The Olympics were political in Berlin, in Helsinki, in Mexico City, Moscow and Los Angeles. They were political in Beijing. And they will be political in Vancouver.
How could they be otherwise? For a few days, the entire world’s attention focuses on one city, one governing power, one culture. Why should it surprise us that an event like that will invite the crazies?
Article 51 of the Olympic Charter prohibits “political, religious or racial propaganda” in Olympic venues or other areas, but who are they trying to kid?
Protest has been an important part of the Olympics since at least the 1930s. From boycotting the entire two weeks, to getting arrested for unfurling a “Free Tibet” banner on the Great Wall, to killing Israeli athletes. Bringing politics into such a staged event can be easy with a little creativity.
In the meantime, China silenced dissidents by jailing their leaders, including house church pastors and political organizers. They forbid visitors from bringing any printed material, film or other media that could be ”detrimental to China’s politics, economy, culture and ethics.”
Leading up to the Beijing Games, protests occurred all over the world against China’s policies regarding Tibet, Sudan, North Korea, Burma, and the country’s treatment of journalists, ministers and social activists.
Vancouver has found some clever ways for dealing with protest. British Columbia’s Bill 13 allows authorities to enter residences and other private property without the owner’s consent to remove or cover up signs they deem critical of the Olympics, as long as residents get 24 hours notice and enter “reasonably.” That would make for an interesting phone call:
“Excuse me, is this Jenny Smith? Hi, Jenny. This is the police. We just wanted to let you know that in 24 hours we will be breaking into your house to remove your personal property. Don’t worry, we’ll be entering your home and stealing your belongings in a reasonable manner.”
The decision has, quite obviously, been met with much criticism from civil liberties groups.
Vancouver’s Olympic Committee has named their Olympic motto “with glowing hearts,” a name taken from “O Canada,” the country’s national anthem. The lyrics are in the public domain, so unlike the usual Olympic motto, Vancouver’s can’t be trademarked. They have instead trademarked words like “winter” and “gold” in relation to the term “glowing hearts.”
This has allowed them the ability to take small businesses to court that have been around for decades for breaking trademark laws. If your grandpa’s 40-year-old shop is called Glowing Hearts Gold Jewelry, or Glowing Hearts Winter Gear, you might be visiting ole poppy in the slammer.
Other lyrics from “O Canada” include “the true North strong and free!” and “God keep our land glorious and free!”
The idea behind these measures, of course, is that we should be focusing on the sports, and not on politics. But for the men and women whose homes have been entered without their consent, and for the small family businesses facing a huge corporation in court, these measures are at their very heart a political act.
What do you think about Vancouver’s rules?
Can banning protest and propaganda at a global sports event also be a political act?
Further resources:
Bill 13 includes many other measures. The one I refer to in this article is found under the Municipalities Enabling and Validating Act, Part 9, Section 32.
Leni Riefenstahl’s Triumph of the Will is the most famous political propaganda related to the Olympics. Filmed at Hitler’s behest around the Berlin Games of 1936, it is considered a landmark film with a chilling, Nazi-approved message. I found it captivating, and I’m from a Jewish family, so watch it at your own risk.
Lastly, read Wikipedia’s article on one famous Olympics protest that ended in tragedy: the Tlatelolco Massacre in Mexico City. The people there chanted what many others have since, though perhaps in spirit - “We don’t want the Olympics, we want revolution!”
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