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As you may have heard, the ship The Estelle , sailing in international waters, was illegally boarded by the Israeli navy, and its occupants taken into custody. Among those being held are Jim Manley, a Canadian, and a former New Democrat MP. The Estelle is part of the Freedom Flotilla movement, which seeks to draw attention to the illegal blockade of Gaza, to stand in solidarity with the people of Palestine, and to bring humanitarian aid to Gaza. The 30 activists on board The Estelle hailed from Israel, the US, Canada, Israel, Norway, and Sweden. In a story about the incident, the Calgary Herald describes Gaza as " the seaside strip ruled by the Islamic militant Hamas group ". This "seaside strip" is home to 1.7 million people, and Hamas is recognized by those people as their legitimate government. Of course, Hamas is an officially designated terrorist organization as defined by the US, Israel, and the EU, and since Canada takes its marching orders from the US, by...

A while back in my Intellectual Freedom and the Public Library course, I encountered an interesting shift of ideas. Larry Alexander, while arguing that freedom of expression is not a human right ( I disagree! ), points out that free speech is less about the right of the speaker, than the rights of potential listeners. Alexander uses the example of a government banning the works of Karl Marx. Marx himself is dead, so his rights cannot be infringed on; if Marx is banned, our opportunity to encounter his ideas - and so, our own freedom of expression - are being denied. This was the central issue in Canada's refusal to allow George Galloway entry into the country. Galloway is not a Canadian citizen, so his Charter rights were not being infringed, but ours were. Canadians have - or are supposed to have, anyway - rights of freedom of association and expression. We have a right to see, meet and hear anyone we choose, and if those people pose no threat to the security of the country, we ...

Go, George, Go! Outspoken former British MP George Galloway has made good on his threat to sue Canada's immigration minister. A statement of claim served on Jason Kenney and his assistant Alykhan Velshi alleges they abused their official powers by banning Galloway from Canada in 2009. The document, which asks for $1.5 million in damages, also claims that Kenney and Velshi defamed Galloway in British newspapers. Galloway, an outspoken supporter of the Palestinian people, had been planning to stage a cross-country speaking tour about the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Kenney barred him from the country for his alleged financial support to the Palestinian group Hamas, which Ottawa considers a terrorist organization. A lawyer representing Galloway says the former MP will argue that the allegations of terrorism lost him his long-held seat in the British House of Commons. This Canadian Press story doesn't say that Galloway has repeatedly pledged to donate any judgment from this suit t...

Two weeks ago, at Toronto's Trinity St. Paul Centre, George Galloway spoke about the grassroots revolutions in the Arab world, and the intervention or interference of Western nations. I couldn't be there, so I'm grateful for YouTube and activists with video cameras. The whole talk is about 26 minutes (parts 1 and 2), and well worth your time. In parts 3, 4, and 5, Galloway responds to some hecklers with his usual arsenal of facts, wit and aplomb. And for a bonus, courtesy of Allan, there is Galloway discussing Libya on the UK's Sky News on March 19. Part 1: Part 2: Part 3: Part 4: Part 5: Libya:

Earlier this year - and more than once - I promised to upload the documents submitted by the applicants (our side) in the suit against the federal government for refusing to allow George Galloway into Canada. Finally, for those interested, here they are: • the brief itself , and • the timeline of the email chain between CIC and CBSA , which the government sent to the applicants by mistake! , but which the court ruled could not be suppressed. They open as read-only Word documents. Sorry for the delay, and enjoy.

George Galloway, on the close of his 12-city, ban-busting tour of Canada. He'll be back!

Canadian Press: Political firebrand George Galloway took his message straight into the heart of Alberta's conservative country Tuesday evening and into the city represented in part by the man who earlier blocked his entry into Canada. The former British MP -- once a member of the Labour Party and more recently a founder of the left-wing Respect Party -- spoke to more than 750 people who braved the -28 C temperature to take in his speech at the University of Calgary. His current speaking tour of Canada replaces the one he had planned for last year when he was denied entry into the country over his alleged financial support of the Palestinian group Hamas. Ottawa considers Hamas a terrorist organization. Immigration officials later let Galloway into the country following a Federal Court ruling that was critical of the government, saying its decision to keep him out was in part politically motivated. "I'm astounded at this turnout on this bitter winter's evening. I thought...

