From mfoster at web.ca  Sat Dec  3 16:18:00 2005
From: mfoster at web.ca (Mary Foster)
Date: Sat, 3 Dec 2005 19:18:00 -0500
Subject: [Bloquez l'empire!] STEP UP THE PRESSURE :: RAISE THE MORALE
Message-ID: <045201c5f868$44b24c30$363bcdcd@CPQ18145226471>

----- Original Message -----
From: "Abolissons certificats de s?curit?" <abolissons at gmail.com>
Sent: Saturday, December 03, 2005 7:11 PM


=======================================
STEP UP THE PRESSURE :: RAISE THE MORALE
=======================================

A two-step campaign in support of the security certificate detainees (from
now til 17 December) ...

***Mohammad Mahjoub has been in prison in Toronto without charge since June
2000, ie FIVE YEARS AND FIVE MONTHS. He does not know when he will get out
and the government is holding him under threat of deportation to Egypt
where, by Immigration Canada's own assessment, he is at risk of torture.
Mahjoub has just been refused release on bail.

This summer, Mohammad Mahjoub went on extended hunger-strike, simply seeking
minimally improved conditions of detention. He ended his strike on promises
from authorities that some of their demands would be met and from the public
that they would follow through with pressure on authorities. Basically
nothing has changed for Mahjoub; he remains in the same prison conditions
and -- like Mahmoud Jaballah, Hassan Almrei and Mohamed Harkat -- he remains
in indefinite, arbitrary detention
under threat of deportation to torture. Adil Charkaoui remains under severe
conditions of release, constant surveillance, as well
as an ever-present threat of deportation to torture.

How much longer can Mohammad and the others last? How much longer can their
families last? The Canadian government seems determined to find out.

=> This is a request for you to do two things from today until 17 December,
the weeks before and after 10 December (international human rights day):

STEP ONE: ACT. Take one concrete action for justice for the five men and
against security certificates (see suggestions of several small actions
below).

STEP TWO: REPORT. Write a letter of support and solidarity to Mahjoub to
tell him what your action was (address below).

> > BACKGROUND < <

Five men in Canada are under active threat of deportation to torture under a
security certificate, a measure which allows the government to lock
non-citizens up under secret evidence, without charge, and deny them a fair
trial. Four remain in prison; the fifth, Adil Charkaoui lives under severe
"preventive" conditions.

In May 2005, the UN Committee Against Torture reprimanded Canada because its
laws and policies did not live up to the absolute, international ban on
deportation to torture. The Canadian government responded by issuing a new
Ministerial decision which, while noting that Mahmoud Jaballah was at
substantial risk of torture or death if deported, nevertheless cleared the
way for his deportation.

In June 2005, non-status people and their supporters marched from Montreal
to Ottawa to demand rights for migrants, including an end to security
certificates. This is one of countless actions, big and small, by
individuals, community organisations and NGOs over the past several years.
The government did not respond, and ignored the
eight-day march on Ottawa.

In November 2005, the UN Human Rights Committee repeated that Canada "should
recognize the absolute nature of the prohibition of torture" noting that "No
person, without any exception, ... may be deported to a country where he/she
runs the risk of being subjected to torture or cruel, inhuman or degrading
treatment" and advised Canada to "clearly enact this principle into its
law." They also said they were "concerned by the rules and practices
governing the issuance of 'security certificates' ..." and by the fact that
"some people have been detained for several years without criminal charges,
without being adequately informed about the reasons for their detention, and
with limited judicial review." Canada responded with a new judicial decision
denying Mahjoub release on bail, while admitting that his situation was not
likely to change within a reasonable period of time.

***Mahmoud Jaballah has been in prison in Toronto without charge since
August 2001, ie FOUR YEARS AND THREE MONTHS. He is now on his third
certificate; the first was thrown out; he was re-arrested, though CSIS
admitted they had no new information; when the second was thrown out, a
third was immediately issued. He does not know when he will get out.
The Minister of Immigration just confirmed that they would continue the
deportation proceedings against him, despite acknowleding a "substantial
risk" that he will be tortured or killed if sent to Egypt.

***Hassan Almrei has been in prison in Toronto without charge since October
2001, ie FOUR YEARS AND ONE MONTH. He does not know when he will get out and
is under threat of deportation to Syria. Maher Arar recognised in
2003 that Almrei's fate at the hands of Syrian authorities would be worse
than his own if Almrei were deported.

***Mohamed Harkat has been held without charge since December 2002, ie
almost THREE YEARS. Canada has cynically requested "diplomatic assurances"
from his country of birth that he will not be tortured or mistreated if sent
there (just as the US did before sending Maher Arar to Syria). He does not
know when he will get out. When he applied for release on bail, one of the
conditions of release discussed as a possibility was that he not speak
Arabic.

***Adil Charkaoui was released on bail after almost TWO YEARS in prison
without charge. His security certificate has still not even undergone a
judicial review, and his case has been suspended since March. He was
released on conditions that prevent him from leaving home without his mother
or father, prevent him from leaving the island of Montreal, force him to
wear a
GPS tracking bracelet, prevent him from using any but his home phone,
prevent him from using internet, require him to check in with authorities
weekly, require him to allow police 24-hour access to his home, and impose a
curfew. All without any trial and under the
continued threat of deportation to torture.

How much longer can these men last? How much longer can their families
last? If the government has a case against them, it should charge them.
Otherwise, it should let them go, immediately. In no case should it continue
to hold them under threat of torture. It is ONLY strong and concerted public
action which is going to force the government to treat them justly.
Hopefully this will come in time for the detainees.

> > SUGGESTED ACTIONS :: choose one or take your own < <

=> Call or fax Paul Martin and copy Anne McLellan, Joe Volpe and Irwin
Cotler (addresses and model letter below).
=> Visit your MP's office to hand-deliver background information on security
certificates. Ask them to read it and to send a letter to Paul Martin
demanding the immediate liberation of the five men, an end to the threat of
deportation to torture and the end of security certificates. (Prepared info
packets, including the UN recommendations, available: email to
abolissons at gmail.com or
leave a message at tel. 514 859 9023).
=> Set up a presentation on security certificates in your classroom or with
organisations in which you are involved. (In Montreal, speakers are
potentially available from Solidarity across borders
(sansfrontieres at resist.ca or tel. 514 859 9023), No one is illegal (
noii-montreal at resist.ca), Coalition
Justice for Adil Charkaoui (justiceforadil at riseup.net). Ligue des droits et
libert?s (communication at liguedesdroits.ca), and Canadian Council for
Refugees
(ccr4 at web.ca) are also working on the issue.)
=> Ask your organisation to send a letter to Paul Martin (use model below).
=> Organise a letter-writing evening OR a visit to an MPs office with
friends.
=> Organise a few friends to pass out flyers outside Canadian Border
Services Agency at 400 Place d'Youville or Immigration Canada offices at
1010 St-Antoine or the riding offices of Prime Minister Paul Martin or
Justice Minister Irwin Cotler. (Prepared flyers available: email to
abolissons at gmail.com or
leave a message at tel. 514 859 9023.)
=> Etc.! No action is too small ... or too big!

> > PRISON ADDRESS < <

Mohammad Mahjoub
Metro West Detention Centre
111 Disco Road
Rexdale, ON M9W 5L6

> > MODEL LETTER or TALKING POINTS < <

Right Honourable Paul Martin
Prime Minister of Canada
telephone 514 363 0954
fax 514 367-5533
email martip at parl.gc.ca

((DATE))

Dear Prime Minister Paul Martin,

Your government is holding Hassan Almrei, Mohamed Harkat, Mahmoud Jaballah
and Mohammad Mahjoub in indefinite, arbitrary detention, under threat of
deportation to torture. These men, all arrested under a "security
certificate", have been denied a fair trial and are being held under secret
evidence. A fifth man, Adil Charkaoui, lives under severely restrictive
conditions of release and threat of torture, though his certificate has not
yet been reviewed. Mahjoub and Almrei went on protracted hunger strikes in
summer 2005, but nothing has changed. In November 2005, Mr. Mahjoub was
refused release on bail, even though it was recognised that it was unlikely
his situation would change within a reasonable period of time.

In May 2005, the UN Committee Against Torture called on Canada to reform its
laws and policies so that they would conform to international law, including
the absolute, international ban on deportation to torture.

In June 2005, non-status people and their supporters marched from Montreal
to Ottawa to demand rights for immigrants and refugees, including an end to
security certificates. This is one of countless actions, big and small, by
individuals, community organisations and NGOs over the past several years to
protest the unjust imprisonment of these men and to call for an end to the
discriminatory security certificate process.

In November 2005, the UN Human Rights Committee repeated that Canada "should
recognize the absolute nature of the prohibition of torture" noting that "No
person, without any exception, ... may be deported to a country where he/she
runs the risk of being subjected to torture or cruel, inhuman or degrading
treatment" and advised Canada to "clearly enact this principle into its
law." They also said they were "concerned by the rules and practices
governing the issuance of 'security certificates' ..." and by the fact that
"some people have been detained for several years without criminal charges,
without being adequately informed about the reasons for their detention, and
with limited judicial review."

For Mohammad Mahjoub it has been five years and five months. For Mahmoud
Jaballah it has been four years and three months. For Hassan Almrei, over
four years. For Mohamed Harkat, almost three years. Is your government
determined to find out how long these men and their families can last under
these conditions?

If the government has a case against any of these men, it should charge
them, just as it would if they were citizens. Otherwise, it should let them
go, immediately. In no case should it continue to hold them under threat of
deportation to torture.

yours sincerely,

((YOUR NAME))

Copy to:

Anne McLellan
fax (780) 495-2598
email McLelA at parl.gc.ca

Joseph Volpe
fax (416) 781-5586
email volpej at parl.gc.ca

Irwin Cotler
fax (514) 283-2407
email cotlei at parl.gc.ca




From mfoster at web.ca  Sat Dec  3 16:18:29 2005
From: mfoster at web.ca (Mary Foster)
Date: Sat, 3 Dec 2005 19:18:29 -0500
Subject: [Bloquez l'empire!] FAITES MONTER LA PRESSION :: REMONTEZ LE MORAL
Message-ID: <045301c5f868$452afea0$363bcdcd@CPQ18145226471>

----- Original Message -----
From: "Abolissons certificats de s?curit?" <abolissons at gmail.com>
Sent: Saturday, December 03, 2005 7:12 PM


========================================
FAITES MONTER LA PRESSION :: REMONTEZ LE MORAL
========================================

Une campagne en deux ?tapes en appui aux d?tenus des certificats de s?curit?
(? partir de maintenant jusqu'au 17 d?cembre).

*** Mohammad Mahjoub est emprisonn? ? Toronto sans accusation depuis juin
2000, plus pr?cis?ment depuis CINQ ANS ET CINQ MOIS. Il ne sait pas quand il
sera lib?r? et le gouvernement le maintient sous la menace d'une d?portation
 en ?gypte, o?, selon les propres dires d'Immigration Canada, il risque la
torture. On vient juste de lui refuser sa lib?ration conditionnelle.

L'?t? dernier, Mohammad Mahjoub a fait une tr?s longue
gr?ve de la faim, demandant simplement que ses conditions de d?tention
soient l?g?rement am?lior?es. Il a mis fin ? leur gr?ve ? la suite de la
promesse des autorit?s que certaines de ses demandes seraient accord?es et
de celle de la population qu'elle maintiendrait sa pression sur les
autorit?s concern?es. Depuis, rien n'a vraiment chang? pour Mahjoub ; ses
conditions de d?tention sont les m?mes, et -- comme Mahmoud Jaballah, Hassan
Almrei et Mohamed Harkat -- il reste toujours en d?tention arbitraire et
ind?finie, sous la menace d'une d?portation vers la torture. Adil Charkaoui
vit avec de s?v?res conditions ? pr?ventives ? de lib?ration, surveillance
constant et la menace d'une d?portation vers la torture.

Combien de temps pourront-ils encore tenir le coup ? Combien de temps leurs
familles pourront-elles encore tenir le coup ? Le gouvernement Canadien
semble d?termin? ? le d?couvrir.

=> Nous vous demandons de poser deux gestes avant le 17 d?cembre, au cours
des deux semaines entourant le 10 d?cembre (Journ?e internationale des
droits de
l'homme).

?TAPE 1 : AGISSEZ. Posez un geste concret contre les certificats de s?curit?
(voir plus bas les diff?rentes suggestions de petites actions).

?TAPE 2 : INFORMEZ. ?crivez une lettre d'appui et de solidarit? ? Mahjoub,
et dites le quel geste vous avez pos? (adresse plus bas).

> > MISE EN CONTEXTE < <

Au Canada, cinq hommes sont actuellement sous la menace r?elle d'une
d?portation vers la torture en vertu d'un certificat de s?curit?, une mesure
qui permet au gouvernement d'enfermer des non-citoyens en vertu de preuves
secr?tes, sans accusation et qui nie leur droit ? un proc?s juste et
?quitable. Quatre sont toujours en prison ; le cinqui?me, Adil Charkaoui,
vit avec de s?v?res conditions ? pr?ventives ? de lib?ration.

