From mfoster at web.ca  Thu Sep  1 13:17:03 2005
From: mfoster at web.ca (Mary Foster)
Date: Thu, 1 Sep 2005 16:17:03 -0400
Subject: [Bloquez l'empire!] Update Hunger Strike (Toronto)
Message-ID: <042801c5af32$20f83450$7f2d54c7@CPQ18145226471>

from: tasc at web.ca

Please circulate widely.

HUNGER STRIKE UPDATE
 September 1, 2005

Secret trial Detainee Hassan Almrei is now on day 71 of his hunger-strike.
After almost four years in solitary confinement without charge, held on
secret evidence, all Almrei is currently asking for is the same conditions
as federal prisoners: one hour outside his cell per day; the right to wear
normal clothes instead of an orange jumpsuit; radio and tv. Things that
would make it slightly easier for him as he awaits the conclusion of
lengthy legal processes which will determine the legality of indefinite
detention, deportation to torture, and denial of bail. Hassan is in
constant pain. He cannot lie down because his ribs are so sore. He does not
have the strength to stand or walk. He is afraid to sleep now for fear he
will not wake up. His body, like his life, is rapidly running out of
options. He is heartened by the outpouring of support from Canadians across
this country.

Secret trial detainee Mohammad Mahjoub is on day 57 of a hunger strike,
also demanding minimally decent conditions of detention, including contact
visits with his two young children, as he awaits numerous court decisions
similar to Hassan's. He is weak and has lost a great deal of weight, but
wants Canadians to know how much he appreciates their support.

Both men are held under the secret trial security certificate at Metro West
Detention Centre in Toronto.

Although hundreds of calls have been made, hundreds of letters and faxes
written, demonstrations have taken place in Montreal, Ottawa, Vancouver and
in Toronto (scheduled for 4 pm Saturday at Metro West), nothing has been
done by the authorities who could so easily make the decision to provide
the prisoners with their simple and fully justified demands.

 Before the long weekend gets underway, please CALL AND WRITE to the
appropriate ministers, and demand that they takes steps toward the kind of
solution that will enable these men to end their hunger strikes. Each
claims that the other is responsible, so best to contact BOTH.

 In Ontario, it is Monte Kwinter,
 Minister of Community Safety and Correctional Services
 18th floor, 25 Grosvenor Street
Toronto, ON, M7A 1Y6
 Phone: (416) 325-0408
Fax: (416) 325-6067
mkwinter.mpp at liberal.ola.org

In Ottawa, Anne McLellan,  Minister of Public Safety and Emergency
Preparedness Sir Wilfred Laurier Blvd. 13th Floor 340 Laurier Ave. Ottawa,
 ON K1A 0P8 Phone: (613) 992-4524 Fax: (613) 943-0044 or
McLellan.A at parl.gc.ca

 Thanks!

 The Campaign to Stop Secret Trials, PO Box 73620, 509 St. Clair Ave. West,
Toronto, ON M6C 1C0, (416) 651-5800, tasc at web.ca






From mfoster at web.ca  Sat Sep  3 19:49:50 2005
From: mfoster at web.ca (Mary Foster)
Date: Sat, 3 Sep 2005 22:49:50 -0400
Subject: [Bloquez l'empire!] update Toronto hunger-strikers and appeal
Message-ID: <022101c5b0fb$59343240$19bc13cc@CPQ18145226471>

Statement from Hassan Almrei, on ending his hunger-strike, and appeal below.

----- Original Message -----
From: "TASC" <tasc at web.ca>


> Hassan Almrei ends 73-day hunger strike on a hopeful note
>
> Hundreds Rally outside Metro West as RCMP Refuses Charter of Rights and
> Freedoms
>
>
> September 3, 2005, Toronto -- A remarkable week came to a remarkable
> conclusion today as Hassan Almrei, a Syrian refugee on day 73 of his
hunger
> strike from his solitary confinement cell in Metro West Detention Centre,
> decided to suspend his hunger strike because of the hope he has been given
> by many people across Canada.
>
> Shortly after 4 pm, as over 300 people gathered around the entrance
> to the Metro West, Almrei was able to call out from his cell and announce
> through a friend that he had broken the hunger strike. He was overcome
with
> emotion as he heard the gathered throng cheering in support.
>
> Acknowledging the numerous demonstrations which took place across
> Canada this week, and the work of thousands of people calling and writing
> the politicians responsible for his conditions, Hassan, in a dictated
> statement, said, "The hunger strike is my only voice in here. It is the
> only way I have to wake people up to what is going on in here. You, the
> Canadian people,  have helped me make my voice very loud and clear. I want
> to thank you a million times for this. My words can't express how much I
> feel and appreciate your support, and your concern about my health. I wish
> there were something I could give all of you.
>
> "Mahatma Gandhi went on hunger strikes in India. Sometimes he would
> stop them when he saw positive things happening, when he saw a reason to
> believe in hope. Because of the new hope you have given me, today I will
> end my hunger strike, but NOT my struggle for my rights." (full statement
> below) Almrei urged those attending and those who would read about the
> rally later to continue contacting the Ontario ministry, since his court
> date is still well over a month away.
>
> The statement was read at a spirited rally outside the prison where
> Almrei, along with Mohammad Mahjoub (still on hunger strike, day 59) and
> Mahmoud Jaballah have all been held on secret trial security certificates
> for well over four years, without charge, bail, or an opportunity to see
> the case against them.
>
> Yesterday in Montreal, a delegation of physicians and nurses
> delivered a letter to Prime Minister Paul Martin expressing their concern
> about the health of Almrei and Mahjoub. "It is shocking that people have
to
> resort to a hunger strike to demand conditions that we feel to be so basic
> and justified. Furthermore, it is imperative to understand that if this
> hunger strike continues much longer, a fatal outcome or at least a
> disability is to be expected. This is an entirely avoidable outcome and
for
> these reasons we urge your urgent and immediate intervention to avoid an
> extremely regrettable consequence in anticipation of the upcoming Labour
> Day long weekend."
>
> Throughout the week there have been demonstrations to support the
> demands of both hunger strikers. In Montreal on Monday, Warren Allmand,
> Alexandre Trudeau, Janet Cleveland and numerous others spoke in front of
> Justice Minister Irwin Cotler's office, seeking his intervention in the
> case. Trudeau noted that the Toronto detainees are held under conditions
> far worse than those enjoyed by the "worst criminals in this country."  By
> Wednesday, former NDP leader Alexa McDonough issued a statement urging
> Cotler to do the same.
>
> In Ottawa on Thursday, banners were hung from the Mackenzie Bridge
> while another rally of 60 people was held later in the day demanding
> justice for the hunger strikers. Among those demonstrating was Sophie
> Harkat, whose husband, Mohamed Harkat, remains detained under similar
> circumstances in Ottawa.
>
> That afternoon in Vancouver, there was a rally of about 50 people,
> and over 100 letters that were signed by passersby were faxed to Ontario's
> Minister of Corrections and Community Safety Monte Kwinter the next day. A
> London, Ontario rally was also staged by People for Peace in front of a
> local detention centre where numerous individuals are detained on
> immigration holds.
>
> And in what is slowly becoming a long-sought response, and a
> potential CSIS nightmare, members of Toronto's Muslim community gathered
> Thursday night to start discussions on how to start speaking out about
> secret trials and other civil rights violations directed at their
> community. In front of the families of Mr. Mahjoub and Mr. Jaballah,
> leaders of the community publicly apologized for their failure to stand
> with them through these last five years, and pledged their political and
> financial support. The group was urged to adopt the tactics of the U.S.
> civil rights movement, which engaged in nonviolent action throughout the
> American South in the 1950s and 1960s to achieve the kinds of rights which
> are now being denied to members of the Arabic and Muslim communities in
> Canada.
>
> The fruits of that meeting were evident today as almost half the
> crowd was made of up members of the GTA Muslim community, who cheered
> speaker after speaker denouncing the conditions of detention for the
secret
> trial detainees. Kike Roach, the lawyer representing Hassan, spoke
> passionately about the difficulties Hassan has faced, while Zafar Bangesh
> of the Islamic Society of York Region delivered a rousing condemnation of
> the injustices which have been directed at the secret trial detainees and
> their families.
>
> Among other speakers were Alexandre Trudeau, currently making a
> documentary on secret trials and a bail surety for Hassan, and Natercia
> Coelho, who spoke about the need to view such cases as these -- as well as
> that of her husband, Gary Freeman, currently detained over a year while
> fighting extradition to the U.S. for an incident in 1969 --  as ones in
> which human rights must trump all other considerations, something which
the
> Canadian government has been failing to do. Coelho's speech was a good
> reminder that the secret trials represent the tip of an iceberg of
> injustice across this country.
>
> Midway through the rally, a phone call was received from Mahmoud
> Jaballah, who thanked those gathered for their prayers and support via a
> cell phone hooked up to a microphone. He was followed by emotional stories
> from Ahmad Jaballah, the oldest of six children, his sister, Afnan, and
> their youngest sibling, Ali. A family friend spoke about the amazing
> strength of the family going through this ordeal, and urged all there to
> come to court this Wednesday, September 7, at 10:30 am at 361 University
> Ave to be with Jaballah as he seeks the right to seek bail in Federal
Court.
>
> The rally closed with words from Steve Watson of the Canadian
> Autoworkers. Watson is activist who has walked the walk with the secret
> trials campaign from the very beginning and someone whose President, Buzz
> Hargrove, was the one of the first union leaders in Canada to speak out on
> the issue. Numerous members of the CAW and United Steelworkers were in
> attendance, and one CAW activist brought forward 500 letters of support
for
> the hunger strikers' demands that had been signed at his plant, and which
> will be sent to Monte Kwinter on Tuesday.
>
> Today's rally was organized with the Toronto Coalition to Stop the
> War, which is planning a major rally at the U.S. Consulate at 1 pm in
> Toronto on Saturday, September 24, as well as numerous Muslim
organizations
> and the secret trials campaign.
>
> At the end of the rally, the group walked for about 20 minutes to
> the local RCMP detachment to present a gift of the Canadian Charter of
> Rights and Freedoms. Since the RCMP and CSIS violate them so often, the
> idea went, they had probably lost their office copy and could use a new
> one. As has happened to similar gifts at both the RCMP and CSIS over the
> past 5 or so years, the gifts were refused.
>
>  THERE IS STILL MUCH TO BE DONE TO END THE TRAGEDY OF SECRET TRIALS IN
CANADA.
>
> Hassan is hoping that folks will continue contacting Monte Kwinter and
Anne
> McLellan, urging that they change his conditions of detention. Mohammad
> Mahjoub is asking the same.
>
> To hear Hassan interviewed live on Toronto's CKLN on Day 70 of his hunger
> strike, go to this weblink:
> http://www.radio4all.net/index.php?op=program-info&program_id=13955&nav=&
>
> BELOW ARE HASSAN'S STATEMENT AND THE LETTER DELIVERED BY MONTREAL HEALTH
> PROFESSIONALS ON FRIDAY:
>
> September 3, 2005
>
> This is a note for the people of Canada, and for all the people
> demonstrating today at this jail.:
>
> I, Hassan Almrei, am in day 73 of my sixth hunger strike since October,
> 2001, when I was arrested on a security certificate. I have not been
> charged with anything, ever, in this country or in Syria, and my home for
> the past four years has been four walls in a 9 X 12 solitary confinement
> cell. I am held on secret evidence.
>
> My hunger strike is not just for myself. It is for all the people who face
> these conditions of detention. I am sad that the Ontario government will
> not give me my basic human rights. These rights are in international law
> and the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. This is why we need to go to court
> on October 11 to fight for these rights. I wish the government would save
> the taxpayers hundreds of thousands of dollars and give me my rights, but
> they are insisting we go to court.
>
> Many people have asked me to stop my hunger strike. They have said how
> upset they are. They have sympathy for these issues. I appreciate this.
But
> sympathy is not enough. People need to speak up, to challenge this secret
> evidence, the deportations to torture, this indefinite detention in
> solitary confinement, for me, for the other secret trial detainees, for
> anyone in this situation.
>
> In the past week, I have heard about demonstrations in Canada supporting
my
> demands. I have heard that hundreds and hundreds of people have been
> writing, calling, faxing Monte Kwinter, Paul Martin, Anne McLellan, and
Joe
> Volpe. This has given me hope.
>
> Despite everything that has happened to me, I still think Canada is the
> best country in the whole world. The response of the Canadian people to my
> hunger strike confirms this for me. When they know what is really
> happening, people in Canada do care. I also want to thank the guards in
> segregation and the health unit at Metro West, who have shown very great
> concern for me during this hunger strike.
>
> The hunger strike is my only voice in here. It is the only way I have to
> wake people up to what is going on in here. You, the Canadian people,
have
> helped me make my voice very loud and clear. I want to thank you a million
> times for this. My words can't express how much I feel and appreciate your
> support, and your concern about my health. I wish there were something I
> could give all of you.
>
> Mahatma Gandhi went on hunger strikes in India. Sometimes he would stop
> them when he saw positive things happening, when he saw a reason to
believe
> in hope.
>
> Because of the new hope you have given me, today I will end my hunger
> strike, but NOT my struggle for my rights.
>
> So please, as my voice on the outside, I need you to keep speaking up, to
> not be afraid, and to come to court on October 11 for my hearing. I need
> you to speak up about the secret trials, about the conditions of
detention,
> about the deportations to torture.
>
> I hope I can meet each and every one of you someday soon. But for now,
> someone else holds the key to my door.
>
> Thank you very much.     Hassan Almrei
>
>
>
> The following letter was delivered to an official in the Prime Minister's
> Montreal office by a delegation of eleven health professionals on Friday.
>
> Dear Mr. Prime Minister,
>
> The undersigned health professionals would like to express our rave
concern
> about the effects of the hunger-strike and conditions of detention on the
> health of Mr. Hassan Almrei and Mr. Mohammad Mahjoub.
>
> As you know, these two men have been ingesting only water and some orange
> juice, for 72 days in the case of Mr. Almrei and 58 in the case of Mr.
> Mahjoub. This is an excessively prolonged period for such a severe hunger
> strike. In comparison, may we remind you that the duration of Mr. Almrei's
> hunger-strike dangerously approaches the maximum survival time for the
> Irish political prisoners of the 1980's, some of whom died after a much
> shorter hunger strike.  According to the information we have, Mr. Almrei
> has already lost 50 pounds. It is important to note that a weight loss of
> 35-50% of
> initial body weight is considered to be incompatible with life. Given that
> the average male weighs approximately 150 pounds, the weight loss that has
> already occurred appears alarming.
>
> Despite the ingestion of a little sugar and vitamins, the risk of death
due
> to overwhelming infections, heart arrhythmias, or the dysfunction and
> failure of vital organs is quite high, if not imminent. Grave and
permanent
> sequelae, including severe neurological impairment and other
complications,
> can be predicted if the hunger strike continues, as well as further
> complications with the cessation of the strike and medical treatment.
>
> Additionally, the conditions of detention to which the two men are subject
> are far from conducive to physical and mental health. In fact, a balanced
> diet and a modicum of physical exercise constitute the most basic
> requirements of physical health. Moreover, a sense of security about the
> future as well as significant and regular human contact are among the
> essential conditions for safeguarding mental health. These fundamentals
> appear to be absent from the current conditions under which Mr. Almrei and
> Mr. Mahjoub are detained,  in complete contradiction with the directives
of
> our various professional orders. Prolonged solitary confinement, the
> uncertainty of the legal proceedings, the threat of deportation to a
> country which practices torture constitute treatment which is comparable
to
> psychological torture, and which we denounce as injurious to mental
health.
>
> In conclusion, we regard the conditions under which Mr. Almrei and Mr.
> Mahjoub are currently detained to be unacceptable from a health
standpoint.
> It is shocking that people have to resort to a hunger strike to demand
> conditions that we feel to be so basic and justified. Furthermore, it is
> imperative to understand that if this hunger strike continues much longer,
> a fatal outcome or at least a disability is to be expected. This is an
> entirely avoidable outcome and for these reasons we urge your urgent and
> immediate intervention to avoid an extremely regrettable consequence in
> anticipation of the upcoming Labour Day long weekend.
>
> Yours sincerely,
>
> Nazila Bettache, MD
> Janet Cleveland, PhD
> Pierre Dongier, MD
> Catherine Gagnon, RN
> Samir Hussain, MD
> Amir Khadir, MD
> Marie Munoz, MD
> Marie Jo Ouimet, MD
> Olivier Sabella, MD
> Scott Weinstein, RN
> Gerald van Gurp, MD
>
> (summary prepared by Matthew Behrens of the Campaign to Stop Secret Trials
> in Canada. As we continue to build towards what we hope will be the
> aboliton of secret trials and deportations, we are as always grateful for
> any donations which folks can provide to pay our expenses. Cheques can be
> made out to Homes not Bombs and mailed to PO Box 73620, 509 St. Clair Ave.
> West, Toronto, ON M6C 1C0. Our website is www.homesnotbombs.ca
>
> Thanks to everyone for all their support this past week. Let's keep moving
> forward!