George Galloway, currently on a cross-country speaking tour in Canada, has pledged the proceeds of his lawsuit against the Canadian government to the Canadian peace movement. He's been announcing this in local and national Canadian media all over the country, and the news has been rocketing through the anti-war movement. Galloway's generosity and strength of commitment is so energizing for all of us who work for peace. On the tour, Galloway has also been addressing the recent conference of the misnamed "Canadian Parliamentary Coalition to Combat Antisemitism," more properly called The Return of McCarthyism. In an excellent post, Paul S. Graham quoted Galloway: Well, it’s all very mysterious. That’s the first point. The Canadian taxpayer paid a pretty penny for this conference, even though they were entirely locked out of it. No media were permitted in it. We have no proper record of who was there. The attendance list even has not been published despite the taxpayer ...

George Galloway's "Free Palestine Free Afghanistan Free Speech" cross-Canadian tour kicks off today in Toronto. Galloway will be appearing in Toronto, Montreal, Halifax, then back to Toronto for a second date, then Hamilton, Vancouver, Calgary (that ought to be fun), Yellowknife, Edmonton, Winnipeg and Ottawa. If you haven't heard Galloway speak, it's a real treat. The full schedule is here .

In case you missed it, here's an excellent column by Lawrence Martin in the Globe and Mail from earlier this week. I'm pleased to note it bears a strong resemblance to something I recently wrote . I'm even more pleased to see Martin's prominent reference to US war resisters seeking refuge in Canada. Canadians have gained a reputation as a fair-minded people. There have been exceptions through our history, but, by and large, we have been seen as a moderate and tolerant country. We didn’t do guilt by association, for example. But that’s what so distressing about the character of today’s Conservatives. They revel in it. The most recent manifestation is the cancellation of a speech by the head of the Canadian Islamic Congress at the National Defence Headquarters. Many years ago, a former director of the group made some remarks – vile remarks – about Israelis over the age of 18 being legitimate targets for suicide bombers. By all accounts, new director Imam Zijad Delic rep...

I wish I could tell you everything George Galloway said in Toronto yesterday, because I'm sure it was an inspiring, energizing, truth-telling and sobering talk. I wasn't able to stay for most of it, because Sunday is a work day for me. But by rearranging all my break time for the weekend, I was able to run up to Trinity St. Paul's United Church, spend an hour with my resister-campaign family, be part of the triumphant scene to cheer Galloway on, hear some important words, and run back to work. You'll be able to see Galloway's talk on Rabble TV , but I'll share a few cool things I did catch. The church was packed to the rafters. War resisters and Galloway's legal team held places of honour on the stage. An organizer began a chant of "Kenney out! Galloway in!" but when Galloway - and his volunteer bodyguards - entered, we all jumped up and broke into wild cheers and applause. James Clark, a lead organizer with Toronto Coalition to Stop the War and D...

This was originally supposed to appear at The Mark, as part of a series called "Who Owns Canada?" I ran into a few editorial snags, so I'm posting it here instead. The Mark asked for short pieces answering the question, "Who Owns Canada? Which person, organization, or idea wields more influence than any other?" Here's my answer. * * * * When The Mark asked "Who owns Canada?" I immediately considered the question in reverse: "Who doesn't own Canada?" The answer: Canadians. A democracy should reflect the will of the people, but current Canadian policy reflects only the will of the Conservative government and its supporters. A majority of Canadians did not vote for Stephen Harper's Conservatives. Yet we are held hostage to his anti-democratic agenda because he has so successfully exploited an antiquated, first-past-the-post electoral system and a pitifully weak opposition. The majority of Canadians do not support the war in Afghani...

