More than 200 masked Olympic protesters splattered red paint and smashed windows of a popular downtown department store Saturday on the first day of competition at the Vancouver Games.Police say the group marched through the upscale shopping district, vandalizing cars and stores. Witnesses say protesters threw metal newspaper boxes into the display windows of Hudson's Bay Company, where Olympic souvenirs are sold.
Police in riot gear quickly moved in and quashed the protest. Police spokeswoman Jana McGuinness confirmed there were arrests, but she did not yet know how many. Authorities planned an afternoon news conference.
Witnesses say nobody appeared injured. Afterward, guards stood in front of the broken windows, which were cordoned off with yellow police tape while Olympic tourists snapped photos. Afterward, workers removed the newspaper boxes.
The protest was organized by the Olympic Resistance Network to "disturb business as usual" on the first day of the game. The network is an umbrella group for a dozens of causes surrounding the games, ranging from environmental concerns to economic issues.
| Let the arrestees pay for the damage the vandals caused. They can share the costs with whomever else they can prove participated. Do that consistently and that kind of behaviour will become less appealing... or at least less costly to shops, car owners, and insurance companies. |