En mai 2005, le Comit? de l'ONU contre la torture a r?primand? le Canada
pour ses lois et politiques qui ne respectent pas l'interdiction
internationale absolue de la d?portation vers la torture. Le gouvernement du
Canada a r?pondu par une nouvelle d?cision minist?rielle qui, tout en notant
que Mahmoud Jaballah risquait la torture et la mort s'il ?tait d?port?, a
ouvert la voie ? sa d?portation.

En juin 2005, des personnes sans statut et leurs alli?Es ont march? de
Montr?al ? Ottawa afin d'exiger des droits pour les personnes migrantes,
ainsi que l'abolition des certificats de s?curit?. Il s'agit d'une des
innombrables actions entreprises par des individus, des organisations
communautaires et des ONGs au cours des derni?res ann?es. Le gouvernement
n'a offert aucune r?ponse et a ignor? la marche de huit jours sur Ottawa

En novembre 2005, le Comit? de l'ONU sur les droits de l'homme a r?it?r? que
le Canada ? devrait reconna?tre la nature absolue de l'interdiction de la
torture ?, ajoutant que ? Personne, sans exception [.] ne peut ?tre d?port?
vers un pays o? il/elle court des risques d'?tre sujet ? la torture, aux
traitements cruels, inhumains ou d?gradants ?, et a conseill? au Canada de
? clairement mettre en pratique ce principe dans ces lois ?. Le Comit? s'est
aussi dit ? inquiet des r?gles et pratiques ? la base de l'?mission de
certificats de s?curit?s [.] ?, et du fait que ? certaines personnes soient
d?tenues pendant plusieurs ann?es sans accusation criminelle, sans ?tre
ad?quatement inform?es des raisons de leur d?tention, et avec une r?vision
judiciaire limit?e ?. Canada a r?pondu par une nouvelle d?cision
minist?rielle refusant la lib?ration conditionnelle de Mahjoub, tout en
admettant que sa situation avait peu de chances de changer dans des d?lais
raisonnables.

*** Mahmoud Jaballah est emprisonn? ? Toronto sans accusation depuis ao?t
2001, plus pr?cis?ment depuis QUATRE ANS ET TROIS MOIS. Il en est ? son
troisi?me certificat de s?curit?. Il ne sait pas quand il sera lib?r?. Le
ministre de l'Immigration vient juste de confirmer
qu'il poursuivrait les proc?dures de d?portation contre lui, malgr? le fait
qu'il admette qu'il existe un ? risque substantiel ? qu'il soit tortur? ou
tu? s'il est renvoy? en ?gypte.

*** Hassan Almrei est emprisonn? sans accusation depuis octobre 2001,
c'est-?-dire depuis QUATRE ANS ET UN MOIS. Il ne sait pas quand il sera
lib?r? et vit sous la menace d'une d?portation vers la Syrie. Maher Arar a
admis en 2003 que le sort d'Almrei, entre les mains des autorit?s syriennes,
serait pire que le sien si Almrei ?tait d?port?.

*** Mohamed Harkat est emprisonn? sans accusation depuis d?cembre 2002,
c'est-?-dire depuis pr?s de TROIS ANS. Canada a hypocritement demand? ? son
pays d'origine des ? assurances diplomatiques ? garantissant qu'il ne serait
pas tortur? ou maltrait? si on l'y renvoyait (tout comme les Etats-Unis
l'ont fait avant d'envoyer Maher Arar en Syrie). Il ne sait pas quand il
sera lib?r?. Quand il a d?pos? sa demande de lib?ration conditionnelle,
l'une des conditions de mise en libert? discut?e a ?t? qu'il ne parle pas
arabe.

***Adil Charkaoui a rest? presque DEUX ANS en prison sans accusation. Il n'
est plus en prison, mais lui et sa famille vivent toujours sous la menace de
sa d?portation vers la torture. Sa libert? est s?v?rement limit?e par des
conditions telles le port obligatoire d'un bracelet de surveillance, un
couvre-feu, l'interdiction de quitter son domicile sans sa m?re ou son p?re,
et l'autorisation pour la police d'avoir acc?s pendant 24-heures, sans
permis, ? son domicile. Ses r?ductions de libert? lui sont impos?es alors
que son certificat de s?curit? n'a pas encore ?t? examin? par un juge.

Combien de temps encore ces hommes peuvent-ils tenir le coup ? Combien de
temps encore leurs familles peuvent-elles tenir le coup ? Si le gouvernement
a des preuves contre eux, qu'il les accuse formellement. Sinon, qu'il les
lib?re imm?diatement. Il ne devrait en aucun cas continuer de les maintenir
sous la menace de la torture. C'est seulement l'action concert?e et
PUISSANTE de la population qui peut forcer le gouvernement ? les traiter de
fa?on juste. Esp?rons qu'elle arrivera ? temps pour les d?tenus.

> >  ACTIONS SUGG?R?ES :: choisissez-en une ou faites votre propre action <
<

=>  ?crivez par courriel ou t?l?copiez ? Paul Martin avec une copie ? Anne
McLellan, Joe Volpe et Irwin Cotler (adresses et mod?le de lettre plus bas).

=>  Visitez votre d?put? pour lui donner en mains propres des informations
sur les certificats de s?curit?. Demandez-lui de lire l'information et
d'envoyer une lettre ? Paul Martin afin d'exiger la lib?ration imm?diate des
cinq hommes, la fin des menaces de d?portation vers la torture et
l'abolition des certificats de s?curit?. (De l'information, incluant les
recommandations de l'ONU, est disponible : par courriel au
abolissons at gmail.com ou laisser
un message au (514) 859-9023.)

=>  Organisez une pr?sentation sur les certificats de s?curit? dans votre
classe ou avec l'organisation dont vous faites partie. (? Montr?al, des
repr?sentantEs sont disponibles : Solidarit? sans fronti?res
(sansfrontieres at resist.ca ou 514-859-9023), Coalition Justice pour Adil
Charkaoui (justiceforadil at riseup.net). La Ligue des droits et libert?s
(communication at liguedesdroits.ca) et Conseil canadien pour les r?fugi?s
(ccr4 at web.ca) travaillent aussi sur ses questions.)

=> Demandez ? votre organisation d'envoyer une lettre ? Paul Martin
(utilisez le mod?le plus bas).

=>  Organisez une soir?e de r?daction de lettres OU une visite ? votre
d?put?
avec des amiEs.

=>  Organisez-vous entre amiEs pour distribuer des tracts aux bureaux de
L'Agence des services frontaliers du Canada, au 400 Place d'Youville, ou
d'Immigration Canada au 1010 St-Antoine, ou encore au bureau de
circonscription du Premier ministre Paul Martin ou du ministre de la Justice
Irwin Cotler. (Des tracts sont disponibles : par courriel au
abolissons at gmail.com ou laisser
un message au 514-859-9023.)

=>  Etc. ! Aucune action n'est trop petite ... ou trop grosse !

> > ADRESSE DE LA PRISON < <

Mohammad Mahjoub
Metro West Detention Centre
111 Disco Road
Rexdale, ON M9W 5L6

> > MOD?LE DE LETTRE ou ARGUMENTATION < <

Tr?s honorable Paul Martin
Premier ministre du Canada
T?l?copieur : 514 367-5533
T?l?phone : 514 363 0954
Email : martip at parl.gc.ca

((DATE))

Monsieur le Premier ministre Paul Martin,

Votre gouvernement garde Hassan Almrei, Mohamed Harkat, Mahmoud Jaballah et
Mohammad Mahjoub en d?tention arbitraire et ind?finie, sous la menace d'une
d?portation vers la torture. Ces hommes, tous arr?t?s en vertu d'un ?
certificat de s?curit? ?, se voient ni? leur droit ? un proc?s juste et
?quitable et sont d?tenus en vertu de preuves secr?tes. Un cinqui?me, Adil
Charkaoui, vit avec des restrictions extr?mement s?v?res de libert?
conditionnelle et avec la menace constante de la torture, m?me si son
certificat n'a pas encore ?t? r?vis?. Mahmoud et Almrei ont fait une gr?ve
de la faim prolong?e ? l'?t? 2005, mais rien n'a chang?. En novembre 2005,
M. Mahjoub s'est vu refus?e sa libert? conditionnelle, m?me s'il a ?t? admis
que sa situation avait peu de chances de changer dans des d?lais
raisonnables.

En mai 2005, le Comit? de l'ONU contre la torture a demand? au Canada de
modifier ses lois et politiques afin qu'elles soient conformes ? la
l?gislation internationale, incluant l'interdiction absolue de la
d?portation vers la torture.

En juin 2005, des personnes sans statut et leurs alli?Es ont march? de
Montr?al ? Ottawa afin d'exiger des droits pour les personnes migrantes,
ainsi que l'abolition des certificats de s?curit?. Il s'agit d'une des
innombrables actions entreprises par des individus, des organisations
communautaires et des ONGs au cours des derni?res ann?es afin de protester
contre l'emprisonnement injuste de ces hommes et d'exiger la fin du
processus discriminatoire des certificats de s?curit?.

En novembre 2005, le Comit? de l'ONU sur les droits de l'homme a r?it?r? que
le Canada ? devrait reconna?tre la nature absolue de l'interdiction de la
torture ?, ajoutant que ? Personne, sans exception [S] ne peut ?tre d?port?
vers un pays o? il/elle court des risques d'?tre sujet ? la torture, aux
traitements cruels, inhumains ou d?gradants ?, et a conseill? au Canada de
? clairement mettre en pratique ce principe dans ces lois ?. Le Comit? s'est
aussi dit ? inquiet des r?gles et pratiques ? la base de l'?mission de
certificats de s?curit?s [.] ? et du fait que ? certaines personnes soient
d?tenues pendant plusieurs ann?es sans accusation criminelle, sans ?tre
ad?quatement inform?es des raisons de leur d?tention, et avec une r?vision
judiciaire limit?e ?.

Pour Mohammad Mahjoub, cela fait maintenant cinq ans et cinq mois. Pour
Mahmoud Jaballah, cela fait quatre ans et trois mois. Pour Hassan Almrei,
plus de quatre ans. Pour Mohamed Harkat, pr?s de trois ans. Votre
gouvernement est-il si d?termin? ? d?couvrir combien de temps encore ces
hommes et leurs familles pourront tenir le coup sous de telles conditions ?

Si le gouvernement a des preuves contre eux, il devrait les accuser
formellement, comme il ferait s'ils ?taient citoyens. Sinon, il devrait les
lib?rer imm?diatement. En aucun cas il ne devrait continuer de les maintenir
sous la menace d'une d?portation vers la torture.

Cordialement,

((VOTRE NOM))

Copie conforme ? :

Anne McLellan
T?l?copieur : (780) 495-2598
Courriel : McLelA at parl.gc.ca

Joseph Volpe
T?l?copieur : (416) 781-5586
Courriel : volpej at parl.gc.ca

Irwin Cotler
T?l?copieur : (514) 283-2407
Courriel : cotlei at parl.gc.ca




From marieve at luxediteur.com  Sun Dec  4 11:00:41 2005
From: marieve at luxediteur.com (marieve at luxediteur.com)
Date: Sun, 4 Dec 2005 20:00:41 +0100 (CET)
Subject: [Bloquez l'empire!] =?iso-8859-1?q?F=EAte_=E0_L=92ALIZ=C9_avec_l?=
	=?iso-8859-1?q?es_Apatrides_Anonymes?=
Message-ID: <2124.216.138.236.111.1133722841.squirrel@webmail.flibuste.net>

F?te ? L?ALIZ? avec les Apatrides Anonymes

Show b?n?fice avec:

DANY PLACARD
MASSE PO?SIE
MARCO CALLIARI
(JOLIS) ENJOLIVEURS

Le 15 d?cembre 2005 ? l?Aliz?
(900 Ontario E coin St-Andr?)

Portes 19h00 Show 20h00
Billets 8$ (? la porte)

======================
Les Apatrides Anonymes ?pr?sentent un concert b?n?fice ? L?Aliz? le 15
d?cembre prochain. Cette soir?e, en grande partie musicale, comprendra
Dany Placard (Plywood 3/4), Masse Po?sie, une courte prestation de Marco
Calliari et (Jolis) Enjoliveurs.

Dany Placard a sorti son premier album solo, Rang de l??glise, il y a
quelques semaines et continue en parall?le ? promouvoir l?excellent album
Beaut? m?canique de son groupe Plywood 3/4. Masse po?sie vogue toujours
sur sa participation ? la finale des Francouvertes du printemps dernier;
un premier album complet est en pr?paration. Marco Calliari n?a plus
besoin de pr?sentation : il viendra nous livrer quelques pi?ces en solo de
son album Che la vita. ?Le nouveau groupe (Jolis) enjoliveurs vous offrira
son funk-jazz festif.

Il y aura aussi simulation th??trale d?une d?portation, des films sur la
condition des sans-statut, animation et tables d?information.

Les Apatrides Anonymes sont un groupe d?action et de sensibilisation sur
les droits des immigrantEs, r?fugi?Es et sans-statut. Nous avons organis?
des actions de d?nonciation des politiques canadiennes en mati?re
d?immigration au moyen de tracts, banderoles, mises en sc?ne th??trale,
consultations populaires, etc. Depuis quelques mois, nous ciblons les
d?portations effectu?es par Immigration Canada avec la complicit? des
compagnies a?riennes.