From psi at riseup.net  Sun Sep  4 16:59:39 2005
From: psi at riseup.net (Hunger strikers support Montreal)
Date: Sun, 4 Sep 2005 19:59:39 -0400
Subject: [Bloquez l'empire!] report: Health Professionals for hunger strikers
Message-ID: <00b501c5b1ac$cffbbcc0$fb2d54c7@CPQ18145226471>

Health Professionals urge Prime Minister to act now:
Situation dire for hunger strikers in Toronto prison

By: Samir Shaheen-Hussain
September 3, 2005

[Please note that according to a statement read at a rally held in Toronto
today (September 3, 2005: see statement below), Hassan Almrei, on the 73rd
day of his hunger strike, expressing his sorrow that the government will not
give him his rights, expressing his faith in the people of Canada, said that
the outcry following his hunger-strike has given him enough new hope that he
will end his hunger-strike, but not the struggle for his rights. Mohammad
Mahjoub continues with his hunger strike, having completed his 59th day
today.]

On Friday, September 2nd, 2005, a group of health professionals made up of
nurses and medical doctors formed a delegation to Prime Minister Paul
Martin's office in Old Montreal. We wanted to present the PM with a letter
outlining our grave concerns about the health and well-being of Mr. Hassan
Almrei and Mr. Mohammad Mahjoub who, along with 3 other Muslim men, make up
the "Secret Trial Five".  Mr. Almrei and Mr. Mahjoub are currently being
detained under a security certificate process in Metro West Detention Centre
in Toronto and had been on a hunger strike for 72 and 58 days, respectively,
as of September 2nd.

The goal of the delegation was to focus attention on the prolonged hunger
strike of these two men, while urging the PM to act immediately to have
their demands met so that their health and lives are no longer at risk.
Their demands are modest, to say the least, given that they have been held
without charges and without having access to any evidence that may be being
used against them as part of the security certificate process for four and
five years, respectively; Mr. Almrei's principal demand is to be allowed to
have one hour outside his solitary confinement cell while Mr. Mahjoub's is
to have contact visits with his wife and children. Although two men are not
convicted of any crime, they are demanding no treatment beyond that which is
accorded to most federal prisoners!

During the delegation, the media was informed of the fact that Mr. Almrei
and Mr. Mahjoub have been ingesting only water and some orange juice.  The
deleterious physical and psychological effects of such an excessively
prolonged hunger strike - particularly in light of the deplorable conditions
of long-term solitary confinement detention with no trial, under threat of
deportation to torture - were underscored.

The delegation's attempt to hand-deliver the letter to the PM's office was
cut short by security blocking our entrance and subsequently locking us out.
After some confusion, and perhaps due to the persistence of members of the
delegation wanting to gain entry with media cameras steadfastly looking on,
security personnel advised the delegation that there would be someone from
the PM's office who would be coming down to speak with us.

Subsequently, a security officer was sent to speak with one of the members
of the delegation; a pseudo-forced agreement was reached where only two
members of the delegation would be allowed entry into the office, but
without any media accompaniment.  Other members of the delegation were
forcefully prevented from entering the building.  After several minutes, the
attach? from the PM's office did come out to meet the delegation and was
presented with the letter in front of the cameras. She assured the
delegation that she would bring the contents of the letter to the PM's
attention as soon as possible, although refused to provide any assurance as
to whether the PM would intervene immediately, particularly given concerns
about bureaucratic delays anticipated because of Labour Day weekend -- a
concern that was shared by the health care workers, fearing that even one
further day's delay could be fatal for the two hunger strikers.

The delegation served as an important, but arguably desperate, attempt to
shed more attention on the hunger strikes of Mr. Almrei and Mr. Mahjoub to
avoid a tragic and fatal outcome.  It is regrettable that a crisis is
necessary to focus attention on the deplorable and unnecessary suffering of
the security certificate detainees and that in the process a broader focus
on the draconian security certificates, which allows for their arbitrary
detention in the first place, is jettisoned.

While Dr. Amir Khadir, member of M?decins du Monde, did liken the situation
of the men detained under the auspices of security certificates to those
imprisoned in Guantanamo Bay by the United States, our intervention
generally shied away from exposing the security certificates as inherently
illegal and unjust. With concern understandably centered on the immediate
life and death of Mr. Almrei and Mr. Mahjoub, the fact that the security
certificates clearly contravene articles 7 and 9 of the Canadian Charter of
Rights and Freedoms (as former Solicitor General, Warren Allmand, stated at
a rally in support of Hassan Almrei this past week) was overshadowed.  Due
to the immediate emergency, focus turned attention away from the context:
the attack on immigrants and refugees - particularly of Arab, South Asian
and Muslim background - which has been exacerbated since the United States
unilaterally declared its "war on terror" following 9/11/2001; an attack the
Canadian government has legislated through, inter alia, provisions in the
Immigrant and Refugee Protection Act (IRPA).  Such policies manifest
themselves not only in the on-going use of security certificates (which have
been in effect since 1991), but also in the exploitation of migrant workers
and the deportation of refugee claimants, permanent residents and (as in the
highly-publicized case of Maher Arar) Canadian citizens.

It is clear that Mr. Almrei and Mr. Mahjoub's demands must be met
immediately so that they may end their hunger strike and receive appropriate
medical treatment. However, this will be no victory at all so long as these
men remain in indefinite detention (or, in the case of Adil Charkaoui - who
was recently released on bail - so long as his activities are severely
restricted and closely monitored) without charge, without having access to
any evidence being used against them, without recourse to a fair and open
trial, and under the omnipresent stress of eventual deportation to further
psychological and physical torture.

Free the Secret Trial Five in 2005!

**
Samir Shaheen-Hussain is a social justice activist and writer, and is a
member of the Montreal-based Indigenous Peoples Solidarity Movement (IPSM).
He is trained as a medical doctor.

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

LETTER FROM DOCTORS

(translation from French)

Dear Mr. Prime Minister,

The undersigned health professionals would like to express our grave concern
about the effects of the hunger-strike and conditions of detention on the
health of Mr Hassan Almrei and Mr. Mohammad Mahjoub.

As you know, these two men have been ingesting only water and some orange
juice, for 72 days in the case of Mr. Almrei and 58 in the case of Mr.
Mahjoub. This is an excessively prolonged period for such a severe hunger
strike. In comparison, may we remind you that the duration of Mr. Almrei's
hunger-strike dangerously approaches the maximum survival time for the Irish
political prisoners of the 1980's, some of whom died after a much shorter
hunger strike.  According to the information we have, Mr. Almrei has already
lost 50 pounds. It is important to note that a weight loss of 35-50% of
initial body weight is considered to be incompatible with life. Given that
the average male weighs approximately 150 pounds, the weight loss that has
already occurred appears alarming.

Despite the ingestion of a little sugar and vitamins, the risk of death due
to overwhelming infections, heart arrhythmias, or the dysfunction and
failure of vital organs is quite high, if not imminent. Grave and permanent
sequelae, including severe neurological impairment and
other complications, can be predicted if the hunger strike continues, as
well as further complications with the cessation of the strike and medical
treatment.

Additionally, the conditions of detention to which the two men are subject
are far from conducive to physical and mental health. In fact, a balanced
diet and a modicum of physical exercise constitute the most basic
requirements of physical health. Moreover, a sense of security about the
future as well as significant and regular human contact are among the
essential conditions for safeguarding mental health. These fundamentals
appear to be absent from the current conditions under which Mr. Almrei and
Mr. Mahjoub are detained,  in complete contradiction with the directives of
our various professional orders. Prolonged solitary confinement, the
uncertainty of the legal proceedings, the threat of deportation to a country
which practices torture constitute treatment which is comparable to
psychological torture, and which we denounce as injurious to mental health.

In conclusion, we regard the conditions under which Mr. Almrei and Mr.
Mahjoub are currently detained to be unacceptable from a health standpoint.
It is shocking that people have to resort to a hunger strike to demand
conditions that we feel to be so basic and justified. Furthermore, it is
imperative to understand that if this hunger strike continues much longer, a
fatal outcome or at least a disability is to be expected. This is an
entirely avoidable outcome and for these reasons we urge your urgent and
immediate intervention to avoid an extremely regrettable consequence in
anticipation of the upcoming Labour Day long weekend.

