BREAKING NEWS: Rail Blockade Disrupts CP Rail’s Olympic Spirit Train

BREAKING NEWS For Immediate Release October 12, 2008 Rail Blockade Disrupts CP Rail’s Olympic Spirit Train “Six Nations and solidarity activists resist Olympic theft of Indigenous land, ecological destruction, and attacks on the poor” Toronto, Ontario – Moments ago, a group of activists occupied Canadian Pacific (CP) Railway’s train tracks by locking themselves down to the tracks and hanging banners off of the rail overpass on highway 27 near Elder Mills. The protest was organized in solidarity with the Olympics Resistance Network (ORN) and their call to disrupt CP’s “Spirit Train” that is traveling across Canada. Directions to the blockade site can be found at the bottom of this release. “We are here today to show the world what the Olympics really stands for; capitalist greed and colonialist theft of Indigenous lands” said Winnie Small. They continued, “In stark contrast to Canada’s cherished reputation as a human rights advocate, our First Nations live in abject poverty; casualties of Canada’s apartheid policy refusal to respect indigenous rights to their own land.” The “Spirit Train” was launched Sunday Sept. 21, 2008, in Port Moody, B.C. where activists from the ORN, Anti-Poverty Committee, and the Native Youth Movement successfully disrupted it. To the embarrassment of its corporate sponsors, the Spirit Train, still rolling across the country, has been disrupted at several locations with protesters often outnumbering supporters. “The 2010 Winter Olympics are occurring on unceded First Nations land in British Columbia where they are causing widespread environmental damage, and are resulting in a massive uprooting of homeless and poor people in Vancouver” said Dan Kellar, a spokesperson from AW@L, one of the activist groups involved in the rail blockade. “The Canadian Pacific Railway's (CP) "Spirit Train" is an Olympic propaganda machine spreading the ideals of capitalist colonialism across Turtle Island.” What: Blockade lock down on train tracks to stop Olympic ‘Spirit Train.’ Where: CP rail overpass on highway 27, just south of highway 73 (Rutherford Rd.). Visuals: Activists locked down to CP rail tracks, two large banners over highway 27 reading “No Olympics on Stolen Native Land,” and “Resistance 2010 Stop the Corporate Circus,” and Native Unity flags flying high. Driving Directions: Take 401 to highway 400 North. Take exit 33 off highway 400 onto highway 73 West (Rutherford Rd.). After approximately 6 km, turn South on highway 27. The blockade is on the CP rail overpass on highway 27 approximately 500m South of highway 73. For more information contact: Dan Kellar 519 616 4462 Chris Buck 416 708 0834 For more information about Olympic Resistance No2010.com Peaceculture.org -###-