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Chicago Tue Feb 09 2010
Reporter Denied Entry into Canada
Martin Macias, a 20-year-old independent journalist from Chicago, says he was detained and questioned at the Vancouver airport Saturday afternoon. Macias, an outspoken Olympic critic who is associated with No Games Chicago, a group that opposed the city's bid for the 2016 Summer Olympics, was planning to attend a number of Vancouver rallies leading up to the start of the games, when he was detained, denied a phone call and sent back to the United States.
"The 20-year-old part-time reporter says he spent two and a half hours being interviewed by customs about his fellow protesters."
"They wanted to know more about the people who are organizing the conference, about who I was staying with, if I could contact them, if I knew what they were wearing," Macias said. "It was very, very strange."
Macias also stated that someone called the people with whom he was supposed to meet -- anti-olympic crusader Chris Shaw and Bob Quellos -- and imitated his voice.
The caller told Shaw about his "brutal" interrogation, and that he was asked "a thousand questions." He then tried to arrange a meeting.
"We gave him an intersection to meet us at. I waited for two hours, but he didn't show up so we knew something was wrong," said Quellos.
Macias, however, says he never contacted either of them.
Although some would agree that the money spent on the marketing of an Olympic event seems pretty wasteful, not to mention the opening and closing Olympic ceremonies, some would argue if it is fair to cancel the Olympics based solely on funding. Should poverty and housing be taken into account? What will happen to the sports facilities that were built specifically for the Olympics?
Stephen McLean / February 16, 2010 9:07 AM
Get a grip, The US is the worst for boarder control. Going to the US from the UK even if your arrested you cant go you have to go and get a visa (if they give you one). I think you should get over it change your own countries rules first and you will see that other countrys will let USA citizens in more freely.