And in Canada, activists in the city of Vancouver are gearing up for protests against this month’s Olympic Games. The Olympics Resistance Network has organized a people’s summit to coincide with the Games’ opening ceremonies next week. Harsha Walia of the Olympics Resistance Network said the games are undermining indigenous rights and social services.

Harsha Walia: “We see that the Games have been overrun with a budget of over $7 billion. Indigenous lands continue to be exploited and stolen with ski resort development all across British Columbia. Increasing poverty and criminalization of the poor in the Downtown Eastside. A massive cutback in public spending and an increasing budget for policing and militarization here in Vancouver. We have $1 billion that are being sunk into a military-police state in the lead-up to the Olympics.”