Today, join a welcome rally for international peace activist George Galloway at Toronto's Pearson Airport. Tomorrow, hear Galloway speak at Trinity St. Paul's church. Galloway's talk will be "From Gaza to Afghanistan - Resisting war, occupation and censorship" . He'll also meet and honour US Iraq War resisters on stage. Saturday, October 2, 5:00 p.m. Terminal One International Arrivals Gate Lester B. Pearson International Airport Rally 5:00 Media conference 5:15 Sunday, October 3, 3:00 p.m. Trinity St. Paul's United Church 427 Bloor Street (just west of Spadina) Doors open 2:30 p.m. Event begins 3:00 p.m. Admission $10, cash only, at door only Seating will be very limited! Event on Facebook

The Globe and Mail headline put it best: "‘I'm coming to get you,’ George Galloway tells Jason Kenney" . Galloway arrives in Toronto Saturday, and will speak at Trinity St Paul's United Church the following day, Sunday, October 3, at 3:00 p.m. It will be quite a triumphant scene! We sure could use that right now .

See update below. The media is trying to sell this as a defeat for Galloway and his supporters. It is anything but. Subject: Federal Court slams government interference in Galloway ban FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – Monday, September 27, 2010 Federal Court slams government interference in Galloway ban Former British MP to announce plans to return to Canada Toronto – Federal Court Judge Richard Mosley issued a 60-page ruling today that slams the federal government for attempting to ban former British MP George Galloway from entering Canada. The ruling vindicates Galloway and his Canadian supporters who argued that Minister of Citizenship and Immigration Jason Kenney made a political decision to try to keep Galloway out of Canada, not one based on national security claims. According to Justice Mosley, “the main reason why the respondents [the Federal government] sought to prevent Mr. Galloway from entering Canada was that they disagreed with his political views.” The ruling also refutes governm...

Part One here. Part Two here. After I left, the government's counsel continued to hammer away on case law, intending to prove that there is a mountain of legal precedent for interpreting Section 34 of IRPA - the anti-terrorism section - so broadly that George Galloway's donation to Hamas renders him inadmissible to Canada. She also elaborated on the argument that CIC Minister Jason Kenney and Communications Director Alykhan Velshi do not speak for the government. Government counsel characterized Kenney's and Velshi's comments as "ill-advised," "regrettable" and "unfortunate". They claimed that no matter how much rhetoric is thrown around, decisions of admissibility are rendered independently. Thus, because Galloway never arrived at the border, no decision was made. * * * * Next, lawyer Barbara Jackman deftly demolished the government's case. Jackman herself had represented many of the people cited in the government's argument. She h...

Part One here. The government's lawyer opened with an anecdote and an analogy. On her way to court, she saw a copy of Maclean's with a picture of the recently famous Iceland volcano on the cover. She said that blaming the Canadian government for the ban of George Galloway is like blaming European air-traffic controllers for the grounded planes. The closures were because of the volcano, and the ban of George Galloway was caused solely by the actions of Galloway himself. Galloway donated money and goods to Hamas, and Galloway himself chose not to visit Canada. After this embarrassing attempt at analogy, the CIC lawyer tackled the "no decision was made" argument, claiming the letter from CBSA to Galloway's office were merely informative. It did not deny him entry. Galloway himself chose not to attempt to cross the border. The judge asked what other options were available. [Note: words in quotation marks are verbatim quotes. Everything else is a very close paraphras...

This week, I attended the Federal Court hearing reviewing the Canadian government's decision to bar British MP George Galloway from entering the country. I wasn't able to stay til the end, but what I saw was very interesting and sometimes amusing. I've asked a few people about what I missed, so I'll update this later if necessary. The Federal Court agreeing to review this case is itself a victory, and was accomplished through the tireless efforts of Canadian peace activists and defenders of free speech , and likely because the person deemed inadmissible is a Member of the British Parliament. In my opinion, in order to find for the Government - that is, in order to uphold the ban against Galloway - the Federal Court will have to find that a British MP is a member of a terrorist organization. It's the only halfway cogent argument the government has, and I don't believe the court will be willing to do that. I may well be wrong - no one knows what will happen in an...