Yours sincerely,

Nazila Bettache, MD
Janet Cleveland, PhD
Pierre Dongier, MD
Catherine Gagnon, RN
Samir Hussain, MD
Amir Khadir, MD
Marie Munoz, MD
Marie Jo Ouimet, MD
Olivier Sabella, MD
Scott Weinstein, RN
Gerald van Gurp, MD

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

STATEMENT BY HASSAN ALMREI

Isolation Cell, Metropolitan West Detention Centre
Toronto, Canada

September 3, 2005

This is a note for the people of Canada, and for all the people
demonstrating today at this jail.:

 I, Hassan Almrei, am in day 73 of my sixth hunger strike since October,
 2001, when I was arrested on a security certificate. I have not been
 charged with anything, ever, in this country or in Syria, and my home for
 the past four years has been four walls in a 9 X 12 solitary confinement
 cell. I am held on secret evidence.

 My hunger strike is not just for myself. It is for all the people who face
 these conditions of detention. I am sad that the Ontario government will
 not give me my basic human rights. These rights are in international law
 and the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. This is why we need to go to court
 on October 11 to fight for these rights. I wish the government would save
 the taxpayers hundreds of thousands of dollars and give me my rights, but
they are insisting we go to court.

 Many people have asked me to stop my hunger strike. They have said how
 upset they are. They have sympathy for these issues. I appreciate this.
But sympathy is not enough. People need to speak up, to challenge this
secret evidence, the deportations to torture, this indefinite detention in
 solitary confinement, for me, for the other secret trial detainees, for
 anyone in this situation.

 In the past week, I have heard about demonstrations in Canada supporting
my demands. I have heard that hundreds and hundreds of people have been
 writing, calling, faxing Monte Kwinter, Paul Martin, Anne McLellan, and
Joe Volpe. This has given me hope.

 Despite everything that has happened to me, I still think Canada is the
 best country in the whole world. The response of the Canadian people to my
 hunger strike confirms this for me. When they know what is really
 happening, people in Canada do care. I also want to thank the guards in
 segregation and the health unit at Metro West, who have shown very great
 concern for me during this hunger strike.

 The hunger strike is my only voice in here. It is the only way I have to
 wake people up to what is going on in here. You, the Canadian people,
have helped me make my voice very loud and clear. I want to thank you a
million times for this. My words can't express how much I feel and
appreciate your
 support, and your concern about my health. I wish there were something I
 could give all of you.

 Mahatma Gandhi went on hunger strikes in India. Sometimes he would stop
 them when he saw positive things happening, when he saw a reason to
believe in hope.

 Because of the new hope you have given me, today I will end my hunger
 strike, but NOT my struggle for my rights.

 So please, as my voice on the outside, I need you to keep speaking up, to
 not be afraid, and to come to court on October 11 for my hearing. I need
 you to speak up about the secret trials, about the conditions of
detention, about the deportations to torture.

 I hope I can meet each and every one of you someday soon. But for now,
 someone else holds the key to my door.

 Thank you very much.

Hassan Almrei

MORE INFO:
Campaign to Stop Secret Trials in Canada
tel 416 651 5800
tasc at web.ca
www.homesnotbombs.ca




From psi at riseup.net  Sun Sep  4 16:59:47 2005
From: psi at riseup.net (Hunger strikers support Montreal)
Date: Sun, 4 Sep 2005 19:59:47 -0400
Subject: [Bloquez l'empire!] =?iso-8859-1?q?rapport_=3A_Professionnels_de?=
	=?iso-8859-1?q?_Sant=E9_pour_les_gr=E9vistes_de_la_faim_?=
Message-ID: <00b601c5b1ac$d0ca0940$fb2d54c7@CPQ18145226471>

Des Professionnels de Sant? demandent au Premier Ministre d'agir maintenant:

la situation s'aggrave pour les gr?vistes de la faim de la prison de Toronto



Par : Samir Shaheen-Hussain

Traduit de l'anglais par : Nazila Bettache

3 septembre 2005



[Veuillez noter que lors d'un communiqu? lu aujourd'hui lors d'un
rassemblement tenu ? Toronto (le samedi 3 Septembre 2005; voir le communiqu?
de M. Almrei plus bas), Hassan Almrei, au 73?me jour de sa gr?ve de la faim,
exprimant son profond accablement face au fait que le gouvernement ne lui
octroie pas ses droits, et exprimant sa foi dans le peuple canadien, a
affirm? que le toll? soulev? par sa gr?ve de la faim lui a donn?
suffisamment d'espoir renouvel? pour qu'il interrompe sa gr?ve de la faim
mais pas sa lutte pour ses droits. M. Mahjoub continue sa gr?ve de la faim
et il compl?te son 59?me jour aujourd'hui.]



Le Vendredi 2 Septembre 2005, une d?l?gation compos?e de professionnels de
la sant? - - infirmierEs et docteurEs en m?decine -  a rendu visite au
bureau du Premier Ministre Paul Martin dans le Vieux Montr?al. Nous
d?sirions pr?senter au premier Ministre une lettre exprimant nos s?rieuses
inqui?tudes au sujet de la sant? et du bien-?tre de MM. Hassan Almrei et
Mohammad Mahjoub qui, de m?me que trois autres hommes musulmans, forment le
groupe des ? Cinq des proc?s secrets ?. M. Almrei et M. Mahjoub sont
actuellement d?tenus sous des certificats de s?curit? au centre de d?tention
Metro West ? Toronto et ?tait en gr?ve de la faim depuis 72 et 58 jours
respectivement en date du 2 septembre.



L'objectif de la d?l?gation ?tait d'attirer l'attention sur la gr?ve de la
faim prolong?e de ces deux hommes, tout en sommant le Premier Ministre d'
agir imm?diatement afin que leurs demandes respectives soient entendues et
que leurs vies et leur sant? ne soient plus en danger. Leurs demandes sont
modestes, pour dire le moins, ?tant donn? qu'ils sont d?tenus dans le cadre
des certificats de s?curit?, sans motif clair et sans avoir acc?s aux
preuves qui pourraient ?tre utilis?es contre eux , et ce depuis quatre et
cinq ans respectivement.  La demande principale de M. Almrei consiste ?
demander une heure par jour en dehors de sa cellule de confinement cependant
que celle de M. Mahjoub est d'?tre autoris? ? recevoir des visites directes
de son ?pouse et de ses enfants. Bien que les deux hommes ne soient accus?s
d'aucun crime, ils demandent simplement un traitement ?quivalent ? celui
offert aux prisonniers f?d?raux!



Lors de la d?l?gation, les m?dias ont ?t? inform?s du fait que M. Almrei et
M. Mahjoub ne consomment que de l'eau et un peu de jus d'orange. Les effets
physiques et psychologiques n?fastes d'une telle gr?ve de la faim
prolong?e - particuli?rement dans le contexte de terribles conditions de
d?tention en confinement solitaire pour une p?riode prolong?e, et ce sans
proc?s, et sous la menace de la d?portation vers la torture, ont ?t? mises
en lumi?res.



La tentative de la d?l?gation de porter la lettre en main propre au bureau
du Premier Ministre a ?t? avort?e par des agents de s?curit? qui ont nous
ont emp?ch? de p?n?trer dans l'?difice puis ont proc?d? ? la fermeture de
celui-ci.  Apr?s quelque confusion, et peut-?tre gr?ce ? la persistance de
certains membres de la d?l?gation, insistant pour ?tre autoris?s ? p?n?trer
dans l'?difice, avec la pr?sence ininterrompue de cam?ras de t?l?vision
braqu?es sur la sc?ne,  le personnel de s?curit? a inform? la d?l?gation qu'
un d?l?gu? du bureau du Premier Ministre allait se pr?senter pour nous
parler.



Un peu plus tard, un agent de s?curit? fut envoy? pour discuter avec l'un
des membres de la d?l?gation ; une entente quasi-forc?e fut convenue
stipulant que seulement deux membres de la d?l?gation seraient autoris?s ?
entrer, et ce sans la pr?sence des cam?ras. D'autres membres de la
d?l?gation furent emp?ch?s d'entrer dans l'immeuble. Apr?s quelques minutes,
une attach?e politique du bureau du premier Ministre s'est pr?sent?e ? l'
ext?rieur afin de rencontrer la d?l?gation et la lettre lui a alors ?t?
remise devant les cam?ras. L'attach?e a assur? ? la d?l?gation que le
contenu de la lettre serait port? ? l'attention du Premier Ministre aussit?t
que possible, toutefois s'avisant de fournir aucune garantie quant au d?lai
escompt? avant une intervention du premier Ministre, surtout ?tant donn?es
la crainte de d?lais administratifs occasionn?s par la F?te du travail,
crainte  partag?e par les professionnels de la sant?, inquiets que m?me une
seule journ?e de d?lai pourrait ?tre fatale aux deux gr?vistes de la faim.



La d?l?gation a fait lieu d'une importante, quoique d?sesp?r?e, tentative de
porter plus de lumi?re sur les gr?ves de la faim de M. Almrei et M. Mahjoub,
afin d'?viter une issue tragique et fatale. Il est tr?s regrettable de
constater  qu'une crise aigue est n?cessaire afin de porter de l'attention
sur les souffrances d?plorables et inutiles des hommes d?tenus sous des
certificats de s?curit?, et que dans ce processus, une analyse plus large de
la nature draconienne des certificats de s?curit?, qui sont ? la source de
leur d?tention, est rel?gu?e au second plan.



Cependant que le Dr. Amir Khadir, membre de M?decins du Monde, a soulign? la
similitude la situation des hommes d?tenus sous des certificats de s?curit?
? celle des prisonniers de Guantanamo Bay, notre intervention s'est
g?n?ralement abstenue de d?voiler la nature fondamentalement ill?gale et
injuste des certificats de s?curit?.  Bien que l'inqui?tude soit
naturellement centr?e sur la situation de vie et de mort de M. Almrei et M.
Mahjoub, le fait que les certificats de s?curit? contreviennent aux articles
7 et 9 de la Charte Canadienne des Droits et Libert?s (tel que l'ancien
Solliciteur G?n?ral M. Warren Allmand l'a mentionn? lors d'un rassemblement
en solidarit? avec Hassan Almrei plus t?t cette semaine) fut ?vinc?. En vue
de l'urgence imminente, l'approche tr?s focalis?e a d?tourn? l'attention de
la r?alit? d'un contexte plus global : celui de l'attaque contre les
immigrants et les r?fugi?s, plus particuli?rement ceux d'origine Arabe,
Sud-Asiatique et Musulmane, exacerb?e depuis que les ?tats-Unis ont
unilat?ralement d?clar? leur ? Guerre au terrorisme ? suite aux ?v?nements
du 11 Septembre 2001, une attaque que le gouvernement canadien a l?gif?r?e
par le biais, entre autres, de dispositions ? l'int?rieur de la Loi sur la
protection des immigrants et r?fugi?s. De telles politiques se manifestent
non seulement ? travers l'usage de certificats de s?curit? (en effet depuis
1991), mais ?galement ? travers l'exploitation des travailleurs immigr?s et
la d?portation de demandeurs du statut de r?fugi?, de r?sidents permanents
et, comme ce fut le cas dans le tr?s m?diatis? cas de Maher Arar, de
citoyens canadiens.



Il est tr?s clair que les demandes de M. Almrei et M. Mahjoub doivent ?tre
re?ues imm?diatement afin qu'ils puissent mettre fin ? leur gr?ve de la faim
et recevoir les soins appropri?s.  Toutefois, il ne s'agira pas d'une
victoire tant que ces hommes demeurent en d?tention ind?finie (ou, dans le
cas d'Adil Charkaoui - qui a r?cemment ?t? rel?ch? sous caution - tant que
ses activit?s demeureront s?v?rement restreintes et intens?ment
surveill?es), sans accusation, sans acc?s aux preuves utilis?es contre eux,
sans recours ? un proc?s juste et ouvert, et sous le stress continuel d'une
potentielle d?portation vers plus de torture physique et psychologique.



Lib?rez les Cinq en 2005 !



**

Samir Shaheen-Hussain est un militant pour la justice sociale et un auteur,
et est membre du Mouvement de Solidarit? avec les Peuples Autochtones, bas?
? Montr?al. Il poss?de une formation en m?decine.



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



LETTRE DES PROFESSIONNELS DE LA SANT?



2e septembre 2005

M. le premier ministre,

Les professionnels de la sant? sous-sign?s tenons ? vous faire part de notre
vive inqui?tude quant aux effets de la gr?ve de la faim et des conditions de
d?tention pour la sant? de M. Hassan Almrei et M. Mohammad Mahjoub.

Comme vous le savez, les deux pr?venus n'ing?rent que de l'eau et un peu de
jus d'orange et ce, depuis 72 jours en ce qui concerne M.Almrei et 58 jours
en ce qui concerne M. Mahjoub. Il s'agit d'une dur?e tr?s prolong?e pour un
je?ne aussi s?v?re, en comparaison nous nous permettons de vous rappeler qu'
elle s'approche dangereusement des dur?es maximales de survie des
prisonniers irlandais dans les ann?es 80, certains d?c?s s'?tant m?me
produit auparavant. Selon les informations que nous avons re?u, M. Almrei
aurait d?j? perdu 50 lb. Or, une perte pond?rale de 35-50% du poids initial
est incompatible avec la vie. Le poids d'un homme adulte normal se situant
autour de 70kg, la perte de poids s'?tant d?j? produite nous semble
alarmante.