Source, infos et demandes d?entrevues:
Mathieu Francoeur riots96 at hotmail.com ou 523-9546




From yalayala at riseup.net  Mon Dec  5 12:13:50 2005
From: yalayala at riseup.net (tamara)
Date: Mon, 05 Dec 2005 12:13:50 -0800
Subject: [Bloquez l'empire!] DEC 16: ALCAN OUT OF KASHIPUR! VIGIL IN MEMORY
	OF THREE COMMUNITY ACTIVISTS KILLED PROTESTING ALCAN MINE
Message-ID: <20051205121350.ghsye2envh4cgocg@mail.riseup.net>

3 DEAD + 5 YEARS + NO JUSTICE = NOT JUST ANOTHER DAY AT THE OFFICE FOR ALCAN!

***********************************************************************
VIGIL IN MEMORY OF THREE COMMUNITY ACTIVISTS KILLED AS A RESULT OF 
ALCAN'S "DEVELOPMENT" IN INDIA: 5TH ANNUAL COMMEMORATION 
***********************************************************************

CANDLE LIGHT VIGIL & FILM PROJECTIONS
+ music, speakers, tea, snacks

WHEN: DECEMBER 16TH, 2005, 4:00 TO 6:00 pm
WHERE: MAISON ALCAN, 1188, Sherbrooke W. @ Stanley (Peel Metro)

Called by the Alcan't in  India Solidarity Project

Alcan't in India will also hold an all-day picket outside the Maison 
Alcan (8 am to 6 pm). Come show your support!

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
REMIND ALCAN THAT DECEMBER 16TH WILL NEVER BE JUST ANOTHER DAY AT THE OFFICE.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

On December 16th 2000, several policemen were dispatched to the village 
of Maikanch, in India's Kashipur region. Their orders: to search for 
and arrest targeted "leaders" of a peoples' rally that had taken place 
the day before.

The gathering had been organised to denounce the development of a 
lucrative mining project by the Utkal Consortium - owned in part by 
ALCAN of Canada - on the sacred land of the Adivasi (indigenous) and 
Dalit (lower-caste) People of Kashipur.

On that day, the police shot and killed three villagers: Damodar, 
Raghunath and Avhilas Jhodia. These men's opposition to the plundering 
and destruction of their ancestral land by a foreign corporation was 
their only "crime".

ON DECEMBER 16TH, 2005, THE ADIVASIS AND DALITS OF KASHIPUR WILL 
CONFRONT POLICE AND PARAMILITARIES TO GATHER IN COMMEMORATION OF THE 
SHOOTING OF DAMODAR, RAGHUNATH AND ABHILASH. SOLIDARITY MOVEMENTS FROM 
ALL OVER INDIA AND THE WORLD WILL GATHER TO DO THE SAME.

Five years later, ALCAN still denies any responsibility in this 
tragedy. Yet the company continues to push the Utkal project forward 
and its active share has grown to 45%.

Despite having no documented evidence, Alcan executives continue to 
allege that the project has the support of local villages. At the same 
time, Alcan refuses to acknowledge signed statements of opposition by 
elected village leaders and a motion passed in the village council 
calling for the projects' cancellation.

THIRTEEN YEARS OF RESISTANCE & MOUNTING REPRESSION

Over the last thirteen years, the people's grass roots resistance has 
actually prevented the company from beginning construction. But in the 
last year, the company and its allies within the Orissa government have 
once again resorted to police violence to repress the people's movement.

After Chief-Minister of Orissa called for the suppression of all 
anti-mining activity in Kashipur in late 2004, police executed a 
violent charge with batons against villagers who had gathered to 
propose the mine. Since then, targeted "leaders" have been bullied and 
jailed under dubious charges while anti-mine villagers and local 
pro-People NGOs have been submitted to continued political harassment. 
The entire region is essentially under police occupation.

STAND IN SOLIDARITY WITH THE PEOPLE'S MOVEMENT IN KASHIPUR.

Remind Alcan, as repression continues due to its investment, December 
16th is not just another day at the office.

For more information on Alcan's Kashipur project and the people's 
resistance movement or to get involved:

-ALCAN'T IN INDIA-

www.alcantinindia.org



From noii-montreal at resist.ca  Wed Dec  7 14:03:43 2005
From: noii-montreal at resist.ca (No One is Illegal Montreal)
Date: Wed, 7 Dec 2005 14:03:43 -0800 (PST)
Subject: [Bloquez l'empire!] Protest and Picket: Denounce Racism and
 Incompetence at the IRB!
 (Dec. 14 :: NOON :: MONTREAL) Justice and Dignity for all Immigrants and
 Refugees!
Message-ID: <Pine.LNX.4.62.0512071403310.11988@resist.ca>


[please post and forward]

-- DENOUNCE RACISM AND INCOMPETENCE AT THE IMMIGRATION AND REFUGEE BOARD

-- JUSTICE AND DIGNITY FOR ALL IMMIGRANTS AND REFUGEES

::::::::::
PROTEST AND PICKET
Wednesday, December 14, 2005
NOON
IMMIGRATION AND REFUGEE BOARD
Complexe Guy-Favreau
200 Rene-Levesque West
(between Jeanne-Mance and St-Urbain)
Metro Place d'Armes or Metro Place-des-arts
::::::::::

INFO: sansfrontieres at resist.ca or 514-848-7583.

Organized by Solidarity Across Borders and The Human Rights Action Committee; 
with the support of the Coalition Against the Deportation of Palestinian 
Refugees, No One Is Illegal-Montreal and others.

Join us and stand in solidarity with the struggle of Montreal-area refugees!


BACKGROUND:

On the initiative of refugee members of the Human Rights Action Committee 
(HRAC), Solidarity Across Borders will be demonstrating at the Immigration and 
Refugee Board (IRB), to protest racism and incompetence in the IRB process.

Last year, the Human Rights Action Committee -- a self-organized group of 
mainly Punjabi refugee claimants from India -- organized a continuous four-day, 
three-night rotating hunger strike and vigil outside the IRB, in the middle of 
a December cold chill. Their protest highlighted flaws in the IRB process. Two 
members of the HRAC even refused to have their refugee hearing before an IRB 
judge they considered biased -- a political appointee who used to be the Quebec 
Immigration Minister -- and courageously demanded a hearing before another IRB 
judge.

[Article at: http://www.cmaq.net/en/node.php?id=19259
  Photos at: http://gallery.cmaq.net/Refugee-camp-out-at-Montreal-IRB]

Almost exactly one year later, several Montreal-area refugee claimants, from 
different groups and communities, will be sharing their personal testimonies of 
racism, bias and unjust treatment by the IRB, as well as the incompetence of 
the entire refugee determination process.

For several years, active campaigns in Montreal have mobilized against 
deportations and detentions. The beginning of the struggle for thousands of 
refugee claimants is the IRB, where a fundamentally biased and flawed process 
results in many claimants' claims being rejected, and subsequent deportation 
orders down the line.

There are many complaints about the IRB process that refugees have highlighted:

- IRB decisions are made by single member panels, by individuals who are 
political appointees, often with little to no expertise in human rights, and 
ignorant of the lived reality of migrants.

- There is absolutely no appeal, on the merits, of IRB decisions; a single 
person makes the crucial decision about whether someone will be recognized as a 
refugee or not; an Appeals Division was promised by then-Immigration Minister 
Denis Coderre in 2002, but has never been implemented; instead, church 
sanctuaries have become Canada's de facto appeals division, an imperfect and 
difficult option only open to a tiny proportion of refused refugee claimants.

- The IRB process is a lottery, with many judges having notoriously high 
rejection rates, while a few others are more reasonable; in the case of two 
brothers from the same refugee camp in the Middle East, one was accepted, and 
the other rejected, because they had two different IRB judges; the IRB lottery 
is not due process.

- Too many IRB judges do not read the vast documentation of human rights abuses 
and persecution presented by claimants, and instead "cut & paste" from previous 
decisions, and often make glaring factual errors.

- Many judges are systematically biased against claimants from certain regions 
or countries.

- Refugee claimants are often the victims of inadequate representation, and 
lack the financial resources to obtain competent counsel. Meanwhile, 
translation at the IRB is notoriously bad.


On Wednesday, December 14, at NOON, refugee claimants and their allies will 
speak out about racism and incompetence at the IRB, as part of broader demands 
for a full and inclusive regularization program for all non-status people in 
Canada.

*** We encourage all social justice allies in the Montreal-area to take the 
time to join us, and stand in solidarity with the struggle for dignity and 
justice of Montreal's non-status community. ***

INFO:
sansfrontieres at resist.ca
514-848-7583
http://www.solidarityacrossborders.org


From noii-montreal at resist.ca  Wed Dec  7 22:12:34 2005
From: noii-montreal at resist.ca (No One is Illegal Montreal)
Date: Wed, 7 Dec 2005 22:12:34 -0800 (PST)
Subject: [Bloquez l'empire!] Manif et piquetage: Denoncez le racisme et
 l'incompetence de la CISR
 (14 dec. :: MIDI :: MONTREAL) Justice et Dignite pour les immigrants et
 refugies!
Message-ID: <Pine.LNX.4.62.0512072212250.8425@resist.ca>


[SVP diffusez ...]

-- D?NONCEZ LE RACISME ET L'INCOMP?TENCE DE LA COMMISSION DE L'IMMIGRATION ET 
DU STATUT DE R?FUGI?

-- JUSTICE ET DIGNIT? POUR LES IMMIGRANT(E)S ET LES R?FUGI?(E)S!

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
MANIFESTATION
Mercredi le 14 d?cembre 2005
MIDI
COMMISSION DE L'IMMIGRATION ET DU STATUT DE R?FUGI?
Complexe Guy-Favreau
200 boul. Ren?-L?vesque O.
(entre les rues Jeanne-Mance et Saint-Urbain)
M?tro Place d'Armes ou Place-des-Arts
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

POUR PLUS D'INFORMATION : sansfrontieres at resist.ca ou 514-848-7583

Organis? par Solidarit? sans fronti?res et par le Comit? d'action pour les 
droits humains (Human Rights Action Committee -- HRAC); avec l'appui de la 
Coalition contre la d?portation des r?fugi?(e)s palestinien(ne)s, Personne 
n'est ill?gal-Montr?al et d'autres groupes.

Venez en grand nombre et exprimez votre solidarit? avec la lutte des 
r?fugi?(e)s de la r?gion de Montr?al!


CONTEXTE :

Suivant l'initiative des r?fugi?(e)s du Comit? d?action pour les droits humains 
(HRAC), Solidarit? sans fronti?res manifestera devant les bureaux de la 
Commission de l'immigration et du statut de r?fugi? (CISR) afin de d?noncer 
l'incomp?tence et le racisme qui s?vissent au sein de la CISR.

L'an dernier, le Comit? d'action pour les droits humains -- un groupe de 
r?fugi?(e)s autog?r? form? majoritairement de demandeurs d'asile originaires du 
Penjab en Inde -- a tenu pendant quatre jours et trois nuits une gr?ve de la 
fin rotative et une vigile devant la CISR, tout cela en plein mois de d?cembre. 
Leur action visait ? souligner les lacunes dans le fonctionnement de la CISR. 
Deux membres du Comit? ont m?me refus? de faire entendre leur audience devant 
une juge qu'ils consid?raient comme ?tant biais?e -- elle avait auparavant 
si?g? comme Ministre de l'Immigration ? Qu?bec et sa nomination ? la CISR ?tait 
purement politique. Ils ont courageusement demand? de se faire entendre devant 
un autre juge de la Commission.

[Pour plus de d?tail: http://www.cmaq.net/en/node.php?id=19259 et 
http://gallery.cmaq.net/Refugee-camp-out-at-Montreal-IRB pour des photos de 
l'action.]


Un an plus tard presque jour pour jour, plusieurs demandeurs d'asile de la 
r?gion de Montr?al, provenant de diff?rents groupes et de diff?rentes 
communaut?s, partageront leurs t?moignages de racisme, de d?cisions biais?es, 
de traitements injustes par la CISR ainsi que de l'incomp?tence g?n?ralis?e du 
processus.

Depuis plusieurs ann?es, plusieurs groupes montr?alais se sont mobilis?s contre 
les d?portations et la d?tention. Le d?but de la lutte, pour des milliers de 
demandeurs du statut de r?fugi?, c'est la CISR, la o? un processus 
fondamentalement biais? entra?ne des refus dans plusieurs cas, et des 
d?portations en bout de ligne.


Des r?fugi?(e)s ont formul? plusieurs critiques ? l'?gard de la CISR :

- Les d?cisions de la CISR sont prises par une seule personne, en l'occurrence 
des individus qui si?gent ? la Commission suite ? des nominations politiques. 
Ces personnes ont souvent peu ou pas d'exp?rience dans le domaine des droits 
humains et ignorent les r?alit?s v?cues par les personnes immigrantes.

