The 2010 Winter Olympics will take place in Vancouver & Whistler, on unceded Indigenous land, from February 12-28 2010. We call on all anti-capitalist, Indigenous, housing rights, labour, migrant justice, environmental, anti-war, community-loving, anti-poverty, civil libertarian, and anti colonial activists to come together to confront this two-week circus and the oppression it represents. We are organizing towards a global anti-capitalist and anti-colonial convergence against the 2010 Olympic Games.

* BASIC SCHEDULE:

The Convergence is called for Feb 10-15:

– Wed Feb 10- Thurs Feb 11: Olympic Resistance Summit from noon until 10 pm.Workshops and speakers discussing Impact of the Olympics on Indigenous Communities and Land Defence, Corporatization of the Games, Legal Rights, Housing and Poverty Impacts, Creative Resistance, and Struggle beyond 2010. Childcare and Food will be provided. Wise Hall (1882 Adanac St) and nearby Centre For Socialist Education (706 Clark Dr). Details: http://olympicresistance.net

– Fri Feb 12: Take Back Our City! “Welcome” the 2010 Olympic Torch with Free Games, Free Speech, and Free Food! Beginning with a festival at the Vancouver Art Gallery at 3 pm, followed by a parade and protest to BC Place Stadium. Details, including childcare, at: http://2010welcoming.wordpress.com/

– Sat Feb 13. 2010 Heart Attack: Street March to Clog the Arteries of Capitalism. Arrive at 8:30 am in Thornton Park (Main and Terminal). This demonstration will respect diversity of tactics and aims to disturb “business as unusual” on the first day of the Games! Details at http://olympicresistance.net/content/2010-heart-attack

– On Sun Feb 14th, we will be standing with the 19th Annual Women’s Memorial March to honour all the missing and murdered and women in the DTES (this is not an anti-Olympic protest). Details at: http://womensmemorialmarch.wordpress.com/

– Mon Feb 15: Noon at Pigeon Park (Carrall and Hastings). No empty talk, no empty lots! March & Defend a Tent City. Organized by DTES-based, anti-poverty, and housing rights groups.

ADDITIONAL EVENTS:

We will also be updating this description and our website with additional anti-Olympic events occurring during the entire month of February: http://olympicresistance.net or http://no2010.com

– Wednesday Feb 3 from 7-9 pm. The Olympics are Coming, Let’s Yack! WISE Hall, 1882 Adanac Street. Planning, sharing Olympic resistance activities. Organized by Community Olympics Watch.

– Friday Feb 5 till Monday Feb 8: Indigenous Peoples Assembly in Secwepemc Territories. For Indigenous people only. For information email nymcommunications@gmail.com. Full callout posted at: http://mostlywater.org/indigenous_peoples_assembly_2010

– Saturday Feb 6. Empowerment 2010 Tour at the HD Lab (1814 Pandora St). Performances by The Outspoken Wordsmiths, Testament, Illogik and El Vuh. Doors at 8pm show at 9pm. $5 to $10 suggested donation no one turned away. A benefit for the Vancouver Media Co-op.

– Sunday Feb 7. 3rd Annual Poverty Olympics in the DTES. Relay starts at 12:30 at VANDU (380 East Hastings St.), 1-3 pm at Japanese Hall (487 Alexander St) Free, family event. http://povertyolympics.ca

– Sunday Feb 7. Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom presents a Panel Discussion on Women and the Olympics. Rhizome Café, 317 East Broadway, from 6-8 pm. Free event, donations appreciated.

– Sunday Feb 14. People’s Prom. The most kick ass antidote to Valentine’s Day in the city. You like funk and frolic? Love and revolution? Perfect. All money raised goes toward grassroot, direct action and creative resistance groups engaged in the resistance to the 2010 Olympics. http://peoplesprom.resist.ca/

– Saturday, Feb 20. Rally for a National Housing Program from noon-2 pm, north Side of Vancouver Art Gallery. The UN now calls Canada’s housing crisis, ‘a national emergency.’ Come join this rally to pressure the federal government to once again re-establish a national housing program in Canada. Organized by Impact on Communities Coalition.