Malgr? l'ingestion d'un peu de sucre et de vitamines, le risque de mort dues
? des infections foudroyantes, ? des arythmies malignes ou ? un
dysfonctionnement global des fonctions vitales est tr?s ?lev? et imminent.
Des s?quelles graves et permanentes telles que s?quelles neurologiques
s?v?res sont ?galement ? pr?voir si la gr?ve se prolonge ainsi que des
complications croissantes advenant un arr?t de la gr?ve et un traitement
m?dical.

Par ailleurs, les conditions de d?tention auxquelles sont soumis ces deux
hommes sont loin de garantir une sant? physique et mentale. En effet, une
alimentation ?quilibr?e, un minimum d'exercice physique font partie de l'
hygi?ne de vie la plus ?l?mentaire. D'autre part, la s?curit? quant a l'
avenir et les contacts humains significatifs et r?guliers font partie des
conditions essentielles pour maintenir un ?tat mental sain. Ces ?l?ments
fondamentaux semblent manquer dans les conditions de d?tention actuelles et
sont en compl?te contradiction avec les directives de nos ordres
professionnels respectifs. De plus, la d?tention prolong?e en isolation, l'
incertitude quant aux proc?dures juridiques dont ils font objet , la menace
de d?portation vers un pays qui pratique la torture sont des traitements qui
s'assimilent ? la torture psychologique et que nous d?non?ons comme n?fastes
pour la sant? mentale.

En conclusion, nous consid?rons que les conditions actuelles de d?tention de
M. Almrei et M. Mahjoub sont inacceptables du point de vue de la sant?. Il
est choquant qu'on doive en venir ? entreprendre une gr?ve de la faim pour
faire valoir des revendications qui nous semblent aussi ?l?mentaires et
aussi justifi?es. Il est important de comprendre surtout que si ce je?ne se
poursuit, une issue fatale ou du moins une d?gradation physique ? court
terme est ? pr?voir. Il s'agirait de cons?quences enti?rement ?vitables et
pour ces raisons nous exigeons votre intervention urgente et  imm?diate pour
?viter un d?roulement extr?mement regrettable pendant cette longue fin de
semaine.

Respectueusement,

Nazila Bettache md
Janet Cleveland, phd
Pierre Dongier md
Catherine Gagnon inf
Samir Hussain md
Amir Khadir md
Marie Munoz md
Marie Jo Ouimet md
Olivier Sabella md
Scott Weinstein inf
Gerald van Gurp md


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

DECLARATION DE HASSAN ALMREI (pas encore traduit)



Isolation Cell, Metropolitan West Detention Centre
Toronto, Canada

September 3, 2005

This is a note for the people of Canada, and for all the people
demonstrating today at this jail.:

 I, Hassan Almrei, am in day 73 of my sixth hunger strike since October,
 2001, when I was arrested on a security certificate. I have not been
 charged with anything, ever, in this country or in Syria, and my home for
 the past four years has been four walls in a 9 X 12 solitary confinement
 cell. I am held on secret evidence.

 My hunger strike is not just for myself. It is for all the people who face
 these conditions of detention. I am sad that the Ontario government will
 not give me my basic human rights. These rights are in international law
 and the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. This is why we need to go to court
 on October 11 to fight for these rights. I wish the government would save
 the taxpayers hundreds of thousands of dollars and give me my rights, but
they are insisting we go to court.

 Many people have asked me to stop my hunger strike. They have said how
 upset they are. They have sympathy for these issues. I appreciate this.
But sympathy is not enough. People need to speak up, to challenge this
secret
 evidence, the deportations to torture, this indefinite detention in
 solitary confinement, for me, for the other secret trial detainees, for
 anyone in this situation.

 In the past week, I have heard about demonstrations in Canada supporting
my demands. I have heard that hundreds and hundreds of people have been
 writing, calling, faxing Monte Kwinter, Paul Martin, Anne McLellan, and
Joe Volpe. This has given me hope.

 Despite everything that has happened to me, I still think Canada is the
 best country in the whole world. The response of the Canadian people to my
 hunger strike confirms this for me. When they know what is really
 happening, people in Canada do care. I also want to thank the guards in
 segregation and the health unit at Metro West, who have shown very great
 concern for me during this hunger strike.

 The hunger strike is my only voice in here. It is the only way I have to
 wake people up to what is going on in here. You, the Canadian people,
have helped me make my voice very loud and clear. I want to thank you a
million
 times for this. My words can't express how much I feel and appreciate your
 support, and your concern about my health. I wish there were something I
 could give all of you.

 Mahatma Gandhi went on hunger strikes in India. Sometimes he would stop
 them when he saw positive things happening, when he saw a reason to
believe in hope.

 Because of the new hope you have given me, today I will end my hunger
 strike, but NOT my struggle for my rights.

 So please, as my voice on the outside, I need you to keep speaking up, to
 not be afraid, and to come to court on October 11 for my hearing. I need
 you to speak up about the secret trials, about the conditions of
detention, about the deportations to torture.

 I hope I can meet each and every one of you someday soon. But for now,
 someone else holds the key to my door.

 Thank you very much.

Hassan Almrei

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



PLUS D'INFOS:
Campaign to Stop Secret Trials in Canada
t?l 416 651 5800
tasc at web.ca

www.homesnotbombs.ca (anglais seulement)




From mfoster at web.ca  Tue Sep  6 04:56:49 2005
From: mfoster at web.ca (Mary Foster)
Date: Tue, 6 Sep 2005 07:56:49 -0400
Subject: [Bloquez l'empire!] Appeal from wife of Mahjoub,
	on Day 62 of His Hunger Strike 
Message-ID: <007f01c5b2da$46c97670$06bc13cc@CPQ18145226471>

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "TASC" <tasc at web.ca>
Sent: Monday, September 05, 2005 8:16 PM


Urgent Action Required to Save Life of Secret Trial Detainee Mohammad
Mahjoub, on Day 62 of a Hunger Strike in Solitary Confinement

YOUR PERSISTENT ACTION LAST WEEK GAVE SECRET TRIAL DETAINEE HASSAN ALMREI
ENOUGH HOPE TO SUSPEND HIS HUNGER STRIKE. MR. MAHJOUB NEEDS YOUR SUPPORT AS
HIS LIFE ENTERS A CRITICAL WEEK

Please forward this appeal far and wide, and ideas for action and a sample
letter appear at the bottom of this email.


"Don't Make Me a Widow," Pleads Wife of Secret Trial Detainee Mohammad
Mahjoub on Day 62 of His Hunger Strike for Improved Conditions in Solitary
Confinement

Mona Elfouli calls on Justice Minister Irwin Cotler, Prime Minister Paul
Martin, Deputy PM Anne McLellan, Immigration Minister Joe Volpe and Ontario
Minister for Corrections Monte Kwinter, to Respond to Her Husband's Demands
for Medical Attention and Contact Visits with Children

TORONTO: SEPTEMBER 6, 2005 -- After two months without food, secret trial
detainee Mohammad Mahjoub, an Egyptian refugee held since June, 2000,
without charge or bail at Metro West Detention Centre, is weak and in
ill-health as he marks day 61 of a hunger strike.

Almost eclipsed by the high-profile hunger strike of Syrian refugee
Hassan Almrei, who ended his protest Saturday on Day 73 without food,
Mahjoub has continued his quiet, determined battle for improved conditions
of detention while he awaits the outcome of the lengthy court processes
which will determine whether he will receive bail and, in the longer term,
whether it is legal to deport him to torture in Egypt.

Mahjoub is demanding, among other things:

* a monthly contact visit with his children, denied to him after
more than five years at Metro West;

* proper medical treatment, including care for a knee injury
sustained in jail, a liver biopsy to properly assess the Hepatitis C he
contracted at the jail (which, despite being recommended by a doctor, has
been denied for undisclosed security reasons) and a pair of glasses.

(After protracted efforts by advocates outside the jail to bring an
eye doctor in to see him, Mahjoub has not been able to fill a prescription
for glasses in over 8 months.)

"I am appealing to the people of Canada and to the Canadian
government, the people who are responsible for Mohammad being in jail on
secret evidence -- Irwin Cotler, Anne McLellan, Joe Volpe, Paul Martin--
and to the Minister responsible for jails in Ontario, Monte Kwinter -- to
help us reach a solution so Mohammad can live," says Mona Elfouli, who has
been married to Mahjoub since 1996.

"I don't want to become a widow, and my two little children need
their father home with them. But while we wait for bail, we need to make
things more livable at the jail for my husband. He needs medical attention
for his Hepatitis C, and it is torture for the children not to be able to
hug and kiss their dad."

Elfouli says her husband has struggled constantly for basic dignity
at the jail, but has run up against institutional barriers. "We both
appreciate that there are some very good people at the jail, some good
guards and captains and caring people in the health care unit, but it is
immigration that is making it so hard for him to get proper healthcare, and
Mr. Kwinter's office refuses to allow the touch visits."

Matthew Behrens, a friend of Mahjoub's who has offered $5,000
towards his release on bail, is concerned that government officials on all
levels simply don't care. "This is, after all, a federal government that is
determined to deport Mohammad and the other secret trial detainees to
torture. The Ontario government has refused to sincerely negotiate, forcing
these men to the point in their nonviolent protests that lifelong damage,
if not death, will result.

"So it's clear on one level that the governments don't really care
about their lives. But one thing they do care about is votes. And we hope
they see that a lot of formerly sure votes are in doubt, especially with
blood on their hands should Mr. Mahjoub die in custody on their watch.
Thousands of people responded in the past 10 days to the demands of both
Mr. Almrei and Mr. Mahjoub, and those folks are disgusted at the
insensitivity and callous lack of action of both the Ontario and federal
governments.

"Time is running out on Mr. Mahjoub. The government had better move
soon."

Last Friday, a delegation of medical professionals delivered a
letter to Prime Minister Paul Martin's Montreal constituency office calling
for immediate action to meet the conditions necessary to end the hunger
strikes. "We regard the conditions under which Mr. Almrei and Mr. Mahjoub
are currently detained to be unacceptable from a health standpoint," the
letter read.  "It is shocking that people have to resort to a hunger strike
to demand conditions that we feel to be so basic and justified.
Furthermore, it is imperative to understand that if this hunger strike
continues much longer, a fatal outcome or at least a disability is to be
expected. This is an entirely avoidable outcome and for these reasons we
urge your urgent and immediate intervention to avoid an extremely
regrettable consequence."

The medical professionals note that, in addition to the immediate
conditions giving rise to the protest, it is unacceptable that men such as
Mahjoub are forced to deal with the psychological torture of indefinite
detention and uncertainty over whether he may be deported to torture.

By way of comparison, in 1981, Bobby Sands and 9 other IRA
prisoners on hunger strike died after periods varying from 46 to 73 days
after sustaining severe organ damage (e.g., blindness). Several survivors
of the strike remain permanently handicapped.

For more information, contact the Campaign to Stop Secret Trials in
Canada at tasc at web.ca or  (416) 651-5800. Our website is
www.homesnotbombs.ca

TAKING ACTION:
Please write, call, fax the following individuals. A sample letter is
provided below. Please cc your letters to  Prime Minister Paul Martin
(pm at pm.gc.ca ), Anne McLellan, Deputy Prime Minister,
(McLellan.A at parl.gc.ca), Immigration Minister Joe Volpe (volpej at parl.gc.ca)
and Justice Minister Irwin Cotler (cotlei at parl.gc.ca)

CC correspondence to Campaign to Stop Secret Trials in Canada at
tasc at web.ca or fax (416) 651-9770


NOTE: Mr. Kwinter's office will say this is a matter for the federal
government and will try and shift your attention to Ottawa, since Mohammad
is a federal detainee, but he is held in a provincial jail, so the province
has the ability and responsibility to meet with him and change his
conditions of detention.


Monte Kwinter
Minister of Community Safety and Correctional Services
18th floor, 25 Grosvenor Street, Toronto, ON, M7A 1Y6
Phone: (416) 325-0408
Fax: (416) 325-6067
mkwinter.mpp at liberal.ola.org

Anne McLellan
Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness
13th Floor, 340 Laurier Ave.
Ottawa, ON K1A 0P8
Phone: (613) 992-4524
Fax: (613) 943-0044 or
McLellan.A at parl.gc.ca


please cc: Paul Martin, Cotler, and Volpe
 
Monte Kwinter
Minister of Community Safety and Correctional Services
Government of Ontario
Re: Hunger strike of Hassan Almrei

Dear Mr. Kwinter,

I am writing to urge you to take immediate action to meet the legitimate
demands of Mohammad Mahjoub, who has been detained without trial in an
Ontario prison for over five years and is now on a hunger strike to demand
minimally decent conditions of detention. His main demands include proper
medical treatment for the Hepatitis C he contracted at the jail (a
prescribed liver biopsy has been denied), proper medical care for as knee
injury sustained at the jail, filling a long-neglected prescription for
eyeglasses, and touch visits with his young children once a month.