- Il n'y a aucune possibilit? d'en appeler, sur le fond, d'une d?cision de la 
CISR. La d?cision d'octroyer ou non le statut de r?fugi? n'est prise que par 
une seule personne. Une section d?appel a ?t? promise par l'ex-Ministre de 
l'Immigration Denis Coderre, en 2002, mais n'a jamais ?t? mise en place; la 
prise de sanctuaire dans les ?glises est donc devenue la section d'appel de 
facto au Canada. Il faut toutefois rappeler qu'il s'agit ici d'un choix 
difficile qui n'est envisageable que pour une minorit? des demandeurs d'asile.

- Le processus de la CISR, c'est comme la loto. Certains juges affichent des 
taux de refus notoirement ?lev?s alors que d'autres sont plus raisonnables. 
Dans le cas de deux fr?res originaires du m?me camp de r?fugi?s au 
Moyen-Orient, la demande de l'un d'entre eux a ?t? accept?e et celle de l'autre 
refus?e, simplement parce qu'ils ?taient tomb?s sur des juges diff?rents. Le 
processus d?cisionnel de la CISR ne correspond certainement pas ? une forme de 
traitement ?quitable.

- Trop de juges de la CISR ne prennent pas le temps de lire la documentation 
pr?sent?e par les demandeur, concernant les violations de droits humains et la 
pers?cution dans le pays d'origine, et choisissent plut?t de se fier ? la 
lettre ? d'anciennes d?cisions de la Commission. Les d?cisions de ces juges 
contiennent souvent des erreurs factuelles importantes, entre autres ?normit?s.

- Plusieurs juges de la CISR sont syst?matiquement d?favorables ? la cause de 
demandeurs originaires de certains pays ou de certaines r?gions du monde.

- Les demandeurs d'asile sont souvent victimes de mauvaise repr?sentation 
l?gale et n'ont pas les ressources financi?res qui leur permettraient d'avoir 
acc?s ? des avocat(e)s comp?tent(e)s. De plus, le service de traduction offert 
par la CISR est notoirement mauvais.


Le mercredi 14 d?cembre ? MIDI, des r?fugi?(e)s et leurs alli?(e)s d?nonceront 
le racisme et l'incomp?tence de la CISR. Cette d?nonciation s'inscrit dans une 
campagne plus large en faveur d'un programme de r?gularisation complet pour 
toutes les personnes sans statut au Canada.

Nous encourageons toutes les personnes travaillant pour la justice sociale ? se 
joindre ? nous, en solidarit? avec la lutte pour la dignit? et la justice men?e 
par la communaut? sans-statut montr?alaise.

POUR PLUS D'INFORMATION :
sansfrontieres at resist.ca
514-848-7583
http://www.solidaritesansfrontieres.org

From mfoster at web.ca  Fri Dec  9 14:17:31 2005
From: mfoster at web.ca (Mary Foster)
Date: Fri, 9 Dec 2005 17:17:31 -0500
Subject: [Bloquez l'empire!] Appel a l'action // Call to action
Message-ID: <06d101c5fd0f$a770a000$5f33cdcd@CPQ18145226471>

     ?quipes chr?tiennes d'action pour la paix
Christian Peacemaker Teams (CPT)
     et Voices for Creative NonViolence

      Ci-dessous : un appel lanc? plus t?t aujourd'hui (8 d?c.). SVP le
faire circuler aussi largement que possible. Nous esp?rons rester en contact
avec vous au sujet des actions du 10 d?cembre.

     Sinc?rement,
      Kathy Kelly

      POUR DIFFUSION IMM?DIATE

      Nous sommes tr?s pr?occup?s du sort de nos co-?quipiers Harmeet,
James, Norman et Tom et nous demandons leur lib?ration imm?diate. Nous
sommes tout autant pr?occup?s du sort de tous les irakiens qui souffrent
sous l'occupation. Ceux qui sont avec nos co-?quipiers ont demand? la
lib?ration des irakiens d?tenus dans des prisons ?tasuniennes ou irakiennes.
?quipes chr?tiennes d'action pour la paix croit que pas une simple personne
ni une nation seule ne peut satisfaire aux exigences de la Justice. Ni une
simple personne, ni une nation seule ne peut satisfaire aux exigences de la
Paix. Mais nous croyons que c'est la responsabilit? de chacun de faire sa
part afin de ramener chaque combattant et chaque captif chez lui avec sa
famille et de mettre fin ? la guerre et l'occupation.
                Le 10 d?cembre est journ?e internationale des droits
humains. ?quipes chr?tiennes d'action pour la paix lance un appel pour que
tous les gens de bonne volont? de par le monde initient des actions
publiques non-violentes et pour la pri?re le 10 d?cembre en appui aux droits
humains et en soutien ? la fin de la guerre et de l'occupation.
      -30-
      Contacter le CPT au Canada 416-423-5525
      CPT aux ?tats-Unis 773-277-0291

===================
=======================
===================

      Christian Peacemaker Teams
      and Voices for Creative NonViolence
      Below is a call to action issued earlier today (Dec. 8th).   Could you
kindly circulate this as widely as possible.  We look forward to remaining
in contact with you regarding Dec. 10th actions.
      Sincerely,
      Kathy Kelly

      FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

      We remain concerned about the well-being of our team-mates Harmeet,
James, Norman, and Tom, and we ask for their release.  We also remain
concerned about the well-being of all Iraqis who are suffering under
occupation. Those who are with our team-mates have demanded the release from
captivity of the Iraqi detainees held in United States' and Iraqi prisons.
Christian Peacemaker Teams believes that no single person, no single nation
can meet the demands of Justice. No single person, no single nation can meet
the demands of Peace. But we believe that it is everyone's responsibility to
do their part to bring each combatant and each captive home to their
families and to end the war and occupation.
                  December 10th is International Human Rights Day. Christian
Peacemaker Teams calls for all people of conscience around the world to
initiate non-violent public actions for peace and for prayer on December
10th in support of international human rights and in support of ending war
and occupation.

      -30-

      Contact: CPT in Canada 416-423-5525
      CPT in United States 773-277-0291




From mfoster at web.ca  Sat Dec 10 10:18:20 2005
From: mfoster at web.ca (Mary Foster)
Date: Sat, 10 Dec 2005 13:18:20 -0500
Subject: [Bloquez l'empire!] Journee internationale des droits : poeme
	d'Adil Charkaoui
Message-ID: <01d401c5fdb6$2a6e6400$a18b8bcf@CPQ18145226471>

From: "Justice pour Adil Charkaoui" <justiceforadil at riseup.net>

PO?ME D'ADIL CHARKAOUI

+=+=+=+===[[[[contexte]]]]===+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+

Le Canada g?che la Journ?e internationale des droits de l'homme (10
d?cembre) pour une troisi?me ann?e cons?cutive

En 2003, le Canada a soulign? la Journ?e internationale des droits de
l'homme en arr?tant le r?fugi? Mohamed Harkat en vertu d'un "certificat de
securit?"; depuis il est maintenu sans accusation sous la menace d'?tre
d?port? vers la torture. Le 10 d?cembre 2004, la Cour d'appel f?d?rale a
rejet? la contestation constitutionnelle des certificats de s?curit? d'Adil
Charkaoui. (La Cour supr?me entendra l'appel en juin 2006.) Et hier, la Cour
f?d?rale refuse de se plier ? l'interdiction internationale absolue de la
torture.

Hier, la Cour f?d?rale a en effet rejett? une requ?te de la victime d'un
certificat de s?curit?, Adil Charakoui, d?pos?e en octobre 2005. La Loi sur
l'immigration et la protection des r?fugi?s (LIPR) exclue les personnes
?tiquet?es de " menace ? la s?curit? " des dispositions garantissant que
Personne ne peut ?tre renvoy? vers la torture. Me Doyon, l'une des avocates
de Charkaoui, a soutenu que de maintenir un individu sous la menace de la
torture viole les droits ? la vie, ? la s?curit? de sa personne, ? la
protection contre les traitements cruels et inusit?s, ainsi qu'? l'?galit?
devant la loi pr?vus dans la Charte.

En cette Journ?e Internationale de droits de l'homme, Adil d?die ce po?me
aux quatre autres victimes des certificats de s?curit? qui, tout comme lui,
doivent vivre avec la menace constante d'une d?portation vers la torture:
Mohammad Mahjoub, emprisonn? ? Toronto sans accusation depuis juin 2000,
plus pr?cis?ment depuis CINQ ANS ET CINQ MOIS; Mahmoud Jaballah, emprisonn?
? Toronto sans accusation depuis ao?t 2001, plus pr?cis?ment depuis QUATRE
ANS ET TROIS MOIS; Hassan Almrei, emprisonn? sans accusation depuis octobre
2001, c'est-?-dire depuis QUATRE ANS ET UN MOIS; Mohamed Harkat, emprisonn?
sans accusation depuis d?cembre 2002, c'est-?-dire depuis TROIS ANS.

Adil Charkaoui, quant ? lui, est rest? presque DEUX ANS en prison sans
accusation. Il n'est plus d?tenu, mais sa libert? est s?v?rement limit?e par
des conditions telles le port obligatoire d'un bracelet de surveillance, un
couvre-feu, l'interdiction de quitter son domicile sans sa m?re ou son p?re,
et l'autorisation pour la police d'avoir acc?s pendant 24-heures, sans
permis, ? son domicile. Ses r?ductions de libert? lui sont impos?es alors
que son certificat de s?curit? n'a pas encore ?t? examin? par un juge.

+=+=+=+===[[[[po?me]]]]===+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+

Aux quatre victimes des certificats de culpabilit?, servant de
boucs-?missaires et croupissant dans les ge?les de la honte, dans l'
indiff?rence des pairs et la couardise des fr?res.

Qu'est-ce qu'un certificat de s?curit? ?

Un certificat de s?curit?,
C'est le droit d'?tre trait? selon les normes du non-Droit,
C'est la Justice ? deux vitesses,
C'est la pr?s?ance de l'ex-part? et du huis-clos,
C'est la Loi au service du Service?!

Un certificat de s?curit?,
C'est le pen?, le trou? et les "scrous"?,
C'est la visite contact sans contact,
C'est la vitre qui s?pare des ?tre chers,
C'est le "deadlock"? , la solitude. et respirer la pourriture.

Un certificat de s?curit?,
C'est ?tre mineur ? trente ans,
C'est le petit fonctionnaire constip? qui devient inquisiteur,
C'est l'inquisiteur imbu de lui-m?me ayant des airs de tortionnaire,
C'est la culpabilit? d'?tre n? ailleurs!

Un certificat de s?curit?,
C'est Big brother ? la maison,
C'est la t?l? r?alit? sans coupure publicitaire,
C'est dehors dehors l'immigr?,
C'est tais-toi et encaisse!

Un certificat de s?curit?,
C'est tout ?a mais pas seulement ?a,
C'est Hassan et Mahjoub et leur gr?ve de la faim,
C'est Sophie Harkat sans Harkat,
C'est Jaballah1et Jaballah2!

Un certificat de s?curit?,
C'est cette m?lancolique litanie d'un candidat ? la torture,
C'est ?tre musulman au pays de Chr?tien,
C'est la b?tise humaine avec des allures de sagesse,
C'est moi aujourd'hui toi peut-?tre demain!

Adil CHARKAOUI

?Terme d?signant le S.C.R.S. dans les documents de la Cour f?d?rale.
? Le p?nitencier, le cachot, les gardes et l'enfermement dans le langage
carc?ral au Canada.

+=+=+=+===[[[[contactes]]]]===+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+

Coalition Justice pour Adil Charkaoui
justiceforadil at riseup.net
t?l. : +1 514 859 9023
www.adilinfo.org




From mfoster at web.ca  Sat Dec 10 10:21:15 2005
From: mfoster at web.ca (Mary Foster)
Date: Sat, 10 Dec 2005 13:21:15 -0500
Subject: [Bloquez l'empire!] International rights day: Poem by Charkaoui
Message-ID: <020301c5fdb6$84ad6b00$a18b8bcf@CPQ18145226471>

From: "Justice pour Adil Charkaoui" <justiceforadil at riseup.net>

NEW POEM BY ADIL CHARKAOUI

+=+=+=+===[[[[background]]]]===+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+

Canada mars international human rights day (10 December) for third year
running

In 2003, Canada marked international human rights day by arresting refugee
Mohamed Harkat under a "security certificate"; they have held him without
charge under threat of being sent to torture ever since. On 10 December
2004, the Federal Court of Appeal rejected Adil Charkaoui's constitutional
challenge to security certificates. (The appeal will be heard by the Supreme
Court in June 2006.) And yesterday, the Federal Court failed to uphold the
absolute, international ban on torture.

Yesterday, the Federal Court rejected a motion from one of the victims of
security certificates, Adil Charkaoui, heard in October 2005. The
Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (IRPA) excludes people who have been
labelled "security threats" from provisions to guarantee that no one is
deported to torture. Johanne Doyon, one of Charkaoui's lawyers, argued that
keeping a person under threat of torture violates Charter rights to life,
and security of the person, the protection against cruel and unusual
punishment, as well as equality before the law.

