[antiwar-van] MARCH 12: IN SUPPORT OF MOHAMED CHERFI

[noii-van at resist.ca]

PLEASE POST WIDELY *

Cities across Canada demonstrated on March 9 to demand the return of
Mohamed Cherfi and there is mounting support from churches, union,
political parties for his return to his home. Reports from various cities
can be found at www.cmaq.net

WE MUST CONTINUE TO PRESSURE THE GOVERNMENT!!!

Demonstrations are being coordinated again for this Friday March 12 across
cities in Canada.

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VANCOUVER
FRIDAY MARCH 12, 2004

*** note change of location ***
GATHER AT VICTORY SQUAURE AT 3 PM.
VICTORY SQUARE: corner of Hastings and Cambie

FROM THERE WE WILL MARCH TO CIC OFFICES

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Please bring pots, pans, drum and placards demanding that return of Mohamed.

For more information, contact No One is Illegal-Vancouver at 604-221-0273
or harsha at riseup.net

* Background information on Mohamed's case is available, in English and
French, at http://clac.taktic.org (click on "No One Is Illegal" on the
left).

* The Solidarity Committee for Mohamed Cherfi maintains an updated
website, mainly in French, at: http://www.mohamed.levillage.org


We will win and Mohamed will come home!


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BRING MOHAMED CHERFI HOME!
REPORT FROM VANCOUVER

On March 9, 60 people gathered in front of CIC offices in Vancouver to
denounce the sanctuary violation that led to Mohamed Cherfi’s arrest and
deportation, and to demand that Mohamed Cherfi be brought back home.

The rally consisted of solidarity messages from the Palestine Community
Center, South Asian Network for Secularism and Democracy, Vancouver
Association of Chinese-Canadians as well as public denouncements of the
IRB and CIC by activists and an outspoken refugee lawyer. Those gathered
were moved by an aboriginal prayer conducted to ensure the safe return of
Mohamed Cherfi to his home.

The message was clear: Mohamed Cherfi is not the criminal, the refugee
system and the government is. Zool Suleman, a refugee lawyer, spoke about
the repressive new immigration legislation, which does not yet have the
Appeal division as it promised, and reinforced that the public should be
outraged at the violation of sanctuary to deport a brave human rights
defender. Nandita Sharma was impassioned about the need to put people’s
survival and dignity before the Canadian state’s racist agenda against
communities of the global South.

Protesters carried banners and flyers ‘Bring Mohamed Cherfi home‘. Several

cab drivers outside the offices and those entering the offices were
interested in the information. One Algerian man exited the CIC offices
with a deportation date within two days and joined the demonstration for
refugee rights and justice for Mohamed Cherfi. In his words “I have fled
from a horrible civil war in Algeria. But still it does not compare to
here. Here it is not a civil war, but it is a war of a different kind
which I have been facing for four years. Here they pretend there is no
war.”

After one hour, approximately 25 protestors proceeded upstairs into the
CIC offices with banners, flyers and chanting “No Borders, No Nations,
Stop the Deportations” through the hallways and amidst perplexed
employees, judges and security. Six RCMP was already stationed upstairs.
The protestors filled the tiny hallway and the waiting area and proceeded
to chant to demand the return of Mohamed Cherfi. The police present there
were also specifically targeted for their policies of enforcement,
especially against immigrant/refugee communities and poor people, and for
their complicity in violating the centuries-long tradition of sanctuary.

The energy was incredibly high as people clapped and banged and screamed
throughout, effectively shutting down the office as employees were unable
to continue with their  ‘business as usual’ for 45 minutes. Those in the
waiting area chose to remain and listen about the history of the
Non-status Algerian struggle.

It was made very clear that in the weeks to come, protestors will continue
to picket and target CIC for its policies of deportation and to ensure the
return of Mohamed.