A question of marbles
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Updated: November 06, 2009 3:35 PM
Re: Allegations marbles thrown under horses’ hooves by Olympic protesters
Your story links them directly to “some protesters’ actions.”
That’s not established. Two women on TV the next day talked about the marbles, and police showed a handful of marbles. One woman, maybe both, said she saw the marbles being thrown. I don’t recall if it was by more than one person, or if it was possible to say the thrower was a protester. A Sun/Global story says a policeman says other police said they saw protesters throw marbles. He was not asked to name the other police.
Two protester representatives denied knowing anything about marbles and said they’d never condone it. One of them, Tamara Herman, said she was told about it by another protester who said it was only one person and that they didn’t recognize the person. She was asked to name the other protester.
A Victoria resident on the scene said she heard marbles hit the pavement and could tell they came from the crowd of protesters.
Protesters suggested it could have been police provocateurs. Police said that’s absurd. Protesters referred to the YouTube video of police dressed as protesters carrying rocks in Quebec last year. Olympic security people have refused to say they wouldn’t do the same. I think the protesters’ denials should always be part of the story, and that accusations shouldn’t be repeated without some kind of specific evidence and, especially, attribution.
Rider Cooey
Vancouver
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