Although he is a federal detainee, he is within your jurisdiction in a
provincial jail, and it is therefore your responsibility to respond to this
crisis.

As of today (Tuesday, September 6), Mohammad Mahjoub is on Day 62 of his
hunger strike. Mr. Mahjoub was already in poor health before beginning his
current hunger strike, and medical professionals have stated, in a letter
to Prime Minister Paul Martin September 2, 2005, that Mahjoub is at
imminent risk of permanent, severe impairment, and very possibly, of death.

By way of comparison: in 1981, Bobby Sands and 9 other IRA prisoners on
hunger strike died after periods varying from 46 to 73 days after
sustaining severe organ damage (e.g., blindness). Several survivors of the
strike remained permanently handicapped. In 1996, many Kurdish hunger
strikers in Turkey died after periods of 65 to 69 days.

Please intervene immediately to try to find a humane solution to this
situation. You have the power, and therefore the moral responsibility, to
resolve this crisis.

Surely it is not too much to ask for a monthly contact visit with two small
children and for proper medical care.

As Canadians, we pride ourselves on respecting basic human rights. Please
remain true to this fundamental value. Should Mohammad Mahjoub die or be
permanently handicapped, it would be to our lasting shame and dishonour as
Canadians and as members of the human family.

I look forward to your prompt response to my letter and to positive action
to resolve this crisis.

Sincerely,

Name
Address







From bloquezlempiremontreal at resist.ca  Tue Sep  6 05:46:57 2005
From: bloquezlempiremontreal at resist.ca (Bloquez l'empire)
Date: Tue, 6 Sep 2005 08:46:57 -0400
Subject: [Bloquez l'empire!] Rappel: Reunion de planification Bloquez
	l'empire
Message-ID: <019901c5b2e2$367d46e0$06bc13cc@CPQ18145226471>

? la recherche d'une carri?re fascinante ? la hauteur de vos ambitions?
D'une vaste s?lection de missions et d'op?rations?
La r?union de planification strat?gique de Bloquez l'empire est pour vous !
Bloquez l'empire offre beaucoup plus que votre train-train quotidien !

Lundi le 12 septembre
de 19 heures ? 21 heures
au DIRA (2035, boul. Saint-Laurent)

Le collectif Bloquez l'empire songe ? entreprendre quelques projets
*int?ressants* au cours des prochains mois. Nous aimerions beaucoup que
vous fassiez partie de ces projets, ou ? tout le moins que vous nous
faites part de vos commentaires et suggestions, si vous ne pr?voyez pas
vous y impliquer.

Plus que jamais, les institutions que nous pr?voyons cibler sont
flagrantes. Qu'elles prennent la forme d'un nouveau contrat pour la
construction d'h?licopt?res militaires ? Mirabel, la production continue
de munitions par SNC-Lavalin, la rh?torique grossi?re de notre brillant
g?n?ral Hillier ? propos des forces canadiennes en Afghanistan, les
campagnes du recrutement militaire ou encore que ce soit l'ignorance et la
complaisance qui permettent le fonctionnement ininterrompu de la machine de
guerre montr?alaise.

Bloquez l'empire est le *seul* groupe anti-guerre radical de Montr?al, le
*seul* groupe qui cible les moteurs locaux de la militarisation et nous
trouvons qu'il est important d'appuyer activement ces efforts, tandis que
nous cherchons ? d?marrer de nouveau, sous un autre nom. Nous voyons notre
travail comme ?tant compl?mentaire ? celui de groupes tels que le
Mouvement de Solidarit? internationale (ISM), Action Haiti Montr?al,
Objection de conscience, le PASC, CLAC-Am?rique Latine, le Projet
Solidarit? Liban, Personne n'est ill?gal, IPSM, et d'autres qui agissent
en solidarit? aupr?s de communaut?s directement affect?es. Nous cherchons
ainsi ? exposer et ? perturber les ressources qui ? Montr?al sont mises au
profit de l'imp?rialisme canadien en Palestine, en Haiti, en Colombie, en
Irak, au Liban, ? travers le 'Turtle Island', en Afghanistan et ailleurs.

Nous organisons donc cette r?union afin de rassembler un nouveau groupe
actif, ainsi que pour solliciter des commentaires et des conseils sur les
strat?gies ? privil?gier et les ressources qui sont ? notre disposition
dans la construction d'une campagne efficace et viable pour effriter les
bases de la militarisation ? Montr?al. Et bien sur votre aide
pour nous trouver un nouveau nom!

SVP confirmez votre pr?sence: bloquezlempiremontreal at resist.ca.

**JOIGNEZ-VOUS ? NOTRE LISTE DE DIFFUSION (nouvelles et articles sur le
militarisation, actions de bloquez l'empire, etc.) :
blem-nouvelles-subscribe at lists.resist.ca.




From bloquezlempiremontreal at resist.ca  Tue Sep  6 05:47:50 2005
From: bloquezlempiremontreal at resist.ca (Bloquez l'empire)
Date: Tue, 6 Sep 2005 08:47:50 -0400
Subject: [Bloquez l'empire!] Reminder: Block the empire strategy meeting
Message-ID: <019a01c5b2e2$36eb4af0$06bc13cc@CPQ18145226471>

Looking for a rewarding and challenging career, with a broad range of
exciting missions and operations? Come out to Block the Empire's strategic
planning meeting. Block the Empire offers more than an ordinary routine!

Monday, 12 September, 7 to 9pm
DIRA (2035 St. Laurent)

A few *interesting* projects are in the works for Block the empire and we
would love to have your involvement, or at least your input even if you are
not planning to be involved in the coming year. From a new contract to build
US military support helicopters in Mirabel, to ongoing production of SNC
bullets, to the "kill the bastards" rhetoric from our brilliant General
Hillier (about Canadian troops in Afghanistan), to the every day military
recruitment campaigns in Montreal and the ignorance
and complacency which permit the smooth functionning of Montreal's war
machine - the targets are tantalizing, obvious and compelling.

Block the empire is the *only* radical anti-war group in Montreal, the
*only* group targetting the local engines of militarisation, and it is
important that we get broad and active support as we launch a fresh start
under a new name. We see ourselves as complementing the work of solidarity
groups like ISM, Haiti Action Montreal, OCVC, la PASC, CLAC Amerique Latine,
Lebanon Solidarity Project, No one is illegal, IPSM and others by exposing
and disrupting the mobilisation of resources in Montreal for Canadian
imperialism in Palestine, Haiti, Colombia, Iraq, Lebanon, Turtle Island,
Afghanistan and elsewhere.

We're calling this meeting to pull together a new and active crew, as well
as to seek feedback and advice on strategies and resources to build a
sustainable and effective campaign to erode the base of militarisation in
Montreal. And of course to get your help in coming up with a new name!

Please confirm your presence: bloquezlempiremontreal at resist.ca.

** JOIN OUR NEWS LIST (news and analysis on militarisation, block the empire
actions, etc.):  blem-nouvelles-subscribe at lists.resist.ca.




From mfoster at web.ca  Tue Sep  6 09:19:05 2005
From: mfoster at web.ca (Mary Foster)
Date: Tue, 6 Sep 2005 12:19:05 -0400
Subject: [Bloquez l'empire!] Appel de l'epouse de Mahjoub,
	62e jour de greve de la faim
Message-ID: <047001c5b2fe$bd90ade0$06bc13cc@CPQ18145226471>

----- Original Message -----
From: "TASC" <tasc at web.ca>
Sent: Monday, September 05, 2005 8:16 PM

Des actions urgentes sont n?cessaires pour sauver la vie de Mohammad
Mahjoub, d?tenu en vertu d'un proc?s secret, qui entame son 62?me jour de
gr?ve de la faim en isolement cellulaire.

LA SEMAINE PASS?E, VOS ACTIONS SOUTENUES ONT DONN? ? HASSAN ALMREI L'ESPOIR
N?CESSAIRE POUR SUSPENDRE SA GR?VE DE LA FAIM. M. MAHJOUB A BESOIN DE VOTRE
APPUI ALORS QU'IL ENTAME UNE SEMAINE CRITIQUE POUR SA SANT?.

SVP, faites largement circuler cet appel. Des id?es d'actions ainsi qu'un
exemple de lettre suit ce message.

? Ne faites pas une veuve de moi ?, plaide la femme de Mohammad Mahjoub,
d?tenu en vertu d'un proc?s secret. M. Mahjoub entame son 62?me jour de
gr?ve de la faim pour l'am?lioration de ses conditions de d?tention en
isolement cellulaire.

Mona Elfouli lance un appel ? Irwin Cotler, ministre de la Justice, au
premier ministre Paul Martin, ? Joe Volpe, ministre de l'Immigration et ?
Monte Kwinter, ministre des services correctionnels afin qu'ils r?pondent ?
l'appel de son mari qui demande des soins m?dicaux et des visites-contact
avec ses enfants.

TORONTO, LE 6 SEPTEMBRE 2005 - Mohammad Mahjoub, un r?fugi? ?gyptien d?tenu
en vertu d'un proc?s secret au Centre de d?tention de l'Ouest de Toronto
depuis juin 2000, est faible et en mauvaise sant?. Il entame son 62?me jour
de gr?ve de la faim.

Presque dans l'ombre de la gr?ve de la faim frappante de Hassan Almrei, un
r?fugi? syrien qui a mit fin, samedi, ? une gr?ve de 73 jours, M. Mahjoub
continue sa lutte silencieuse et d?termin?e pour l'am?lioration de ses
conditions de d?tention alors qu'il attend le r?sultat d'un long processus
juridique qui d?terminera s'il peut recevoir la libert? sous caution et, ?
plus long terme, si sa d?portation vers la torture en ?gypte est l?gale.

M. Mahjoub demande, entre autres:

* une visite-contact mensuelle avec ses enfants - visite qui lui est encore
refus?e apr?s cinq ans au Centre de d?tention de l'Ouest de Toronto;

* des soins m?dicaux ad?quats, y compris un traitement pour une blessure au
genou, une biopsie du foie afin de pleinement ?valuer l'h?patite C qu'il a
contract?e en prison (malgr? le fait qu'elle ait ?t? recommand?e par un
m?decin, la biopsie a ?t? refus?e pour des raisons s?curitaires
non-divulgu?es) et une paire de lunettes.

(Apr?s que des supporteurs aient fait des efforts prolong?s pour que M.
Mahjoub puisse voir un optom?triste, aucune prescription pou des lunettes n'
a ?t? remplie depuis huit mois.)

? Je fais appel au peuple canadien et aux membres du gouvernement qui sont
responsables des conditions de d?tention de Mohammad - Irwin Cotler,
ministre de la Justice, Anne McLellan, ministre de la S?curit? publique, Joe
Volpe, ministre de l'Immigration, Paul Martin, premier ministre et Monte
Kwinter, ministre de la s?curit? publique de l'Ontario - dans l'espoir de
parvenir ? une solution qui permettrait ? Mohammad de vivre ?, dit Mme
Elfouli, mari?e ? M. Mahjoub depuis 1996.

? Je ne veux pas devenir veuve, et mes deux jeunes enfants ont besoin d'
avoir leur p?re aupr?s d'eux. Mais en attendant la libert? sous caution,
nous devons rendre sa d?tention supportable. Il a besoin de soins m?dicaux
pour son h?patite C, et c'est de la torture pour les enfants de ne pas
pouvoir embrasser leur p?re. ?


Mme Elfouli affirme que son mari lutte constamment pour sa dignit? en prison
et qu'il se heurte maintenant ? des obstacles institutionnels. ? Nous
appr?cions tous les deux certaines personnes de la prison, des bons gardiens
et capitaines et des gens d?vou?s du service de sant?. C'est Immigration
Canada qui rend l'acc?s ? des soins ad?quats difficile, et c'est le bureau
de M. Kwinter qui refuse d'accorder des visites-contact ?.


Matthew Behrens, un ami qui a offert 5 000 $ en caution pour M. Mahjoub, s'
inqui?te du fait que les autorit?s n'agiront que si l'opinion publique est
ameut?e. ? D'une part, le gouvernement f?d?ral a prouv? sa d?termination ?
d?porter Mohammad et les autres d?tenus en vertu de proc?s secrets vers la
torture. Le gouvernement de l'Ontario refuse de sinc?rement n?gocier, ce qui
force ces hommes ? engager un combat non-violent qui met leur sant? en p?ril
et qui peut mener vers la mort. ?

