[antiwar-van] Update 26 - Alison Bodine Lift the 2-year Ban 10, 000 Petition Drive Gains CFS support and more!

[Kira Koshelanyk]

CASE UPDATE #26 - ALISON BODINE DEFENCE COMMITTEE
http://alisonbodine.blogspot.com | defendalisonbodine at hotmail.com
778.891.1470 | 778.882.5223 | 604.339.7103
---Thursday November 29, 2007---

**LIFT THE 2-YEAR BAN! ALISON BODINE LIFT THE BAN 10,000 PETITION DRIVE!**

ALISON BODINE LIFT THE BAN 10,000 PETITION CAMPAIGN GAINS MOMENTUM AND SUPPORT!

CANADIAN FEDERATION OF STUDENTS PASSES RESOLUTION AT NATIONAL GENERAL MEETING: “LIFT THE 2-YEAR BAN ON ALISON BODINE!”

The new Alison Bodine Defence Committee (ABDC) campaign “Lift the 2-year Ban! Alison Bodine Lift the Ban 10,000 Petition Drive!” is underway and gaining momentum and support daily! Hundreds of letters and petitions have already been signed since the campaign launch 10 days ago. Canada-wide organizations such as the Canadian Federation of Students have also added their support! This broad political campaign, appealing to Minister of Citizenship & Immigration Diane Finley and the Federal Court of Canada, is reaching out to people in the Lower Mainland, across Canada and the US to collect thousands more letters and petitions demanding that the 2-year ban from Canada against Alison Bodine be lifted immediately. Achieving the demand of "LIFT THE 2-YEAR BAN" will effectively eliminate the original charges against Alison and will ultimately mean a victory against the political frame-up that began more than two
months ago.

On Saturday, November 17, anti-war and social justice activist Alison Bodine was forced to leave Canada under the exclusion order and two-year ban from Canada issued by the Immigration & Refugee Board of Canada (IRB). In September 2007, Alison was targeted and harassed as a political activist after Canada Border Services agents found anti-war and social justice materials in her car. The political targeting continued when she attempted to exit Canada on September 13th and was arrested by Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA). Currently Alison Bodine is Co-chair, executive committee member and spokesperson of Mobilization Against War and
Occupation (MAWO) in Vancouver, BC. Her hearing on the false and unjust charge of 'misrepresentation' took place on October 11th. On October 31st, the decision was released, ordering her to leave Canada by November 17th and imposing the 2-year ban from the country.

At the November 22-26 National General Meeting held in Gatineau QC, the Canadian Federation of Students (CFS) passed a resolution calling on Minister Diane Finley to lift the 2-year ban against Alison Bodine! The CFS is sending a letter to Minister Finley with this appeal for Alison’s case. The resolution also includes that all 80 CFS member locals will do the same. The CFS represents more than one-half million students at 80 colleges and universities across Canada. This resolution and support is another important gain for Alison’s campaign. The CFS support is an important show of solidarity in defence of the democratic and human rights to free speech, organizing and protesting for students and all oppressed people speaking out and struggling for a better world. Many CFS National Meeting delegates also signed letters and the petition individually during the course of the meeting.

The campaign for 10,000 petitions and letters is also advancing. Tuesday November 27th ABDC campaign organizers visited UBC, where Alison graduated from last Spring, and collected more than 250 petitions and letters from students in just a few hours! Many students knew already about Alison’s case and had signed on to the more than 3,000-strong petition campaign to drop the charges against Alison in September and October.
The ABDC next petition drive will be Saturday December 1st from 11am-3pm. Please contact the committee for location and to participate!

Since Alison’s arrest on September 13th this case of political targeting and the broad political and legal campaign in her defence has gained international media attention on MSNBC and the Associated Press News Agency. Thousands of petitions and support letters have also been gathered from individuals, labour unions, students unions MPs and MLAs including Libby Davies, NDP MP for Vancouver East. The campaign in defence of the rights of this one activist and organizer has gone beyond the scope of just one person. The campaign has taken on an international character of a struggle in defence of the human and democratic rights for all working people, students, women, immigrants, refugees and all oppressed people to organize for social justice and against war and occupation. The Alison Bodine Defence Committee will continue this fight legally and politically until we win!

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*NEXT PETITION DRIVE!*
Lift the 2-year Ban! Alison Bodine Lift the Ban 10,000 Petition Drive!
Saturday December 1st
11am-3pm
>>> call the Alison Bodine Defence Committee for location and to get involved!

*JOIN THE CAMPAIGN!* SEND A LETTER DEMANDING:
"Lift the 2-Year Ban Against Alison Bodine!"
>>>Address your letter to:
The Honourable Diane Finley, Minister of Citizenship and Immigration
Email: finley.d at parl.gc.ca
Fax:(613) 996-9749
Email a copy to: defendalisonbodine at hotmail.com

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FOR MORE UPDATES VISIT:
http://alisonbodine.blogspot.com
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