On this international human rights day, Adil Charkaoui dedicated this poem
to the four other victims of "security certificates" who, just like himself,
are forced to live with the constant threat of deportation to torture:
Mohammad Mahjoub, imprisonned in Toronto without charge since June 2000,
that is, FIVE YEARS AND FIVE MONTHS; Mahmoud Jaballah, imprisonned in
Toronto without charge since August 2001, that is FOUR YEARS AND THREE
MONTHS; Hassan Almrei, imprisonned without charge since October 2001, that
is, FOUR YEARS AND ONE MONTH; Mohamed Harkat, imprisonned without charge
since December 2002, that is exactly THREE YEARS.

As for himself, Adil Charkaoui spent almost TWO YEARS in prison without
charge. He is no longer in prison, but he remains under conditions which
severely limit his liberty: he has a curfew, is not allowed to leave his
home without his mother or father, is confined to the island of Montreal,
must wear a GPS tracking bracelet at all times, is not allowed to use any
but his home phone, is not allowed to use internet, and must give police
24-hour access to his home without mandate. These incursions on his liberty
have been imposed even though his security certificate has not yet been
examined by a judge (the judicial review of his certificate has been
suspended since March 2005).

+=+=+=+===[[[[poem]]]]===+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+

(translation from French)

To four victims of Certificates of Guilt, serving as scapegoats while
rotting in the dungeons of shame, amidst the indifference of peers and
cowardice of brothers

What is a security certicate?

 A security certificate,
 It's the right to be treated outside the law
 It's two-speed justice
 It's precedent for secret trials
 It's the law in the service of the Service(1)!

 A security certificate,
 It's the "pen", the "hole", and "screws" (2),
 It's contact visits with no contact
 It's the glass that separates you from loved ones,
 It's "deadlock" (2), solitude ... it's breathing corruption

A security certificate,
 It's being a minor at 30 years old
 It's the petty, constipated bureaucrat made inquisitor
 It's the self-satisfied inquisitor with the airs of a torturer
 It's the guilt of being born elsewhere

A security certificate,
 It's big brother at home,
 It's reality TV without the ads,
 It's "Get out, you immigrant!",
 It's shut up and put up!

 A security certificate,
 It's all that, it's more ...
 It's Hassan and Mahjoub on hunger-strike,
 It's Sophie Harkat with no Harkat,
 It's Jaballah 1 and Jaballah 2!

 A security certificate,
 It's this lament of a candidate for torture,
 It's being Muslim in Chretien's country,
 It's human folly clothed as wisdom.
 It's me today, maybe you tomorrow!

 Adil CHARKAOUI

 ?Expression for CSIS used in Federal Court documents.

 ? The jail, the hole, the guards and detention in the prison language of
Canada.

+=+=+=+===[[[[contacts]]]]===+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+

Coalition Justice for Adil Charkaoui
justiceforadil at riseup.net
tel +1 514 859 9023
www.adilinfo.org





From noii-montreal at resist.ca  Mon Dec 12 12:23:03 2005
From: noii-montreal at resist.ca (No One is Illegal Montreal)
Date: Mon, 12 Dec 2005 12:23:03 -0800 (PST)
Subject: [Bloquez l'empire!] (Wednesday!) Protest and Picket: Denounce
 Racism and Incompetence
 at the IRB! (Dec. 14 :: NOON :: MONTREAL) Justice and Dignity for all
 Immigrants and Refugees!
Message-ID: <Pine.LNX.4.62.0512121222490.13589@resist.ca>


---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Mon, 12 Dec 2005 11:12:01 -0800 (PST)
From: sans frontieres! <sansfrontieres at resist.ca>

-- DENOUNCE RACISM AND INCOMPETENCE AT THE IMMIGRATION AND REFUGEE BOARD

-- JUSTICE AND DIGNITY FOR ALL IMMIGRANTS AND REFUGEES

::::::::::
PROTEST AND PICKET
Wednesday, December 14, 2005
NOON
IMMIGRATION AND REFUGEE BOARD
Complexe Guy-Favreau
200 Rene-Levesque West
(between Jeanne-Mance and St-Urbain)
Metro Place d'Armes or Metro Place-des-arts
::::::::::

INFO: sansfrontieres at resist.ca or 514-848-7583.

Organized by Solidarity Across Borders and The Human Rights Action Committee; 
with the support of the Coalition Against the Deportation of Palestinian 
Refugees, No One Is Illegal-Montreal and others.

Join us and stand in solidarity with the struggle of Montreal-area refugees!


BACKGROUND:

On the initiative of refugee members of the Human Rights Action Committee 
(HRAC), Solidarity Across Borders will be demonstrating at the Immigration and 
Refugee Board (IRB), to protest racism and incompetence in the IRB process.

Last year, the Human Rights Action Committee -- a self-organized group of 
mainly Punjabi refugee claimants from India -- organized a continuous four-day, 
three-night rotating hunger strike and vigil outside the IRB, in the middle of 
a December cold chill. Their protest highlighted flaws in the IRB process. Two 
members of the HRAC even refused to have their refugee hearing before an IRB 
judge they considered biased -- a political appointee who used to be the Quebec 
Immigration Minister -- and courageously demanded a hearing before another IRB 
judge.

[Article at: http://www.cmaq.net/en/node.php?id=19259
  Photos at: http://gallery.cmaq.net/Refugee-camp-out-at-Montreal-IRB]

Almost exactly one year later, several Montreal-area refugee claimants, from 
different groups and communities, will be sharing their personal testimonies of 
racism, bias and unjust treatment by the IRB, as well as the incompetence of 
the entire refugee determination process.

For several years, active campaigns in Montreal have mobilized against 
deportations and detentions. The beginning of the struggle for thousands of 
refugee claimants is the IRB, where a fundamentally biased and flawed process 
results in many claimants' claims being rejected, and subsequent deportation 
orders down the line.

There are many complaints about the IRB process that refugees have highlighted:

- IRB decisions are made by single member panels, by individuals who are 
political appointees, often with little to no expertise in human rights, and 
ignorant of the lived reality of migrants.

- There is absolutely no appeal, on the merits, of IRB decisions; a single 
person makes the crucial decision about whether someone will be recognized as a 
refugee or not; an Appeals Division was promised by then-Immigration Minister 
Denis Coderre in 2002, but has never been implemented; instead, church 
sanctuaries have become Canada's de facto appeals division, an imperfect and 
difficult option only open to a tiny proportion of refused refugee claimants.

- The IRB process is a lottery, with many judges having notoriously high 
rejection rates, while a few others are more reasonable; in the case of two 
brothers from the same refugee camp in the Middle East, one was accepted, and 
the other rejected, because they had two different IRB judges; the IRB lottery 
is not due process.

- Too many IRB judges do not read the vast documentation of human rights abuses 
and persecution presented by claimants, and instead "cut & paste" from previous 
decisions, and often make glaring factual errors.

- Many judges are systematically biased against claimants from certain regions 
or countries.

- Refugee claimants are often the victims of inadequate representation, and 
lack the financial resources to obtain competent counsel. Meanwhile, 
translation at the IRB is notoriously bad.


On Wednesday, December 14, at NOON, refugee claimants and their allies will 
speak out about racism and incompetence at the IRB, as part of broader demands 
for a full and inclusive regularization program for all non-status people in 
Canada.

*** We encourage all social justice allies in the Montreal-area to take the 
time to join us, and stand in solidarity with the struggle for dignity and 
justice of Montreal's non-status community. ***

INFO:
sansfrontieres at resist.ca
514-848-7583
http://www.solidarityacrossborders.org


From noii-montreal at resist.ca  Mon Dec 12 12:23:21 2005
From: noii-montreal at resist.ca (No One is Illegal Montreal)
Date: Mon, 12 Dec 2005 12:23:21 -0800 (PST)
Subject: [Bloquez l'empire!] (Mercredi!) Manif et piquetage: Denoncez le
 racisme et l'incompetence
 de la CISR (14 dec. :: MIDI :: MONTREAL) Justice et Dignite pour les
 immigrants et refugies!
Message-ID: <Pine.LNX.4.62.0512121223060.13589@resist.ca>


---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Mon, 12 Dec 2005 11:12:14 -0800 (PST)
From: sans frontieres! <sansfrontieres at resist.ca>

[SVP diffusez ...]

-- D?NONCEZ LE RACISME ET L'INCOMP?TENCE DE LA COMMISSION DE L'IMMIGRATION ET 
DU STATUT DE R?FUGI?

-- JUSTICE ET DIGNIT? POUR LES IMMIGRANT(E)S ET LES R?FUGI?(E)S!

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
MANIFESTATION
Mercredi le 14 d?cembre 2005
MIDI
COMMISSION DE L'IMMIGRATION ET DU STATUT DE R?FUGI?
Complexe Guy-Favreau
200 boul. Ren?-L?vesque O.
(entre les rues Jeanne-Mance et Saint-Urbain)
M?tro Place d'Armes ou Place-des-Arts
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

POUR PLUS D'INFORMATION : sansfrontieres at resist.ca ou 514-848-7583

Organis? par Solidarit? sans fronti?res et par le Comit? d'action pour les 
droits humains (Human Rights Action Committee -- HRAC); avec l'appui de la 
Coalition contre la d?portation des r?fugi?(e)s palestinien(ne)s, Personne 
n'est ill?gal-Montr?al et d'autres groupes.

Venez en grand nombre et exprimez votre solidarit? avec la lutte des 
r?fugi?(e)s de la r?gion de Montr?al!


CONTEXTE :

Suivant l'initiative des r?fugi?(e)s du Comit? d?action pour les droits humains 
(HRAC), Solidarit? sans fronti?res manifestera devant les bureaux de la 
Commission de l'immigration et du statut de r?fugi? (CISR) afin de d?noncer 
l'incomp?tence et le racisme qui s?vissent au sein de la CISR.

L'an dernier, le Comit? d'action pour les droits humains -- un groupe de 
r?fugi?(e)s autog?r? form? majoritairement de demandeurs d'asile originaires du 
Penjab en Inde -- a tenu pendant quatre jours et trois nuits une gr?ve de la 
faim rotative et une vigile devant la CISR, tout cela en plein mois de 
d?cembre. Leur action visait ? souligner les lacunes dans le fonctionnement de 
la CISR. Deux membres du Comit? ont m?me refus? de faire entendre leur audience 
devant une juge qu'ils consid?raient comme ?tant biais?e -- elle avait 
auparavant si?g? comme Ministre de l'Immigration ? Qu?bec et sa nomination ? la 
CISR ?tait purement politique. Ils ont courageusement demand? de se faire 
entendre devant un autre juge de la Commission.

[Pour plus de d?tail: http://www.cmaq.net/en/node.php?id=19259 et 
http://gallery.cmaq.net/Refugee-camp-out-at-Montreal-IRB pour des photos de 
l'action.]


Un an plus tard presque jour pour jour, plusieurs demandeurs d'asile de la 
r?gion de Montr?al, provenant de diff?rents groupes et de diff?rentes 
communaut?s, partageront leurs t?moignages de racisme, de d?cisions biais?es, 
de traitements injustes par la CISR ainsi que de l'incomp?tence g?n?ralis?e du 
processus.

Depuis plusieurs ann?es, plusieurs groupes montr?alais se sont mobilis?s contre 
les d?portations et la d?tention. Le d?but de la lutte, pour des milliers de 
demandeurs du statut de r?fugi?, c'est la CISR, la o? un processus 
fondamentalement biais? entra?ne des refus dans plusieurs cas, et des 
d?portations en bout de ligne.


Des r?fugi?(e)s ont formul? plusieurs critiques ? l'?gard de la CISR :

- Les d?cisions de la CISR sont prises par une seule personne, en l'occurrence 
des individus qui si?gent ? la Commission suite ? des nominations politiques. 
Ces personnes ont souvent peu ou pas d'exp?rience dans le domaine des droits 
humains et ignorent les r?alit?s v?cues par les personnes immigrantes.

- Il n'y a aucune possibilit? d'en appeler, sur le fond, d'une d?cision de la 
CISR. La d?cision d'octroyer ou non le statut de r?fugi? n'est prise que par 
une seule personne. Une section d?appel a ?t? promise par l'ex-Ministre de 
l'Immigration Denis Coderre, en 2002, mais n'a jamais ?t? mise en place; la 
prise de sanctuaire dans les ?glises est donc devenue la section d'appel de 
facto au Canada. Il faut toutefois rappeler qu'il s'agit ici d'un choix 
difficile qui n'est envisageable que pour une minorit? des demandeurs d'asile.

- Le processus de la CISR, c'est comme la loto. Certains juges affichent des 
taux de refus notoirement ?lev?s alors que d'autres sont plus raisonnables. 
Dans le cas de deux fr?res originaires du m?me camp de r?fugi?s au 
Moyen-Orient, la demande de l'un d'entre eux a ?t? accept?e et celle de l'autre 
refus?e, simplement parce qu'ils ?taient tomb?s sur des juges diff?rents. Le 
processus d?cisionnel de la CISR ne correspond certainement pas ? une forme de 
traitement ?quitable.

- Trop de juges de la CISR ne prennent pas le temps de lire la documentation 
pr?sent?e par les demandeur, concernant les violations de droits humains et la 
pers?cution dans le pays d'origine, et choisissent plut?t de se fier ? la 
lettre ? d'anciennes d?cisions de la Commission. Les d?cisions de ces juges 
contiennent souvent des erreurs factuelles importantes, entre autres ?normit?s.