? Il est clair, d'une part, que les gouvernements ne se soucient pas
vraiment de leurs vies. Par contre, ils se soucient des votes. Nous esp?rons
qu'ils se rendent compte que beaucoup de votes ? priori certains sont remis
en question, particuli?rement dans l'?ventualit? ou la mort en d?tention de
M. Mahjoub viendrait tacher leurs mains de sang. ?

Au cours des dix derniers jours, des milliers de personnes ont r?pondu aux
demandes de M. Almrei et de M. Mahjoub, et ces gens sont d?go?t?s par l'
insensibilit? et le manque de r?action flagrant des gouvernements ontarien
et f?d?ral.

? Le temps file pour M. Mahjoub. Le gouvernement a int?r?t ? agir vite. ?

Les professionnels de la sant? soulignent que, en plus des conditions
imm?diates qui suscitent actuellement le mouvement de protestation, il est
inacceptable que des hommes tel que M. Mahjoub soient forc?s ? faire face ?
la torture psychologique de la d?tention ind?finie et ? l'incertitude quant
? une ?ventuelle d?portation vers la torture.

En comparaison, en 1981, Bobby Sands et 9 autres prisonniers membres de l'
IRA en gr?ve de la faim sont morts suite ? des p?riodes allant de 46 ? 73
jours sans nourriture, endurant entre temps de s?v?res dommages aux organes
(dont la c?cit?). Plusieurs survivants de cette gr?ve demeurent handicap?s ?
vie.

Pour tout renseignements suppl?mentaires, contactez la Campagne pour mettre
fin aux proc?s secrets au Canada ? ? :
tasc at web.ca ou au (416) 651-5800.
Notre site web : www.homesnotbombs.ca

POUR AGIR:
?crivez, t?l?phonez ou t?l?copiez les individus suivants. Un exemple de
lettre est joint ci-dessous. SVP, envoyez une copie de vos messages au
premier ministre Paul Martin (pm at pm.gc.ca), ? Anne McLellan, vice premier
ministre (McLellan.A at parl.gc.ca), ? Joe Volpe, ministre de l'Immigration
(volpej at parl.gc.ca) et ? Irwin Cotler, ministre de la Justice
(cotlei at parl.gc.ca)

Envoyez une copie de votre correspondance ? la Campagne pour mettre fin aux
proc?s secrets au Canada ? : tasc at web.ca ou par t?l?copieur au (416)
651-9770

NOTE: Le bureau de M. Kwinter dira que ce dossier rel?ve du gouvernement
federal et tentera de vous diriger vers Ottawa, puisque Mohammad est un
d?tenu federal, mais ces ?v?nements ont lieu dans une prison provinciale -
la province a donc la capacit? et la responsabilit? de rencontrer Mohammad
et d'am?liorer ses conditions de d?tention.

Monte Kwinter
Ministre des services correctionnels et de la s?curit? communautaire
18?me ?tager, 25 Rue Grosvenor, Toronto, ON, M7A 1Y6
T?l?phone: (416) 325-0408
T?l?copieur: (416) 325-6067
mkwinter.mpp at liberal.ola.org

Anne McLellan
Ministre de la S?curit? publique et de la protection civile
13?me ?tage, 340 Av. Laurier
Ottawa, ON K1A 0P8
T?l?phone: (613) 992-4524
T?l?copieur: (613) 943-0044 ou
McLellan.A at parl.gc.ca

SVP, envoyez une copie ?: Paul Martin, Cotler et Volpe

Monte Kwinter
Ministre de la S?curit? communautaire et des Services correctionnels du
gouvernement de l'Ontario
Re: Gr?ve de la faim de Mohammad Mahjoub

Cher M. Kwinter,

Je vous ?cris pour vous inciter ? agir imm?diatement pour r?pondre aux
demandes l?gitimes de Mohammad Mahjoub, d?tenu sans proc?s dans une prison
ontarienne depuis plus de cinq ans et maintenant en gr?ve de la faim. M.
Mahjoub demande des conditions de d?tention d'une d?cence minimale. Ses
principales demandes incluent un traitement m?dical ad?quat pour l'h?patite
C qu'il a contract?e en prison (une biopsie du foie lui a ?t? prescrite et
refus?e), des soins m?dicaux ad?quats pour une blessure au genou survenue en
prison, le renouvellement d'une prescription longuement n?glig?e pour des
lunettes, et des visites-contact mensuelles avec ses jeunes enfants.

M?me s'il est un d?tenu f?d?ral, il est sous votre juridiction dans une
prison provinciale. Vous avez donc la responsabilit? de r?pondre ? cette
crise.

? partir d'aujourd'hui (mardi, le 6 septembre), Mohammad Mahjoub en est ? 62
jours de gr?ve de la faim. L'?tat de sant? de M. Mahjoub ?tait d?j? mauvais
avant d'entamer cette gr?ve de la faim, et des professionnels de la sant?
ont affirm?, dans une lettre au premier ministre Paul Martin le 2 septembre
2005, que M. Mahjoub risque de s?v?res dommages permanents ? sa sant? et,
tr?s possiblement, la mort.

 En comparaison, en 1981, Bobby Sands et 9 autres prisonniers membres de l'
IRA en gr?ve de la faim sont morts suite ? des p?riodes allant de 46 ? 73
jours sans nourriture, endurant entre temps de s?v?res dommages aux organes
(dont la c?cit?). Plusieurs survivants de cette gr?ve demeurent handicap?s ?
vie. En 1996, en Turquie, plusieurs gr?vistes de la faim kurdes sont morts
apr?s des p?riodes de 65 ? 69 jours sans nourriture.

Nous vous demandons d'intervenir imm?diatement afin de parvenir ? une
solution humaine ? cette situation. Vous avez le pouvoir, donc la
responsabilit? morale, de r?soudre cette crise.

Est-ce trop demander que de souhaiter une visite-contact mensuelle avec deux
jeunes enfants et des soins m?dicaux ad?quats?

En tant que Canadiens et Canadiennes, nous sommes fier(e)s de respecter les
droits humains fondamentaux. S'il-vous-pla?t, soyez fid?le ? cette valeur
centrale ? notre soci?t?. Si Mohammad Mahjoub en venait ? mourir ou ?
souffrir d'handicap permanent, ce serait une honte pour nous, en tant que
Canadiens et Canadiennes et membres de la famille humaine.

J'attends avec impatience votre r?ponse rapide ? ma lettre et votre action
positive afin de r?soudre cette crise.

Sinc?rement

Nom
Adresse







From haitiactionmontreal at gmail.com  Wed Sep  7 08:56:45 2005
From: haitiactionmontreal at gmail.com (Haiti Action Montreal)
Date: Wed, 7 Sep 2005 10:56:45 -0500
Subject: [Bloquez l'empire!] Canada in Haiti: Waging War on the Poor
	(Montreal Book Launch, September 13, 6:30pm, Green Room)
In-Reply-To: <260379b205090509413215e026@mail.gmail.com>
References: <260379b2050903215221daa089@mail.gmail.com>
	<260379b20509032215f423fec@mail.gmail.com>
	<260379b2050903222457279d73@mail.gmail.com>
	<260379b205090322253e2f26dc@mail.gmail.com>
	<260379b205090502114cead753@mail.gmail.com>
	<260379b2050905021557210a8f@mail.gmail.com>
	<260379b205090509395c7ce349@mail.gmail.com>
	<260379b205090509413215e026@mail.gmail.com>
Message-ID: <260379b205090708563e8230a8@mail.gmail.com>

[Please post and forward ...]

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Waging War on the Poor: Canada in Haiti
Montreal Book Launch
TUESDAY, September 13, 6:30pm
The Green Room
5386 St-Laurent (corner St-Viateur)
FREE
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Join us for the Montreal launch of the newly published "Waging War on
the Poor Majority: Canada in Haiti" (Red/Fernwood Publishing),
co-authored by Yves Engler and Anthony Fenton.

This evening event includes:

* Exclusive video footage from the upcoming documentary "Haiti: The
Untold Story" by Haiti-based journalist Kevin Pina;

* Video footage of June 17, 2005 civil disobedience action against
Canadian Foreign Minister Pierre Pettigrew;

* Remarks by "Canada in Haiti" co-authors, Yves Engler and Anthony Fenton;

* Presentation by Magalie X of Vwa Zanset ("Voice of the Ancestors")
and Haiti Action Montreal.

The event is free, with discounted copies of "Canada in Haiti"
available for sale.

Organized by Haiti Action Montreal.

"The story of Haiti is one of resistance, of a spirit that exists
inside us all, to assert our essential humanity. Unfortunately the
story is also one of how much the rich and powerful feel threatened by
this spirit and how far they are prepared to go to crush it. While
Canadians prefer to see their government as a force for good in the
world, the reality is that it most often sides with the rich and
powerful. "Canada in Haiti" is a powerful cry for justice and a
warning about what can be done in our name when we aren't looking."



"In both their writings and activism, Yves Engler and Anthony Fenton
have done some of the most important work in exposing Canada's
shameful role in Haiti." -- Naomi Klein, author No Logo.

"Yves and Anthony's book is a crucial weapon in understanding, and
acting, on the paternalistic and neo-colonial role the Canadian
government, and its NGO allies, plays in Haiti." -- Jaggi Singh,
Montreal-area activist and writer.

"Most Canadians will find the revelations of this book shocking,
disturbing, revolting but absolutely undeniable. In graphic detail,
Fenton and Engler describe how, contrary to rhetoric, the neo-colonial
"responsibility to protect" doctrine has in fact translated into a
cynical and deadly socio-political experiment conducted on and against
Haitians." -- Jean Saint-Vil, Ottawa-based Haiti solidarity activist.

INFO:
Tel: 514-807-9037
E-mail: haitiactionmontreal at gmail.com
Web: http://www.outofhaiti.ca


From haitiactionmontreal at gmail.com  Wed Sep  7 08:57:29 2005
From: haitiactionmontreal at gmail.com (Haiti Action Montreal)
Date: Wed, 7 Sep 2005 10:57:29 -0500
Subject: [Bloquez l'empire!] Le Canada en Haiti: La guerre contre les
	pauvres (Lancement de livre, 13 septembre, 18h30,
	Le Salon Vert, Montreal)
In-Reply-To: <260379b20509050942303aa5b7@mail.gmail.com>
References: <260379b205090321514f11d7fd@mail.gmail.com>
	<260379b2050903221824fa9029@mail.gmail.com>
	<260379b2050903222177568251@mail.gmail.com>
	<260379b20509032226567c8394@mail.gmail.com>
	<260379b2050905021220fb84ee@mail.gmail.com>
	<260379b205090502162d36e40d@mail.gmail.com>
	<260379b20509050940384932c3@mail.gmail.com>
	<260379b20509050942303aa5b7@mail.gmail.com>
Message-ID: <260379b20509070857160ee903@mail.gmail.com>

[Svp diffuser ...]

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Lancement montr?alais du livre
"La guerre contre la majorit? pauvre:
le Canada en Haiti"
(Waging the War Against the Poor Majority:
Canada in Haiti)
MARDI le 13 septembre ? 18h30
Le Salon Vert
5386 St-Laurent (coin St-Viateur)
GRATUIT
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Participez au lancement montr?alais du livre "La guerre contre la
majorit? pauvre: le Canada en Haiti ("Waging War on the Poor Majority:
Canada in Haiti") publi? aux ?ditions Red/Fernwood, par Yves Engler et
Anthony Fenton.

Il y aura au cours de cette soir?e gratuite ...

* Des images exclusives du documentaire in?dit "Haiti: l'autre
histoire" (Haiti: The Untold Story) du journaliste Kevin Pina, bas? ?
Haiti;

* Une vid?o tourn?e le 17 juin 2005 lors d'une action de d?sob?issance
civile contre le ministre canadien des Affaires ?trang?res, Pierre
Pettigrew;

* Des commentaires des auteurs de "Canada en Haiti", Yves Engler et
Anthony Fenton;

* Une pr?sentation donn?e par Magalie X des associations Vwa Zanset
("La voix des anc?tres") et Action Haiti Montr?al.


Des exemplaires en rabais du livre "Le Canada en Haiti" seront en vente.

?v?nement organis? par Action Haiti Montr?al.


"L'histoire haitienne en est une de r?sistance, de cet esprit, cette
volont? d'affirmer l'humanit? profonde qui existe en chacun(e) de
nous. Malheureusement, cette histoire en est aussi une de la peur
ressentie par les riches face ? cet esprit, et de l'?tendue des moyens
qu'ils sont pr?ts ? prendre pour l'?craser. Les Canadien(ne)s
pr?f?rent sans doute voir leur gouvernement comme une force de bien
dans le monde. La r?alit? toutefois est que dans la plupart des cas il
choisit plut?t d'appuyer les riches et les puissants. "Le Canada en
Haiti" est ? la fois un grand cri de justice et une mise en garde
s?rieuse sur les gestes qui sont pos?s en notre nom quand nous n'y
portons pas attention."


