Olympic protesters smash store windows

VANCOUVER, British Columbia | Police in riot gear confronted more than 200 masked protesters who hurled metal boxes through the display windows of a popular department store selling Olympic souvenirs.

Seven people were arrested after officers carrying clubs and shields quashed the downtown protest on the opening day of competition at the Vancouver Olympics. There were no immediate reports of injuries.

Those arrested could face a variety of charges, including assault, Police Chief Jim Chu said. At least one could be charged with weapons possession for wrapping a bicycle chain around his fist and threatening passers-by. None of the protesters was immediately identified.

Chu said police knew in advance about the protest, but decided to move in once they knew “criminals” were involved.

Authorities said they were wary of masked anarchists who dress in black and use a tactic called “Black Block” to hide their identities. Among them was a loosely organized group from central Canada known to disrupt events that draw media coverage, police said.

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“Their tactic is to hide within the ranks of legitimates protesters,” Chu said.

He maintained that about half the protesters were “criminals intent … on committing violent acts, including damage to property, including assaulting passers-by.”

The protest was promoted on the Olympic Resistance Network web site to “disturb ‘business as usual’” in Vancouver.

The ORN is an umbrella group for many causes surrounding the games, ranging from environmental to economic issues. The most prominent involve aboriginal activists who want to reclaim their property (“No Olympics on Stolen Ancient Land”) and those angry over the amount of money spent on the Olympics as opposed to public housing (“Homes Not Games”).

Spokeswoman Alissa Westergard-Thorpe said the ORN did not formally organize the event, although it supports the rights of groups to demonstrate. She called the police action “violent, aggressive and totally unnecessary.”

“These were minor acts of property damage,” she said. “These were not acts of violence toward people.”

After the demonstration, guards stood in front of Hudson Bay Company’s broken windows, which were cordoned off with yellow police tape while Olympic tourists snapped photos. Workers removed the metal newspaper boxes.

Hudson’s Bay is an official retailer for Olympic merchandise. Rich Gorman, regional vice president for the store, estimated the damage at about $10,000. He said the windows were expected to be replaced by the afternoon.

“It’s just unfortunate, but nobody was hurt and that’s the key,” Gorman said. “We’ll move on.”

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