHLEIGH MATTERN
Editor-in-Chief

While the majority of people who gathered at Kiwanis Park for the arrival of the Olympic torch in Saskatoon on Jan. 11 waved Canadian flags, a smaller group did not.

Instead, they waved protest signs and flags representing Indigenous pride: red with the profile of an Aboriginal man on a yellow sun.

About 20 protestors attended the torch celebration, meeting at the Vimy Memorial bandshell. Protestor and media spokesperson Ashley Budd, who is also a third year sociology student at the University of Saskatchewan, said the Saskatoon group is part of a nation-wide movement called “No Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics on Stolen Native Land” (No2010.com).

“We’re not trying to stop it,” she said, “we’re trying to bring education into the Olympics and trying to make the government take responsibility.”

Along with the Indigenous pride flags, the protestors also burned sage and played a traditional drum. While Budd admitted that “some First Nations support the Olympics,” one of the most contentious issues being protested is the land claim issue in B.C.

B.C. is home to 198 First Nations bands, but unlike bands in most other provinces, only a handful of those have government-formed treaties, meaning much of the land is still contested. The No2010.com website says part of their goal is to “raise anti-colonial consciousness” and to be “a catalyst for stronger social movement.”

As the torch arrived downtown and made its way to the stage, the protestors moved into the crowd and started chanting, “Homes not games!” a sentiment echoed on their banner and some of their signs.

Another issue at the heart of the protests is the way Vancouver is dealing with the homeless. No2010.com and other activist websites claim the Olympics have increased homelessness through the loss of low-income housing units converted into hotels and condos, that homeless people are being kicked out of the city, and that the city has criminalized begging for money and sleeping outdoors.

Though reports from news sources are far less condemning, there is no denying Vancouver has a problem with homelessness and the world will be watching to see how the city handles the situation when the Olympics roll into town.

The Saskatoon Olympic Torch Protest group on Facebook lists many other reasons for the protest, including the creation of a “police state” during the event, an increase in the exploitation of women through prostitution, problems with historical instances of racism and fascism and the corporatism of the entire event.

“We’re against corporatism,” Budd said. “People don’t realize how controlled we are by corporations.”

The No2010 website says they’re worried about the Olympics using sports and athletes as “commodities,” and governments using the Olympics to impose social control. Protestors in Saskatoon also handed out “Play Fair at the Olympics” pamphlets about the politics behind the official Olympic sportswear.

But Budd insists the point of the protests is to start a conversation and raise awareness of the issues they’re worried about.

“We want people to realize that the Olympics aren’t all great,” said Budd. “They tear the country apart.”

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The Olympic torch arrived in Saskatoon around 12:30 with a warm welcome of Saskatonian performers and youth attending the event.

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photo and video: Robby Davis