(Toronto Globe & Mail photo)
The Olympic torch relay passed through the Six Nations in Ontario last night, but only after the route had been altered under threat of protests.
The CanWest news service reports here that more than 1,000 people gathered to watch the flame being passed among 25 Six Nations torchbearers who jogged around a bingo hall, instead of through town as originally planned.
The idea was that any protests might be more easily contained in the new site. Some protesters were on the reserve southwest of Toronto that has the largest population of all of Canada’s First Nations.
The protesters carried signs that read, “No Torch, No Trespassing” and said they wanted to call attention to unfair treatment of indigenous people in Canada.
Among the torchbearers was Caytlen Burning, 12, a Six Nations resident who runs mid-distance races.
“I’ve always wanted to go to the Olympics and this is encouraging me to follow my dream,” she says.
Gwen Florio
Tags: 2010 Vancouver Olympics, buffalo post, First Nations, Native American news, Six Nations, Sovereignty
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