"Par leur ?crit, leurs actes et leur engagement, Yves Engler et
Anthony Fenton ont offert une contribution de premier plan dans la
d?nonciation du r?le honteux du Canada en Haiti." -- Naomi Klein,
auteure de "No Logo"

"Cet ouvrage d'Yves et d'Anthony constitue une arme importante qui
servira ? mieux comprendre et ? agir face au r?le paternaliste et
neo-colonial du gouvernement canadien et des ONG alli?es en Haiti." --
Jaggi Singh, ?crivain et militant montr?alais

"Les faits rapport?s dans ce livre, pourtant ind?niables, s'av?reront
choquants, troublants et r?voltants pour tout Canadien.  Avec amples
d?tails, Fenton et Engler prennent le contre-pieds de la propagande
officielle et illustrent le tournant desastreux d'une exp?rience socio
politique devenue meurtri?re pour le peuple haitien,  la doctrine
n?o-coloniale baptis?e "Responsabilit? de prot?ger". -- Jean
Saint-Vil, militant de solidarit? avec le Haiti



INFO:
Tel: 514-807-9037
E-mail: haitiactionmontreal at gmail.com
Web: http://www.outofhaiti.ca


From mfoster at web.ca  Thu Sep  8 17:54:14 2005
From: mfoster at web.ca (Bloquez l'empire)
Date: Thu, 8 Sep 2005 20:54:14 -0400
Subject: [Bloquez l'empire!] In New Orleans, Thus Sept 8
Message-ID: <059301c5b4d9$056d01a0$17bc13cc@CPQ18145226471>

From: "Scott Weinstein" <scott.weinstein at sympatico.ca>

> Hello,
>
> This is just an attempt to quickly scribble down some impressions and an
evaluation of the situation from my isolated perspective. Because of
pressing time and the fact that I am in a room without permission under
control of Blackwater Security, and I just accidentaly lost everything I
wrote....
>
> Been in N.O. for two days, ironically, got a lift here on an ambulance
with a detail to help provide vaccinations & medical care to some of the
security forces in the city. From a medical perspective, there is little to
do here, so I will leave. There is a clinic in the Sheraton, controlled by
Blackwater, and housing them, the Immigration police, and the New Orleans
city police. The city is under a soft form of a state of seige - or let's
just say that that you can't swing a dead cat without hitting a soldier or
cop (that's a southern expression).
>
> However, it is so fucked up. Bush has promised "boots on the ground" in a
public relations effort to show he is doing something, but soldiers are not
priority - this is a humanitarian & environmental disaster, not a war - or
it shouldn't be a war. I will go over the absurd lack of common sense in the
post-disaster planning and execution later.
>
> It is quite safe to walk around the city, despite the paranoia of the news
media and the armed forces. Or let's say that it's a typical American city
that has been emptied of most of it's residents. Sometimes I think I am
watching a scene from Iraq - all the streets are being swept repeatedly by
heavily armed cop cars from all states, the N.O.P.D., the FBI, and the Armed
Forces. But the streets are not being sweeped by brooms, and that is a
priority because the uncollected fetid trash is a bacterial breeding ground.
So if disease is a rationale for evacuating the dry areas, well, clean up
the garbage! No brainer there. Not one garbage truck has entered the city,
but ambulances, police cars, humvees and vans with tinted windows and
emergency lights from all over the country are patrolling.
>
> I call it a military Woodstock, and when I ask them what they are doing
here, they mention that "everybody wants to get in on this" or protecting
(each other) or providing security. However, when I ask the N.O. police
about the actual violence and threats, they say that while N.O.is a very
violent city generally, most of the isolated violence happened before last
Thursday BEFORE any other military or other police departments showed up.
The outside security forces say that there is rampent violence continuing .
>
> Regardless, most of the individual guys who are heavily armed are decent
and they are actually friendly to the residents - offering them food and
bottled water. Those doing search and rescue are very dedicated to saving
people. Last night, some soldiers told me how happy they were to rescue a
family of 6 from their flooded home. Some understand that it would be better
that they did not have a forced evacuation, but that if people must leave,
that civilians should interact with the residents.
>
> Most of the few remaining residents I've met can be placed into three
groups. In the French Quarter which is above water, there are 'middle class'
whites who emerged after a week, citing security fears for them remaining
inside. Then there are poor whites and black who simple don't want to leave
because this is THEIR city, and why should they leave. Some are homeless, or
extremely destitute and desperately poor. Yet most that I met were resistant
to the idea of being forced out.
>
> In the areas that are flooded, (at least the edges where I could walk or
ride in an ambulance) everyone remaining is black and equally poor. There is
such a stark in-your-face jolt of poverty and race here in a major American
city, that even the soldiers here are shaking their heads.
>
> I spent half the day yesterday helping or persuading people to leave -
using an ambulance as a taxi. Most of the folks we took were old and infirm.
Rumor from various military forces was that today, the law would change and
forced evacuations would begin. We told people that coming with us was a
better deal with us than with the guys with guns, and that they should bring
ID, addreses of family & friends, and a change of clothes. Half had no ID or
addresses... Fortunately, the military was letting people bring their pets,
so that was a relief for some. But still, the evacuation procedures at this
point are being controlled by the guys with guns. Today, I think we may have
made a mistake. The atmosphere seems more relaxed, and there isn't the
rumours of a forced evacuation.
>
> Maybe people can stay, or maybe it could turn ugly. The worst thing would
be for New Orleans to be under Marshal Law, with no independent media and
observers to prevent a secret & bloody military operation. Whatever, Bush
seems to only know one tune - Military Rules.
>
> People are being evacuated two ways - they can get a private ride out, or
they can got to the Convention Center (again!). New Orleans business oweners
are allowed back in to check out or secure their place.
>
> While the convention center is closed,& all the stinking trash is outside,
people (remember these are the poor) are first lined up in the hot sun
across the street. (I asked the medical staff to get more tents for shade
for the folks - tents that are being stored at the near-by Louis Armstrong
Airport that people are being evacuated to.)
>
> Then evacuees get frisked, bags (if they have any) searched by military,
go through a medical triage if they need assistance, then board a Blackhawk
helicopter for a deafening 15 minute ride to the airport. While the 'copter
crew and I would stare out the open windows for a view of the devastation,
the evacuees are huddled on the metal floor staring like a deer in the
headlights. At the airport, they sit on the baggage carriers and get towed
into a terminal, walk past more security and up to the second triage medical
area with impressive MASH tent setups.
>
> By that time, the evacuees seem stunned - some are just flattened by the
fact that one hour ago they were in their homes, and now after a crazy ride
they are being asked to choose where in the state or country they want to go
according to the limited options of departing buses and planes. Within an
hour, they are gone...
>
> I really fear that they will be lost and forgotten soon. There is an
attempt by one Louisiana social service worker to record them, but most just
get into a bus or plane and off they go to whatever un-coordinated place
they go to next. On the positive side, New Orleaneans are a proud group, and
if anyone will hone back to their city, it would be them.
>
> When I last wrote 4 days ago, I mentioned the lack of coordination between
various agencies and facilities. This is still a major problem. No one has
any coherent idea what will happen to a survivor who evacuates to a
government or charity facility down the line of steps. None of these
evacuees are given any money - just bottled water, food and sometimes
donated clothes. Information is unreliable.
>
> I liken the execution of this disaster response to fire fighting. Most of
the time, fire fighters sit around, cook, eat, shoot the shit, and train.
But they are paid for the rare times they have to fight a fire. Once in a
blue moon, they have to coordinate with other fire houses and fight a major
fire. Regardless, they are prepared, trained, supplied and have a plan. They
don't wait for the house to start burning before stocking their fire engines
or figuring out what they should do.
>
> The levees of New Orleans was the third highest risk of a disaster in the
US according to the FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency). Yet they and
Dept. of Homeland Security (DHS) which they are now under, ONLY sat around a
shot the shit, while eating up billions of dollars for security prevention
and response. That's why New Orleans is flooded with military.
>
> One DHS official coordinating the response told me yesterday that they
were ordered to take FEMA off their badges and vehiculs because the country
is so angry at FEMA. When I asked him what he thought of that, he said "FEMA
is a bunch of fucking shit." A doctor I work with coined a new joke. What's
the Cajun expression for "Go Fuck Yourself" - "You'll have to clear that
with FEMA".
>
> Regardless, FEMA, like most of the rescue people and managers I have met,
are composed of well meaning people, but the top management is incompetent.
>
> The disaster response is federally, state and locally managed. From my
perspective, they have the resources, but not the common sense. They ignore
the basic ABC's of organizing a rapid response that any of us who have
organized a demonstration are aware of:
> Coordination, Mobilization, Supplies, and Goals. For Katrina, there was
(and still is) no adequate coordination between the various agencies. The
supplies came late, and in the case of the missing garbage trucks verses
flood of guns and rifles, are not always appropriate. The mobilization is
inappropriate - this post 9-11 disaster is defined as a security operation
or a war, and the mobilization is of soldiers, cops and mercenaries along
with church charity organizations. But the civilian/non-armed government
volunteers and skilled workers are not being allowed into New Orleans
without military approval.
>
> Also, the hierarchical and authoritarian structure of the government means
that there is a lot of orders that are being followed because people HAVE to
follow them - against their better judgement.
>
> Simply put, the wrong agencies are being asked to do the job, because this
country is so incredibly militarized at the expense of civil infrastructure.
Most problems respond poorly to a war response.
>
> Some things are working well: By and large, everyone WANTS to help. The
civilian volunteers like myself are able to get around well and get involved
if they take initiative and are ready to hustle or bullshit their way
through the bureaucratic roadblocks. The New Orleans police, firefighters,
ambulance crews and hospital workers really did work for 5 days straight on
hardly any sleep. Pets are being rescued and sheltered. There is free
medical care and free food. Among the people here, there is a sense of
community and solidarity - even across the politically antagonistic mix of
soldiers, federal police and humanitarian volunteers. Some immigration
officers who fly immigrants out of the US to where-ever (including Comair
renditions) where happy to wear a different hat helping people. No one
pretends that the organized response isn't fucked up.
>
> So, now the challenges are multiple - first the larger issue of dealing
with poverty and racism that makes this evacuation into a humanitarian
disaster - why were the evacuees housed in the stadium and convention center
when huge hotels in the dry French Quarter were available? The government is
paying for hotels to house the security forces - but not the evacuees. How
come the evacuees are STILL being crowded en mass into facilities when there
are millions of homes in America that can board one or two or a whole
family - segregation under the veneer of rescue?
>
> From a technical view, the challenge is to demilitarize disaster rescue,
and ensure competent management of the civil response.
>
> People fear the government will opportunisticly use Katrina like 9-11 to
further militarize and privatize. We can't let it happen.
>
> best,
> Scott




From haitiactionmontreal at gmail.com  Sun Sep 11 15:55:12 2005
From: haitiactionmontreal at gmail.com (Haiti Action Montreal)
Date: Sun, 11 Sep 2005 18:55:12 -0400
Subject: [Bloquez l'empire!] TUESDAY: Canada in Haiti: Waging War on the
	Poor (Montreal Book Launch, 6:30pm, Green Room)
Message-ID: <260379b205091115556f0feb9d@mail.gmail.com>

[Please post and forward ...]

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Waging War on the Poor: Canada in Haiti
Montreal Book Launch
TUESDAY, September 13, 6:30pm
The Green Room
5386 St-Laurent (corner St-Viateur)
FREE
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Join us for the Montreal launch of the newly published "Waging War on
the Poor Majority: Canada in Haiti" (Red/Fernwood Publishing),
co-authored by Yves Engler and Anthony Fenton.

This evening event includes:

* Exclusive video footage from the upcoming documentary "Haiti: The
Untold Story" by Haiti-based journalist Kevin Pina;

* Video footage of June 17, 2005 civil disobedience action against
Canadian Foreign Minister Pierre Pettigrew;

* Remarks by "Canada in Haiti" co-authors, Yves Engler and Anthony Fenton;

* Presentation by Magalie X of Vwa Zanset ("Voice of the Ancestors")
and Haiti Action Montreal.

The event is free, with discounted copies of "Canada in Haiti"
available for sale.

Organized by Haiti Action Montreal.

"The story of Haiti is one of resistance, of a spirit that exists
inside us all, to assert our essential humanity. Unfortunately the
story is also one of how much the rich and powerful feel threatened by
this spirit and how far they are prepared to go to crush it. While
Canadians prefer to see their government as a force for good in the
world, the reality is that it most often sides with the rich and
powerful. "Canada in Haiti" is a powerful cry for justice and a
warning about what can be done in our name when we aren't looking."



