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Whistler: mountain war zone

The protests continue

It’s not only Vancouver that is enduring Olympic protest and conflict. I can report that clashes in Whistler continued deep into the night, keeping security officials on high alert.

At Bear Foot Bistro, one of the village’s most exclusive and pricey restaurants, dozens of enraged protesters gathered last night with placards demanding a vertical tasting of Chateau Le Pin. Not far away at Hy’s Steakhouse, one patron’s tenderloin was ordered medium-rare – but served medium. There were no survivors.

The news was better at the Rim Rock Cafe, where the police strategy of passive resistance seemed to be defusing tensions. Security forces equipped with pepper mills and truffle oil roamed the upscale eatery. But in the heart of the village, the famed Whistler Stroll was temporarily rendered impassible by scores of fiftysomething millionaires chanting: “Hey hey, ho ho, you’ve got the nerve to call this a merlot?”

Jacques Rogge, president of the International Olympic Committee, said the IOC supports the right of Whistler-based individuals to engage in civil protest so long as it does not turn gauche.

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