By Rory Carroll
VANCOUVER, April 30 (Reuters) – Homelessness advocates and hotel workers rallied outside the FIFA Congress in Vancouver on Thursday, criticizing the city’s preparations for the upcoming World Cup and warning that vulnerable residents and workers are being ignored.
Protesters from an anti-FIFA coalition said a displacement of homeless people had already begun, citing street sweeps, restrictions on tents and the loss of belongings.
They demanded no police sweeps of encampments or World Cup-related escalations and criticized Vancouver’s February human-rights action plan related to the tournament as weak and lacking firm commitments.
“There’s a lot of anxiety and fear in the community about what’s going to happen with the FIFA games,” Fiona York, a community advocate, told Reuters.
York said many unhoused residents fear a repeat of the 2010 Vancouver Olympics, when people remember intensified displacement and policing. She argued that money being spent on the tournament could instead support shelters, tiny homes, or safe places for people living in vehicles.
“Right now there’s already a crisis and there’s a big fear that it’s going to get even worse,” she said.
The marchers were joined by hotel workers from Unite Here Local 40 outside the Pan Pacific Hotel, where FIFA Congress delegates were reportedly staying.
Union spokesperson Michelle Travis said soaring hotel prices are not resulting in better pay for workers, many of whom must commute long distances because they cannot afford to live in Vancouver.
The protesters called for FIFA and event organizers to ensure the World Cup does not worsen homelessness, displacement, or worker hardship – and suggested a “FIFA dividend” to return money to affected communities.
“Folks love FIFA, they love soccer, but they also want to make sure that these events aren’t pushing people out, whether they work in the hotels, whether they’re on the streets,” she said.
“They want to see FIFA contribute if they’re going to be here.”
Vancouver hosts the first of its seven World Cup matches on June 13.
(Reporting by Rory Carroll; Editing by Thomas Derpinghaus)
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