Pro, anti-Games rallies to meet
 
Lena Sin
The Province
 
Thursday, February 11, 2010
 
"You protest. We party!"
 
That's the mantra Jason Dussault will be chanting all the way to
B.C. Place on Friday in a show of positive energy to counter an
anti-Games protest.
 
"I want to just make sure that when all the world's media is looking
at this anti-Olympic campaign, that there's just as much show of
force for some positivity -- either across the street or with them,"
said Dussault.
 
The duelling rallies begin at 3 p.m. at the Vancouver Art Gallery,
where anti-Games protesters with the Olympic Resistance Network and
revellers with Dussault's Pro-Olympic Rally will make their way to
B.C. Place, where the Opening Ceremony begins at 6 p.m.
 
Dussault, who owns and designs a Vancouver clothing line popular
with celebrities, said he got the idea for a positive rally after
reading a newspaper article about the anti-Games movement.
 
He decided on Monday to start a positive rally and as of Wednesday,
had 138 confirmed attendees on the Pro Olympic Rally Facebook page.
 
"This is a call out to everybody who is positive about the Olympics
to come out. The worst thing that could happen for the people who
support the Olympics is that there's 10 times or 50 times more
negative people than positive," he said.
 
"Wouldn't it be great if we just totally overshowered them, and it
ended up being a positive march? I mean, how great would that be?"
 
Dussault is even bringing his company mascot, Peter Panda, who will
be carrying a "You protest. We party!" sign decorated with hearts.
 
Vancouver police said last week they believe up to 1,500 anti-Games
protesters will march this Friday.
 
-Visit the Pro Olympics Rally Facebook page at
www.face-book.com/pages/Dussault-Apparel/120164241161#!/ event.
 
Information on the anti-Games protest can be found at :
olympicresistance.net/content/convergence-2010-take-back-our-city.
 
lsin@theprovince.com

Lena Sin, The Province