[antiwar-van] CASE UPDATE #20 - ANTIWAR ACTIVIST ALISON BODINE ORDERED BANNED FROM CANADA FOR 2 YEARS!

[Shannon Bundock]

CASE UPDATE #20 - ALISON BODINE DEFENCE COMMITTEE 
Thursday November 1, 2007
 
http://alisonbodine.blogspot.com |
defendalisonbodine at hotmail.com
778.891.1470 | 604.339.7103 | 778.882.5223

POLITICALLY TARGETED ANTIWAR ACTIVIST ALISON BODINE
ORDERED BANNED FROM CANADA FOR 2 YEARS!

ALISON BODINE DEFENCE COMMITTEE CONTINUES CAMPAIGN TO
DEFEND ALISON AND ALL ANTIWAR AND SOCIAL JUSTICE
ACTIVISTS UNDER ATTACK!

** ALISON BODINE DEFENCE COMMITTEE MEETING
Thursday November 1st
6:30pm
Large North Hall of Joe’s Café (corner of William St &
Commercial Dr

After 7 weeks of campaigning to have all Canada Border
Services Agency (CBSA) charges against her dropped, US
antiwar activist Alison Bodine received the
Immigration & Refugee Board decision on her case Wed
Oct 31st. Currently Alison Bodine is Co-chair,
executive committee member and spokesperson of
Mobilization Against War and Occupation (MAWO) in
Vancouver, BC. The day started out very strong with
more than 100 supporters rallying outside the
Citizenship & Immigration Canada building downtown
before the decision was released. Major news media,
including radio, television stations and newspapers
also attended to hear Alison speak at the press
conference as she unveiled the more than 3,000
petition signatures demanding that all charges against
her be dropped.  Dozens of supporters as well as media
representatives accompanied Alison upstairs to the
hearing room. Once it was filled to capacity,
supporters began to fill the overspill room to watch
the announcement by video link.

After reviewing the case, the adjudicator from the
Immigration & Refugee Board (IRB) announced that he
would uphold the CBSA charge of 'misrepresentation'
against Alison and issued an 'exclusion order' against
her. The 'exclusion order', the order that she must
leave Canada, will take effect on Saturday November
17, 2007 and states that she cannot return for two
years. This unjust ruling is clearly the CBSA’s next
step in escalation of the attack on Alison and the
campaign of attacks on the democratic and human rights
of antiwar and social justice activists and all
non-status people in Canada.

The political harassment and targeting of Alison
Bodine began with intimidation and harassment by CBSA
agents when she was searched at the US-Canada border
on September 10th and has continued over 7 weeks of
legal delays and processes up to this point. Now this
attack on a representative of all antiwar and social
justice organizers has been taken to the next level
with the IRB decision. The ruling attempts to keep
Alison from traveling to Canada to work with antiwar
organizers here in Canada, much like when two CODEPINK
Women for Peace organizers were denied entry in to
Canada several weeks ago. They were on their way to
attend a meeting with the Toronto Coalition to Stop
the War. The CBSA is partaking in the attempt by the
governments of Canada and the US to keep antiwar
organizers from both sides of the border from uniting
and working together.

Supporters of Alison’s case rallied, chanted and
cheered after hearing the news of the decision, vowing
to organize against the unjust decision and not to
take this setback as a defeat. The Alison Bodine
Defence Committee (ABDC) will explore all possible
legal avenues while continuing the political campaign
against the attack on Alison and against attacks on
all antiwar and social justice activists. The ABDC
will hold a meeting Thursday November 1st and invites
all those interested in the defence of human and
democratic rights to join us!

*******************************
ALISON BODINE DEFENCE COMMITTEE MEETING
Thursday November 1st
6:30pm
Large North Hall of Joe’s Café (corner of William St &
Commercial Dr
***************************







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