- Plusieurs juges de la CISR sont syst?matiquement d?favorables ? la cause de 
demandeurs originaires de certains pays ou de certaines r?gions du monde.

- Les demandeurs d'asile sont souvent victimes de mauvaise repr?sentation 
l?gale et n'ont pas les ressources financi?res qui leur permettraient d'avoir 
acc?s ? des avocat(e)s comp?tent(e)s. De plus, le service de traduction offert 
par la CISR est notoirement mauvais.


Le mercredi 14 d?cembre ? MIDI, des r?fugi?(e)s et leurs alli?(e)s d?nonceront 
le racisme et l'incomp?tence de la CISR. Cette d?nonciation s'inscrit dans une 
campagne plus large en faveur d'un programme de r?gularisation complet pour 
toutes les personnes sans statut au Canada.

Nous encourageons toutes les personnes travaillant pour la justice sociale ? se 
joindre ? nous, en solidarit? avec la lutte pour la dignit? et la justice men?e 
par la communaut? sans-statut montr?alaise.

POUR PLUS D'INFORMATION :
sansfrontieres at resist.ca
514-848-7583
http://www.solidaritesansfrontieres.org

From yalayala at riseup.net  Mon Dec 12 21:22:42 2005
From: yalayala at riseup.net (tamara)
Date: Mon, 12 Dec 2005 21:22:42 -0800
Subject: [Bloquez l'empire!] (vendredi!) VIGILE =?iso-8859-1?q?=C0?= LA
	=?iso-8859-1?q?M=C9MOIRE?= DE TROIS ACTIVISTES
	=?iso-8859-1?q?TU=C9S?= PAR LE =?iso-8859-1?q?=ABD=C9VELOPEMENT=BB?=
Message-ID: <20051212212242.irm1fx4z1tbkosco@mail.riseup.net>

3 MORTS + 5 ANS PLUS TARD+ AUCUNE JUSTICE > LE 16 D?CEMBRE N'EST PLUS UN
JOUR COMME LES AUTRES CHEZ ALCAN

*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*
VIGILE ? LA M?MOIRE DE TROIS ACTIVISTES TU?S PAR LE ?D?VELOPEMENT?
D'ALCAN EN INDE - 5e COMM?MORATION ANNUELLE
*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*




VIGILE ? LA CHANDELLE ET PROJECTIONS DE FILMS SUR LE KASHIPUR



+ th?, collations et t?moignages.
-> QUAND: 16 D?CEMBRE 2005, 16h00 - 18h00
-> O?: MAISON ALCAN, 1188, Sherbrooke O. @ Stanley, Montr?al
-> Organis? par la Campagne de solidarit? Alcan't in India

LE 16 D?CEMBRE N'EST PLUS JUSTE UN AUTRE JOUR AU BUREAU CHEZ ALCAN

Le 16 d?cembre 2000, une patrouille de police fut d?p?ch?e au village de
Maikanch, Kashipur, dans l'?tat indien d'Orissa. Ils avaient pour ordre de
chercher et arr?ter les ? meneurs ? d'une manifestation qui s'?tait tenue
la veille.

Le rassemblement avait ?t? organis? pour d?noncer le d?veloppement d'un
LUCRATIF projet minier par le consortium UTKAL - contr?l? en partie par
Alcan Inc. - sur les terres sacr?es des communaut?s Adivasi (indig?nes)et
Dalit (caste opprim?e) du Kashipur.

Ce jour l?, la police tua trois villageois : Damodar, Raghunath et Avhilas
Jhodia. L'opposition qu'affichait ces hommes au pillage et ? la
destruction de leurs terres ancestrales ?tait leur seul ? crime ?.

LE 16 D?CEMBRE 2005, LES ADIVASIS ET LES DALITS DU KASHIPUR CONFRONTERONT
LES FORCES POLICI?RES ET PARAMILITAIRES ET SE RASSEMBLERONT POUR
COMM?MORER LE MEURTRE DE DAMODAR, RAGHUNATH ET ABHILASH.DES MOUVEMENTS DE
SOLIDARIT? DE PARTOUT EN INDE ET AILLEURS DANS LE MONDE SE RALLIERONT ?
L'ACTION.

Cinq ans plus tard, Alcan nie toute responsabilit? dans cette trag?die.
En fait, la compagnie qu?b?coise continue de promouvoir Utkal et sa part
active dans le projet est pass?e ? 45%.

Sans fournir de preuves, la direction d'Alcan pr?tend toujours avoir le
consentement de la population locale pour commencer la construction. En
m?me temps, Alcan refuse d'admettre l'existence de nombreuses d?clarations
d'opposition au projet sign?es par les ?lus locaux, ainsi qu'une motion
pass?e en conseil de bande exigeant l'abandon complet du projet.

TREIZE ANN?E DE R?SISTANCE
Au cours des treize derni?res ann?es, la r?sistance populaire au projet ?
r?ussi ? emp?cher la compagnie de commencer la construction. N?anmoins, au
cours de la derni?re ann?e, la Compagnie et ses alli?s au sein du
gouvernement d'Orissa ont de nouveau recouru ? la violence pour r?primer
le mouvement populaire d'opposition au projet.

Depuis que le Ministre en Chef d'Orissa a ordonn? la ? suppression de
toute activit? anti-mine ? dans la r?gion, en novembre 2004, des
rassemblements populaires ont ?t? brutalement attaqu?s par la police. Des
? meneurs ? pr?sum?s ont ?t? violent?s et emprisonn?s en vertu
d'accusations truqu?es, alors que les villageois oppos?s ? la mine et les
ONG locales sont soumis ? un harc?lement politique syst?matique. Toute la
r?gion est essentiellement sous occupation polici?re.

MANIFESTEZ VOTRE SOLIDARIT? POUR LE MOUVEMENT POPULAIRE DU KASHIPUR

Pour rappeler ? ALCAN, alors que la r?pression continue en raison de ses
investissements, que le 16 d?cembre ne sera plus juste un autre jour au
bureau.

-ALCAN'T IN INDIA-
www.alcantinindia.org


From yalayala at riseup.net  Mon Dec 12 21:24:56 2005
From: yalayala at riseup.net (tamara)
Date: Mon, 12 Dec 2005 21:24:56 -0800
Subject: [Bloquez l'empire!] (friday!)Alcan out of Kashipur! Vigil for 3
	Activists Killed Protesting Alcan Mine
Message-ID: <20051212212456.b61wsmsuee8kww4c@mail.riseup.net>

DEAD + 5 YEARS + NO JUSTICE = NOT JUST ANOTHER DAY AT THE OFFICE FOR ALCAN!

***********************************************************************
VIGIL IN MEMORY OF THREE COMMUNITY ACTIVISTS KILLED AS A RESULT OF 
ALCAN'S "DEVELOPMENT"
IN INDIA: 5TH ANNUAL COMMEMORATION
***********************************************************************

CANDLE LIGHT VIGIL & FILM PROJECTIONS
+ music, speakers, tea, snacks

WHEN: DECEMBER 16TH, 2005, 4:00 TO 6:00 pm
WHERE: MAISON ALCAN, 1188, Sherbrooke W. @ Stanley (Peel Metro)

Called by the Alcan't in  India Solidarity Project

Alcan't in India will also hold an all-day picket outside the Maison 
Alcan (8 am to 6
pm). Come show your support!

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
REMIND ALCAN THAT DECEMBER 16TH WILL NEVER BE JUST ANOTHER DAY AT THE OFFICE.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

On December 16th 2000, several policemen were dispatched to the village 
of Maikanch, in
India's Kashipur region. Their orders: to search for and arrest 
targeted "leaders" of a
peoples' rally that had taken place the day before.

The gathering had been organised to denounce the development of a 
lucrative mining
project by the Utkal Consortium - owned in part by ALCAN of Canada - on 
the sacred land
of the Adivasi (indigenous) and Dalit (lower-caste) People of Kashipur.

On that day, the police shot and killed three villagers: Damodar, 
Raghunath and Avhilas
Jhodia. These men's opposition to the plundering and destruction of 
their ancestral land
by a foreign corporation was their only "crime".

ON DECEMBER 16TH, 2005, THE ADIVASIS AND DALITS OF KASHIPUR WILL 
CONFRONT POLICE AND
PARAMILITARIES TO GATHER IN COMMEMORATION OF THE SHOOTING OF DAMODAR, 
RAGHUNATH AND
ABHILASH. SOLIDARITY MOVEMENTS FROM ALL OVER INDIA AND THE WORLD WILL 
GATHER TO DO THE
SAME.

Five years later, ALCAN still denies any responsibility in this 
tragedy. Yet the company
continues to push the Utkal project forward and its active share has 
grown to 45%.

Despite having no documented evidence, Alcan executives continue to 
allege that the
project has the support of local villages. At the same time, Alcan 
refuses to acknowledge
signed statements of opposition by elected village leaders and a motion 
passed in the
village council calling for the projects' cancellation.

THIRTEEN YEARS OF RESISTANCE & MOUNTING REPRESSION

Over the last thirteen years, the people's grass roots resistance has 
actually prevented
the company from beginning construction. But in the last year, the 
company and its allies
within the Orissa government have once again resorted to police 
violence to repress the
people's movement.

After Chief-Minister of Orissa called for the suppression of all 
anti-mining activity in
Kashipur in late 2004, police executed a violent charge with batons 
against villagers who
had gathered to propose the mine. Since then, targeted "leaders" have 
been bullied and
jailed under dubious charges while anti-mine villagers and local 
pro-People NGOs have
been submitted to continued political harassment. The entire region is 
essentially under
police occupation.

STAND IN SOLIDARITY WITH THE PEOPLE'S MOVEMENT IN KASHIPUR.

Remind Alcan, as repression continues due to its investment, December 
16th is not just
another day at the office.

For more information on Alcan's Kashipur project and the people's 
resistance movement or
to get involved:

-ALCAN'T IN INDIA-

www.alcantinindia.org



From noii-montreal at resist.ca  Thu Dec 15 21:10:13 2005
From: noii-montreal at resist.ca (No One is Illegal Montreal)
Date: Thu, 15 Dec 2005 21:10:13 -0800 (PST)
Subject: [Bloquez l'empire!] STATUS FOR ALL! Photos of recent Solidarity
 Across Borders pickets in Montreal
Message-ID: <Pine.LNX.4.62.0512152110030.16331@resist.ca>


---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Thu, 15 Dec 2005 20:53:28 -0800 (PST)
From: sans frontieres! <sansfrontieres at resist.ca>

Solidarity Across Borders has recently organized two small actions in support 
of immigrants and refugees, demanding STATUS FOR ALL!

Photos of both actions are available at: http://gallery.cmaq.net/SABnov29

This past December 14, in collaboration with the Human Rights Action Committee 
-- a self-organized group of mainly Punjabi refugee claimants -- Solidarity 
Across Borders picketed outside the offices of the Immigration and Refugee 
Board, to denounce the racism and incompetence of the IRB process.

And, on November 29, the first day of the federal election, SAB members 
gathered outside the downtown Montreal offices of Prime Minister Paul Martin, 
to push again for a full and inclusive regularization program for all 
non-status persons.

The organizing highlight for the year was the No One Is Illegal March on Ottawa 
from Montreal (June 18-25), in support of the main Solidarity Across Borders 
demands: status for all, an end to deportations and detentions, and the 
abolition of security certificates. A short film about the march to Ottawa -- 
Take Back the Days: Step By Step To Ottawa -- is available at: 
http://citizen.nfb.ca/onf/info?aid=4481&eid=11124

More info about Solidarity Across Borders is available at: 
http://www.solidarityacrossborders.org

To get involved, or for more information, contact: 514-859-9023 or 
sansfrontieres at resist.ca

PS: Good News! Ahmed Huwarneh, an active member of the Coalition Against the 
Deportation of Palestinian Refugees and Solidarity Across Borders, who marched 
with us to Ottawa in June, was accepted! This morning (Thursday, December 15), 
his Pre-Removal Risk Assessment (PRRA) was granted. Huwarneh can now stay 
without fear of deportation.

For those who don't remember Huwarneh, you can see his photo at: 
http://gallery.cmaq.net/nooiimarch_06/DSCN0109


From noii-montreal at resist.ca  Thu Dec 15 21:11:00 2005
From: noii-montreal at resist.ca (No One is Illegal Montreal)
Date: Thu, 15 Dec 2005 21:11:00 -0800 (PST)
Subject: [Bloquez l'empire!] UN STATUT POUR TOUS ET TOUTES!: Des photos
 d'une action de piquetage a Montreal de Solidarite sans frontieres
Message-ID: <Pine.LNX.4.62.0512152110490.16331@resist.ca>


---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Thu, 15 Dec 2005 20:51:50 -0800 (PST)
From: sans frontieres! <sansfrontieres at resist.ca>

Solidarit? sans fronti?res a r?cemment organis? deux actions en appui aux 
immigrant-es et aux r?fugi?-es qui exigent un STATUT POUR TOUS ET TOUTES!

Des photos des deux actions sont disponibles ? l'adresse suivante : 
http://gallery.cmaq.net/SABnov29

Le 14 d?cembre, en collaboration avec le Human Rights Action Committee (le 
Comit? d'action pour les droits humains, un groupe autog?r? dont la plupart des 
membres sont des demandeurs du statut de r?fugi? originaires du Punjab), 
Solidarit? sans fronti?res (SSF) a fait du piquetage devant les bureaux de la 
Commission de l'immigration et du statut de r?fugi? (CISR) afin de d?noncer le 
racisme et l'incomp?tence inh?rents ? la CISR.

De plus, ? l'occasion du premier jour de la campagne ?lectorale f?d?rale, le 29 
novembre, des membres de SSF se sont rassembl?s devant les bureaux du premier 
ministre Paul Martin dans le but, encore une fois, d'exiger la mise sur pied 
d'un programme de r?gularisation complet et inclusif pour toutes les personnes 
sans statut.

Un des points forts de l'ann?e a ?t? la marche Personne n'est ill?gal de 
Montr?al ? Ottawa (du 18 au 25 juin 2005), un ?v?nement en appui aux 
principales revendications de Solidarit? sans fronti?res : un statut pour tous 
et toutes, l'arr?t des d?portations et d?tentions, et l'abolition des 
certificats de s?curit?. Un court m?trage sur la marche ? Ottawa -- Reprendre 
les jours : Pas ? pas vers Ottawa -- peut ?tre vu ? l'adresse suivante : 
http://citoyen.onf.ca/onf/info?aid=5267&eid=12941&atid=1

Des renseignements suppl?mentaires sur Solidarit? sans fronti?res sont 
disponibles sur notre site : http://www.solidaritesansfrontieres.org

Pour s'impliquer dans la coalition ou pour d'autre information : (514)859-9023 
ou sansfrontieres at resist.ca

PS: Bonne nouvelle! Ahmed Huwarneh, un membre actif de la Coalition contre la 
d?portation des r?fugi?s palestiniens, qui a march? a nos c?t?s jusqu'? Ottawa 
en juin, a ?t? accept? au Canada! Ce matin (jeudi le 15 decembre), son Examen 
des risques avant renvoi (ERAR) a ?t? accept?. Huwarneh peut maintenant 
demeurer au pays sans craindre la d?portation!

Pour ceux et celles qui ne se rappellent pas de lui, vous pouvez voir sa photo 
ici: http://gallery.cmaq.net/nooiimarch_06/DSCN0109

From aaron at resist.ca  Fri Dec 16 11:35:22 2005
From: aaron at resist.ca (aaron at resist.ca)
Date: Fri, 16 Dec 2005 11:35:22 -0800 (PST)
Subject: [Bloquez l'empire!] [ssf/sab] Dimanche/Sunday: Repas Communautaire!
 Pre-Holiday Community Dinner! (242 Young Street Coop) 
Message-ID: <Pine.LNX.4.62.0512161134550.16381@resist.ca>


[English below ...]

::::::::::
Solidarit? Sans Fronti?res :
Repas Communautaire
Dimanche le 18 d?cembre, 18h00 ? 22h00
242 rue Young -- Coop Griffintown
(trajet ci-dessous)
::::::::::


Ami-es,

2005 tire ? sa fin mais Solidarit? Sans Fronti?res est loin de ces derniers 
miles!

Joignez-vous ? nous ce dimanche soir pour un souper ? potluck ? ? la Coop 
Griffintown (242 rue Young, metro Bonaventure. Nous c?l?brerons la fin d'une 
ann?e excitante avec des pr?sentations de femmes impliqu?es localement dans la 
lutte pour droits des (im)migrants et refugi?-es. L'?v?nement est gratuit, les 
enfants (petits et grands) seront bien encadr?s.

? apporter: un plat ? partager et un ventre ? remplir; et vos CDs et musique! 
Si vous avez besoin de covoiturage pour vous rendre (et repartir), 
contactez-nous !

(514) 859-9023
sanfrontieres at resist.ca
www.solidaritesansfrontieres.org

Pour aller ? 242 Young Street (Griffintown Coop) par metro:

-- Sans poussette: Sortir M?tro Bonaventure (ligne orange); suivre les 
indications vers la rue PEEL. Descendre PEEL jusqu'? rue Ottawa, tourner ? 
droite et marcher jusqu'au coin Young. Le 242 est situ? sur le coin sud-ouest 
de l'intersection.

-- Avec poussette: Sortir M?tro Lucien-L'Allier (ligne orange): Prendre la 
sortie sur Lucien-L'Allier, tourner ? gauche. Tourner ? gauche ? la prochaine 
rue (St-Antoine) puis tourner ? droite sur de la Montagne. Marcher encore un 
peu jusqu'? la rue Ottawa et tourner ? gauche, puis quelques rues plus loin 
tourner ? droite sur Young. LA COOP est situ?e au 242 rue Young.

-> Le t?l?phone si vous vous ?garez: 931-6344.

--

:::::
Solidarity Across Borders
(Pre) Holiday Community Dinner
Sunday, December 18, 6-10pm
Griffintown Coop, 242 Young Street
:::::

Friends, 2005 is almost over, but Solidarity Across Borders is still 
organizing!  Join us this Sunday night for a potluck dinner at the Griffintown 
Coop to help round out an exciting year with an evening of feasting and 
celebration, with speeches and stories from some of the women involved in 
(im)migrant struggles in out community!  This is a free event, and childcare 
will be provided.  Please bring a dish to share and a stomach to fill.  Bring 
your CDs and tapes as well.

If you need help getting there, we will be organizing rides to and from the 
coop on Sunday, so please get in touch to let us know.

(514) 859-9023
sansfrontieres at resist.ca
www.solidarityacrossborders.org

To get to the Griffintown Coop by metro:

-- Without stroller: Exit at Bonaventure metro (orange line), follow directions 
to PEEL street. Walk PEEL down to OTTAWA Street. Turn right on Ottawa and walk 
to the corner of Young. Number 242 is on the south-west corner.

-- With stroller: Lucien L'Allier metro : Exit onto Lucien L'allier, turn left. 
Take next left on St-Antoine, then right on De La Montagne. Walk a few blocks 
then turn left onto Ottawa St. Walk another couple of blocks, turn right on 
Young St. 242 Young st. About a ten minute walk. Stroller friendly metro 
station (escalators right up to the exit).

Telephone number at 242 Young, in case you need it: 931-6344.
-------------- next part --------------
_______________________________________________
sansfrontieres mailing list
sansfrontieres at lists.resist.ca
https://lists.resist.ca/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/sansfrontieres

From noii-montreal at resist.ca  Sat Dec 17 21:12:24 2005
From: noii-montreal at resist.ca (No One is Illegal Montreal)
Date: Sat, 17 Dec 2005 21:12:24 -0800 (PST)
Subject: [Bloquez l'empire!] Mary Foster: Felicitations! Congratulations!
Message-ID: <Pine.LNX.4.62.0512172111590.3078@resist.ca>


---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Sat, 17 Dec 2005 20:30:20 -0800 (PST)
From: sans frontieres! <sansfrontieres at resist.ca>

[De le part de tous les membres de SSF, felicitations Mary! On behalf of all 
members of Solidarity Across Borders: Congratulations Mary!]

[English below]


---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: justiceforadil at riseup.net <justiceforadil at riseup.net>

F?licitation ? Mary Foster qui est Membre de la coalition Justice pour Adil 
Charkaoui , qui a re?u un prix pour LES DROITS DE LA PERSONNE ET LA D?FENSE DES 
DROITS du Conseil Musulman de Montr?al (MCM) samedi 10 d?cembre 05 en pr?sence 
des membres de la communaut? musulmane dont Dr Mounir Kassem , Dr Monia Mazigh, 
Adil Charkaoui, Le pr?sident du Conseil Musulman Sheikh El Menyawi, Me 
Dominique Larochelle et autres personnalit?s.

Mary avait amen? une lutte impressionante pour la cause de Adil Charkaoui. Elle 
a travaill? fort depuis la fondation de la Coalition Justice pour Adil 
Charkaoui .Elle a lutt? pour l'abolition des certificats de s?curit?, 
l'injustice des droits de la personne et pour la d?fense des 4 autres victimes 
qui sont arr?t?es aussi en vertu d'un certificat de s?curit?. Le prix reconnait 
les contributions et la lutte qu'elle a men? sans cesse depuis le d?but de la 
cause en d?fendant, les droits des immigrants et les r?fugi?s.

Les Membres de la Coalition Justice pour Adil Charkaoui f?licitent Mary Foster 
pour son fabuleux travail , son d?vouement , sa passion et pour sa grande 
solidarit?.On lui souhaite du grand succ?s dans sa vie . On est tous et toutes 
fiers de toi Mary !!!!!

***

Congratulations to Mary Foster, a member of the Justice Coaltion for Adil 
Charkaoui, who received a prize for human rights from the MCM (Muslim Council 
of Montreal) in the presence of members of the Muslim community, including Dr 
Mounir Kassem, Dr Monia Mazigh, Adil Charkaoui and others.

Mary has worked hard since the foundation of the Justice Coalition for Adil 
Charkaoui. She has struggled for the abolition of security certifictes, and for 
rights of the four other victims of security certificates. The human rights 
prize recognizes the contribution to the struggle against security certificates 
that Mary has made since the very beginning, and for her work for the rights of 
immigrants and refugees.

The members of the Justice Coalition for Adil CHarkaoui congratulate Mary 
Foster for her incredible work, her dedication, her passion, and her great 
solidarity. We are all proud of you Mary.

Congratulations to Mary Foster !!!!


--
Justice Coalition For Adil Charkaoui // la Coalition pour la Justice pour
Adil Charkaoui

E-mail: justiceforadil at riseup.net
Website: www.adilinfo.org

From mfoster at web.ca  Sun Dec 18 07:05:40 2005
From: mfoster at web.ca (Mary Foster)
Date: Sun, 18 Dec 2005 10:05:40 -0500
Subject: [Bloquez l'empire!] Business Booms for Contract Interrogators
Message-ID: <014601c603e4$8ba0dd00$c88b8bcf@CPQ18145226471>

> Business Booms for Contract Interrogators
>
> Pratap Chatterjee*
>
> http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=31058
>
> WASHINGTON, Nov 17 (IPS) - This summer, dozens of people converged in the
> high desert town of El Paso, Texas, en route to spending six months in
> Iraqi prisons.
>
> They were going not as prisoners, but as their interrogators, walking a
> legalistic tightrope stretched across the Geneva Conventions. Just for
> signing up, they got a 2,000-dollar check from a company that is rapidly
> becoming one of the key employers in the world of intelligence: Lockheed
> Martin.
>
> After a week of orientation and medical processing, they flew to Tampa,
> Florida, and on to their final destinations -- Iraq's infamous prisons
> including Abu Ghraib, Camp Cropper, a prison at Baghdad International
> Airport, and Camp Whitehorse, near Nasariyah.
>
> Known in the intelligence community as "97 Echoes", these contractors will
> work side-by-side with military interrogators using 17 officially
> sanctioned techniques, ranging from "love of comrades" to "fear up harsh"
> -- violently throwing detainees to the ground. Their subjects will be the
> tens of thousands of men and women put into United States-run military
> jails on suspicion of links to terrorism.
>
> Jobs for this new breed of interrogators typically begin with a phone call
> or email to retired Lt. Col. Marc Michaelis, in the quaint old flour
> milling town of Ellicott City, Maryland, about an hour's drive from
> Washington.
>
> Michaelis, who is the main point of contact for new interrogators, came to
> Lockheed in February after it acquired his former employer Sytex in a
> 462-million-dollar takeover.
>
> Sytex, and thus Lockheed, now appears to have emerged as one of the
> biggest recruiters of private interrogators. In June alone, Sytex
> advertised for 11 new interrogators for Iraq, and in July the company
> sought 23 interrogators for Afghanistan.
>
> Ads on several websites frequented by current and former military
> personnel offered a 70,000-dollar to 90,000-dollar salary, a 2,000-dollar
> sign-up bonus, 1,000 dollars for a mid-tour break, and a 2,000-dollar
> bonus for completing the normal six-month deployment.
>
> Those returning for a second tour get double bonuses at the beginning and
> end of their stints. In return, the employees are expected to work as
> necessary-- up to 14 hours a day, seven days a week.
>
> The issue of private contractors conducting interrogations first came to
> light in mid-2004, when a military investigation revealed that several
> interrogators at the Abu Ghraib prison were civilian employees of a
> Virginia-based company called CACI.
>
> It emerged that no one knew what laws applied to private contractors who
> engaged in torture in Iraq, or whether they were in fact accountable to
> any legal authority or disciplinary procedures.
>
> When the media began to question the role of the private contractors and
> the legality of their presence under unrelated information technology
> contracts from non-military agencies, the Pentagon swiftly issued
> sole-source ("no bid") military contracts to CACI and Lockheed.
>
> Human rights groups are openly critical of this new trend. "The Army's use
> of contract interrogators has to date been a failed experiment," said
> Deborah Pearlstein, director of the U.S. Law and Security Programme at
> Human Rights First.
>
> "Based on the Pentagon's own investigations and other reports that are
> already public, it seems clear that contractors are less well trained,
> less well controlled, and harder to hold accountable for things that go
> wrong than are regular troops," she said.
>
> Pearlstein warned that "unless and until contract interrogators can be
> brought at the very least up to the standards of training and discipline
> expected of our uniformed soldiers, the United States may well be better
> off without their services".
>
> Former interrogators have a more nuanced opinion. "The problem is not the

> use of civilian contractors," one former Army interrogator with over 10
> years of field experience said in an email. "What is necessary is an
> active means of supervision and oversight on ALL of our assets in the
> field...not just the civilian ones."
>
> "If you take a look at many of the investigations of the military
> intelligence activities, you will find just as many uniformed individuals
> breaking the law as contractors," he said.
>
> But Susan Burke, a lawyer for Iraqi prisoners who say they were tortured
> at Abu Ghraib, challenges the legality of using private contractors for
> interrogation.
>
> "Interrogation has always been considered an inherently governmental
> function for obvious reasons. It is irresponsible and dangerous to use
> contractors in such settings given that there is a long history of
> repeated human rights abuses by contractors," she said.
>
> The Philadelphia attorney charges that the use of private contractors is
> illegal. "The United States Congress has passed laws (the Federal
> Acquisition Regulations) that prevent the executive branch from delegating
> 'inherently governmental functions' to private parties," Burke explained.
>
> Asked about the details of the interrogation contracts, Lockheed declined
> to comment. Joseph Wagovich, a spokesman for the company's information
> technology division that includes Sytex, initially said that the company
> had only a minor role in the interrogation business and that it had
> wrapped up its interrogation contract on Guantanamo.
>
> But he confirmed that Lockheed was still supplying other kinds of
> "intelligence analysts" on the Cuban base.
>
> Sytex also likes to keep a low profile. "Most of the law enforcement
> organisations, as well as the other surreptitious organisations we may be
> supporting, would just as soon not see their names in print," Ralph
> Palmieri Junior, the company's chief operating officer, told the
> Congressional Quarterly in 2004.
>
> The company's reach and influence go far beyond the military. A New York
> Times profile of the company in 2004 opened with the sentence: "Lockheed
> Martin doesn't run the United States. But it does help run a
> breathtakingly big part of it."
>
> "Over the last decade, Lockheed, the nation's largest military contractor,
> has built a formidable information-technology empire that now stretches
> from the Pentagon to the Post Office," writes Tim Weiner. "It sorts your
> mail and totals your taxes. It cuts Social Security checks and counts the
> United States census. It runs space flights and monitors air traffic. To
> make all that happen, Lockheed writes more computer code than Microsoft."
>
> The national security reporter for the New York Times explains how
> Lockheed gets its business: "Men who have worked, lobbied and lawyered for
> Lockheed hold the posts of secretary of the Navy, secretary of
> transportation, director of the national nuclear weapons complex, and
> director of the national spy satellite agency."
>
> Bill Hartung, senior fellow at the World Policy Institute in New York,
> believes that, "Giving one company this much power in matters of war and
> peace is as dangerous as it is undemocratic."
>
> He says Lockheed Martin is now positioned to profit from every level of
> the war on terror from targeting to intervention, and from occupation to
> interrogation.
>
> *Pratap Chatterjee is the managing editor of CorpWatch.




From aaron at resist.ca  Sat Dec 24 09:04:24 2005
From: aaron at resist.ca (aaron at resist.ca)
Date: Sat, 24 Dec 2005 09:04:24 -0800 (PST)
Subject: [Bloquez l'empire!] Globe and Mail - Wall casts shadow over
	Bethlehem 
Message-ID: <63750.70.30.210.96.1135443864.squirrel@mail.resist.ca>

Wall casts shadow over Bethlehem

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20051223.wxbethlehem24/BNStory/International/

By MARK MACKINNON

Saturday, December 24, 2005 Posted at 12:23 AM EST

>From Saturday's Globe and Mail

 Bethlehem ? These should be the most festive of times in what is, for
many, among the holiest of places. Instead, the mood in Bethlehem in the
lead-up to Christmas has had a pall cast over it by the latest growth in
what residents here loathingly refer to as "the wall."

"Look around. It's just a few days before Christmas and there's not 10
people in Bethlehem," sighed Naser Alawy, a souvenir vendor, waving his
hand around a deserted Manger Square.

After four consecutive holiday seasons blighted by the bloody intifada,
residents here had been hoping for an influx of tourists this Christmas
season to boost the city out of its prolonged economic slump.

Tourism across the quasi-border in Israel has increased dramatically this
year as the violence ebbs, and Bethlehem was beginning to see the benefits
of that in recent months.


More and more pilgrims were making the 15-minute drive south from
Jerusalem to the city where, according to the Bible, Jesus Christ was
born.

But on Nov. 15, Israel sealed one of the last remaining gaps in the
eight-metre-high concrete wall it is building along Bethlehem's northern
border.

Pilgrims trying to reach the holy city were directed to cross through a
new system of passport checks, iron turnstiles and metal detectors.

Individual travellers are now often forbidden from taking their vehicles
inside Bethlehem, and are forced instead to cross on foot through a
massive bunker that resembles a bomb shelter in shape, before hailing a
taxi on the other side.

Tour groups on buses only have to show their passports to enter, but upon
returning to Israel must cross on foot through the bunker and pass the
airport-style security. There's no apparent wheelchair accessibility.

"If Mary and Joseph were here today, they would go through the checkpoint
just like everybody else," Sister Erica, a nun, complained to a reporter
last week after making the crossing.

Based on anecdotal evidence, tourism in Bethlehem, already at a low ebb,
has taken a fresh hit since the new checkpoint began operating. Many shop
owners in the city said last week that business was so bad that they
wouldn't bother opening until right before Christmas Day. Hotel owners
complained that tourists who had made reservations to stay overnight in
the city were returning to Jerusalem ahead of schedule, worried they would
have trouble crossing back into Israel if they stay too long.

"It's a tragedy. People shouldn't be building walls here, they should be
building bridges," said Xavier de Dumast, a 45-year-old French pilgrim who
recently visited the Church of the Nativity. "I was here five years ago,
and it was alive, people were everywhere. Now it's completely dead. It's a
prison."

The checkpoint is actually situated well inside the Bethlehem governorate,
slicing about 750 acres of agricultural land away from the city.
Everything on the other side, including thick olive groves that numerous
Bethlehemites depended on for their livelihoods, is now considered by
Israel to be part of an expanded Jerusalem.

A section of the security barrier juts deep into Bethlehem so that
Rachel's Tomb, a site holy to Judaism as the resting place of Jacob's
wife, is on the Israeli side of the wall, making it easily accessible to
tourists and effectively annexing it to Israel. Under the 1994 Oslo
Accords, Rachel's Tomb and the entire Bethlehem governorate were supposed
to be under full Palestinian control.

The Bethlehem security terminal is the first to open of 16 such crossings
that Israel plans to build in the highly controversial, 680-kilometre-long
West Bank barrier. The others are supposed to be ready by early 2006.

Israel says the new security measures are necessary because, although
Bethlehem has a reputation as one of the quieter parts of the West Bank,
suicide bombers from other parts had taken advantage of the old,
relatively loose crossing at Bethlehem to reach Israeli cities.

Highlighting that the city is not as calm as it often seems, masked gunmen
last week took over Bethlehem city hall, which sits right on Manger
Square, in a dispute over unpaid salaries.

"The reason why we have the security fence and the crossing there is
strictly for security alone. A much lower level of attacks has come from
Bethlehem since the fence was built there," said Israeli police spokesman
Mickey Rosenthal.

However, under pressure from Christian groups and tour operators ? and
aware that they risked a public-relations disaster ? the Israeli military
announced on Dec. 19 that it was temporarily easing the crossing by
requiring only randomly selected tourists to go through the new terminal.

The lighter regime would apply only until the end of the Christmas season,
an army spokesman said, when the stricter rules would be re-applied.

The Vatican was among those who complained. In his traditional
pre-Christmas press conference, Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem Michel
Sabbah, the head of the Roman Catholic Church in the Holy Land, said the
wall around Bethlehem had turned the city into a "big prison."

A Palestinian Authority official keeping tabs on the number of foreign
tourists in town said less than 100 people passed through the church's
three-foot-high front entrance on the day Mr. de Dumast was there, well
below the normal daily range of 200 to 800 tourists.

Jack Elias, owner of the Star Hotel in Bethlehem, blames the new security
measures for the loss of a group of 70 Czech tourists that left his hotel
just four days into a seven-day reservation. He said his guests told him
they felt uncomfortable feeling so sealed off from Jerusalem and the
airport in Tel Aviv.

"In the future, tourists will only visit for the day. They will not stay
overnight in Bethlehem," Mr. Elias predicted.

On the main shopping street connecting Manger Square to the Milk Grotto
chapel, only two of 25 souvenir stores on one stretch were open on the
same afternoon. Nearly every family in Bethlehem is in some way reliant on
the tourist trade for income, so the economic blow has been a heavy one
for the city's 30,000 residents.

Despite the gloom, Manger Square was nonetheless decked out with glowing
stars and images of Santa Claus. The mayor said he is planning a
celebration in spite of it all.

"This is for the citizens of Bethlehem, so that they enjoy Christmas like
anywhere else, and to tell the tourists to come to Bethlehem and enjoy the
holy city," said Mayor Victor Batarseh.

But for all his attempts at good cheer, he confessed the situation was
becoming increasingly desperate. "We need tourists, we need pilgrims to
come to Bethlehem," he said plaintively. "We need them to break this wall,
not with violence, but with their mass crossings."




From mfoster at web.ca  Wed Dec 28 07:50:57 2005
From: mfoster at web.ca (mfoster at web.ca)
Date: Wed, 28 Dec 2005 10:50:57 -0500 (EST)
Subject: [Bloquez l'empire!] Online Petition - Keep Gary Freeman In Canada
Message-ID: <1166.64.230.38.21.1135785057.squirrel@flymail.web.ca>

From:    "Terrie Coelho"
Date:    Tue, December 27, 2005 11:40 am

Please forward to everyone!

Our online petition to The Honourable Irwin Cotler, the Minister of
Justice  and Attorney General of Canada, is now up and running on our
website, www.freemandrum.org

A link to the petition ?Sign the online petition!? can be found on the 
homepage, below the menu on the right.

Please take the time to read and sign our petition to keep Gary Freeman
from  being extradited to the United States.  Once you have signed it, you
can  expect a verification email, within a day or so, which you must
simply reply  to and send to complete the process.

For a print version, go to the home page and click on ?Support?.  This
print  version [Acrobat pdf] is suitable for individuals or organizations
that  would like to collect signatures.  Please return all signed copies
of the  petition to:

Natercia Coelho
Family & Friends of Gary Freeman
H - 110 Frederick Street
Toronto, ON
Canada
M5A 4A9

Thank you so much to everyone.  Have a peaceful New Year!

Natercia Coelho






From aaron at resist.ca  Thu Dec 29 22:03:43 2005
From: aaron at resist.ca (aaron at resist.ca)
Date: Thu, 29 Dec 2005 22:03:43 -0800 (PST)
Subject: [Bloquez l'empire!] CKUT Radio: Haiti - Mastering the Art of Trap
	Avoidance
Message-ID: <63489.132.216.18.137.1135922623.squirrel@mail.resist.ca>

CKUT Radio: Haiti - Mastering the Art of Trap Avoidance
Escaping a 'people-less' democracy

Listen to an interview with John Macdonald and Patrick Elie in Port au
Prince, Haiti.  John is a Haiti solidarity activist and independent
journalist from Montreal, and Patrick is a long-time grassroots organizer
in Haiti.  Here they talk about the upcoming presidential elections, the
recent death of an RCMP officer in Cite Soley, and Haitian resistance to
Canadian imperialism.

:=:=:=:=:=:=:=:=:=:=:=:=:=:=:=:=:=:=:=:=:=:=:=:=
To download or listen to the interview, visit:
http://www.radio4all.net/proginfo.php?id=15790
:=:=:=:=:=:=:=:=:=:=:=:=:=:=:=:=:=:=:=:=:=:=:=:=


Nearly two years after the coup d'etat against President Jean-Bertrand
Aristide, and a few weeks before the scheduled elections, the country of
Haiti still finds itself in a state of turmoil.

While the Canadian mainstream media paid heavy attention to the death of
Marc Bourque, an RCMP officer stationed in Haiti, in late December, little
context was given to the role that Canada is currently playing in the
country.  As the UN, the USA, and Canada push forth to impose their
elections on the Hatian people, Haitians are pushing back, demanding real
justice and democracy.

We were joined on the phone with John Macdonald and Patrick Elie in Port
au Prince.  John is an activist from Montreal, currently in Haiti.  He
shares with us the current political climate in the country, as well as
the reaction of Haitians to the death of Marc Bourque.  Patrick is a
long-time political organizer in his home country.  He explains the
problematic aspects of these presidential elections (which many Haitians
have dubbed 'selections'), Haitian resistance tactics (such as the recent
mass voter registrations to thwart the wishes of the political elite), and
Canadian imperial ambitions in Haiti.

For more info:
www.outofhaiti.ca
www.haitiaction.net
www.ckut.ca

Produced for the CKUT (90.3FM) community news collective in Montreal by
Aaron Lakoff (aaron at resist dot ca).