"In both their writings and activism, Yves Engler and Anthony Fenton
have done some of the most important work in exposing Canada's
shameful role in Haiti." -- Naomi Klein, author No Logo.

"Yves and Anthony's book is a crucial weapon in understanding, and
acting, on the paternalistic and neo-colonial role the Canadian
government, and its NGO allies, plays in Haiti." -- Jaggi Singh,
Montreal-area activist and writer.

"Most Canadians will find the revelations of this book shocking,
disturbing, revolting but absolutely undeniable. In graphic detail,
Fenton and Engler describe how, contrary to rhetoric, the neo-colonial
"responsibility to protect" doctrine has in fact translated into a
cynical and deadly socio-political experiment conducted on and against
Haitians." -- Jean Saint-Vil, Ottawa-based Haiti solidarity activist.

INFO:
Tel: 514-807-9037
E-mail: haitiactionmontreal at gmail.com
Web: http://www.outofhaiti.ca


From haitiactionmontreal at gmail.com  Sun Sep 11 15:56:49 2005
From: haitiactionmontreal at gmail.com (Haiti Action Montreal)
Date: Sun, 11 Sep 2005 18:56:49 -0400
Subject: [Bloquez l'empire!] MARDI: Le Canada en Haiti: La guerre contre les
	pauvres (Lancement de livre, 18h30, Le Salon Vert, Montreal)
Message-ID: <260379b205091115566af98467@mail.gmail.com>

[Svp diffuser ...]

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Lancement montr?alais du livre
"La guerre contre la majorit? pauvre:
le Canada en Haiti"
(Waging the War Against the Poor Majority:
Canada in Haiti)
MARDI le 13 septembre ? 18h30
Le Salon Vert
5386 St-Laurent (coin St-Viateur)
GRATUIT
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Participez au lancement montr?alais du livre "La guerre contre la
majorit? pauvre: le Canada en Haiti ("Waging War on the Poor Majority:
Canada in Haiti") publi? aux ?ditions Red/Fernwood, par Yves Engler et
Anthony Fenton.

Il y aura au cours de cette soir?e gratuite ...

* Des images exclusives du documentaire in?dit "Haiti: l'autre
histoire" (Haiti: The Untold Story) du journaliste Kevin Pina, bas? ?
Haiti;

* Une vid?o tourn?e le 17 juin 2005 lors d'une action de d?sob?issance
civile contre le ministre canadien des Affaires ?trang?res, Pierre
Pettigrew;

* Des commentaires des auteurs de "Canada en Haiti", Yves Engler et
Anthony Fenton;

* Une pr?sentation donn?e par Magalie X des associations Vwa Zanset
("La voix des anc?tres") et Action Haiti Montr?al.


Des exemplaires en rabais du livre "Le Canada en Haiti" seront en vente.

?v?nement organis? par Action Haiti Montr?al.


"L'histoire haitienne en est une de r?sistance, de cet esprit, cette
volont? d'affirmer l'humanit? profonde qui existe en chacun(e) de
nous. Malheureusement, cette histoire en est aussi une de la peur
ressentie par les riches face ? cet esprit, et de l'?tendue des moyens
qu'ils sont pr?ts ? prendre pour l'?craser. Les Canadien(ne)s
pr?f?rent sans doute voir leur gouvernement comme une force de bien
dans le monde. La r?alit? toutefois est que dans la plupart des cas il
choisit plut?t d'appuyer les riches et les puissants. "Le Canada en
Haiti" est ? la fois un grand cri de justice et une mise en garde
s?rieuse sur les gestes qui sont pos?s en notre nom quand nous n'y
portons pas attention."


"Par leur ?crit, leurs actes et leur engagement, Yves Engler et
Anthony Fenton ont offert une contribution de premier plan dans la
d?nonciation du r?le honteux du Canada en Haiti." -- Naomi Klein,
auteure de "No Logo"

"Cet ouvrage d'Yves et d'Anthony constitue une arme importante qui
servira ? mieux comprendre et ? agir face au r?le paternaliste et
neo-colonial du gouvernement canadien et des ONG alli?es en Haiti." --
Jaggi Singh, ?crivain et militant montr?alais

"Les faits rapport?s dans ce livre, pourtant ind?niables, s'av?reront
choquants, troublants et r?voltants pour tout Canadien.  Avec amples
d?tails, Fenton et Engler prennent le contre-pieds de la propagande
officielle et illustrent le tournant desastreux d'une exp?rience socio
politique devenue meurtri?re pour le peuple haitien,  la doctrine
n?o-coloniale baptis?e "Responsabilit? de prot?ger". -- Jean
Saint-Vil, militant de solidarit? avec le Haiti



INFO:
Tel: 514-807-9037
E-mail: haitiactionmontreal at gmail.com
Web: http://www.outofhaiti.ca


From noii-montreal at resist.ca  Tue Sep 13 03:44:37 2005
From: noii-montreal at resist.ca (No One is Illegal Montreal)
Date: Tue, 13 Sep 2005 03:44:37 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: [Bloquez l'empire!] (Jeudi/Tuesday) ASSEMBLEE GENERALE DE
 SOLIDARITE SANS FRONTIERES /
 SOLIDARITY ACROSS BORDERS GENERAL ASSEMBLY
Message-ID: <Pine.LNX.4.62.0509130344130.26084@resist.ca>



---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Tue, 13 Sep 2005 03:10:36 -0700 (PDT)
From: sans frontieres! <sansfrontieres at resist.ca>

[English below ...]

Solidarit? Sans Fronti?res
Assembl?e g?n?rale
Jeudi, le 15 septembre
18h30
GRIP-Concordia
1500, de Maisonneuve O., bureau 204
(m?tro Guy-Concordia)

La marche sur Ottawa est termin?e et l'?t? a pass?, mais Solidarit? Sans 
Fronti?res continue de lutter pour la justice et la dignit? pour tous les 
immigrant(e)s et les r?fugi?(e)s.  Nous tiendrons notre premi?re assembl?e 
g?n?rale de l'automne le JEUDI 15 SEPTEMBRE prochain, ? 18h30 au GRIP-Concordia 
(1500, boul. de Maisonneuve O., bureau 204, m?tro Guy-Concordia).

Cette assembl?e sera tr?s importante ?tant donn? que nous y discuterons des 
campagnes ? entreprendre au cours de la prochaine ann?e. Nous voterons aussi 
sur les propositions issues de la "r?union d'orientation SSF" qui a eu lieu le 
27 ao?t pass? ? C?te-des-Neiges. Les propositions touchent ? de nombreux 
sujets, allant des objectifs de SSF, aux strat?gies, aux actions, ? la 
structure et plus encore. Un r?sum? des propositions qui seront discut?es sera 
envoy? sous peu.

Nous esp?rons que vous pourrez y ?tre et que vous ajouterez votre voix ? une 
campagne forte et dynamique pour le droits de toutes les personnes 
(im)migrantes.

Un service de garderie gratuit sera fourni, ainsi que de la traduction vers le 
fran?ais, l'anglais, l'espagnol, le perse, l'arabe et l'ourdou. Si vous avez 
besoin de la traduction vers une autre langue, veuillez nous contacter au (514) 
859-9023.

Veuillez noter que le GRIP-Concordia est un espace sans parfum (pour cause 
d'allergies). Nous vous invitons donc ? ne pas porter de produits fortement 
parfum?s (eau de cologne, etc.)

--Solidarit? Sans Fronti?res

Pour plus d'information:
Solidarit? Sans Fronti?res
(514) 859-9023
www.solidaritesansfrontieres.org
sansfrontieres at resist.ca

Solidarit? sans fronti?res est une coalition montr?alaise de groupes actifs 
dans la d?fense des droits des migrant(e)s, immigrant(e)s et r?fugi?(e)s. La 
majorit? des groupes qui composent Solidarit? sans fronti?res sont des comit?s 
autonomes de personnes directement affect?es par les lois r?pressives 
anti-immigrants et ? anti-terroristes ? de la Forteresse Am?rique du Nord. Nous 
sommes ensemble depuis l??t? 2003 et avons organis? des manifestations et des 
?v?nements culturels, produit deux journaux et soutenu mutuellement le travail 
des campagnes au quotidien. Nous nous sommes mobilis?(e)s en opposition ? la 
d?tention et ? la d?portation des immigrantEs, contre les certificats de 
s?curit? et pour la r?gularisation de toutes les personnes sans-statut qui 
vivent au Canada.


----------


Solidarity Across Borders
General Assembly
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 15
6:30 PM @ QPIRG-Concordia
1500 blvd De Maisonneuve W., # 204
metro Guy-Concordia

The March to Ottawa is over and the summer has passed, but Solidarity Across 
Borders is continuing to organize for justice and dignity for immigrants and 
refugees. We will be having our first general assembly of the Fall on THURSDAY, 
SEPTEMBER 15, 6:30 PM at QPIRG-Concordia (1500 blvd De Maisonneuve W., # 204, 
metro Guy-Concordia).

This assembly will be crucial, as we will be deciding what campaigns to take on 
over the course of the next year. We will also be voting on proposals from the 
"SAB Visioning Meeting", which was held last August 27 in C?te-des-Neiges. 
These proposals touch on topics ranging from our goals, strategies, actions, 
structure and more. An overview of the proposals that will be discussed at 
assembly will be sent out shortly.

We will hope that you will be able to make it and add your voice to a strong 
and energetic mobilization for the rights of all migrants.

Free childcare will be provided, as well as translation into French, English, 
Arabic, Farsi, Spanish and Urdu. If you need translation into another language, 
please contact us at (514) 859-9023.

*Please take note that QPIRG-Concordia is a scent-free space (due to 
allergies). We therefore invite you not to wear any cologne, perfume or 
strong-scented product.

-Solidarity Across Borders

For more information:

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

Solidarity Across Borders is a Montreal-area coalition initiated by several 
groups active in defending the rights of migrants, immigrants and refugees. The 
majority of groups within Solidarity Across Borders are self-organized 
committees of persons directly affected by repressive anti-immigrant and 
'anti-terrorist' laws and regulations in Fortress North America. We have been 
together since the summer of 2003, and have organized demonstrations and 
cultural events, produced two newspapers, and supported each other?s day-to-day 
campaign work. We have mobilized in opposition to the detention and deportation 
of migrants, against security certificates, and for the regularization of all 
non-status persons living in Canada.

From mfoster at web.ca  Tue Sep 13 10:25:22 2005
From: mfoster at web.ca (Mary Foster)
Date: Tue, 13 Sep 2005 13:25:22 -0400
Subject: [Bloquez l'empire!] ENTREVUE EXCLUSIVE AVEC ADIL CHARKAOUI
Message-ID: <02bf01c5b888$22776440$ea2d54c7@CPQ18145226471>

(Pour rejoindre la liste de diffusion de la Coalition Justice pour Adil
Charkaoui et recevoir les mises-?-jour sur la lutte contre les certificats
de securit? et les dossiers des cinq d?tenus, dont Adil Charkaoui et
gr?viste de la faim Mohammad Mahjoub, envoyer une email ?
justiceforadil-subscribe at lists.riseup.net.)

ENTREVUE EXCLUSIVE AVEC ADIL CHARKAOUI
Radio Canada
Sophie-H?l?ne Lebeuf

?coutez l'entrevue au
http://radio-canada.ca/nouvelles/actualite/nouvelles/200509/09/003-securite-
entrevue_a.shtml

9 septembre 2005

 ? Je ne veux pas seulement la libert?, mais la justice. ?

La libert?, Adil Charkaoui l'a obtenue sous conditions en f?vrier 2005 apr?s
avoir ?t? emprisonn? pendant pr?s de deux ans en vertu d'un certificat de
s?curit?. Les autorit?s canadiennes soup?onnent ce r?sident permanent
d'origine marocaine, arriv? au pays en 1995, d'appartenir ? un r?seau
terroriste reli? ? Al-Qa?da. Mais l'universitaire de 32 ans, p?re de deux
enfants, clame son innocence et conteste la validit? du proc?d? qui a men? ?
sa d?tention. Il a ralli? ? sa cause de nombreux appuis et est devenu, pour
plusieurs, un symbole de la lutte pour les droits la personne.

Le 22 mai 2003, apr?s avoir reconduit sa femme enceinte et sa fillette de
deux ans chez un membre de leur famille, la vie d'Adil Charkaoui bascule. Il
circule sur l'autoroute en direction de l'universit? lorsqu'il est encercl?
par plusieurs voitures de services gouvernementaux. Des agents de la
Gendarmerie royale du Canada (GRC), de l'Agence des services frontaliers du
Canada, du Service canadien du renseignement de s?curit? (SCRS), de la
S?ret? du Qu?bec, de la police de Montr?al et d'Immigration Canada, certains
arm?s, l'arr?tent en vertu d'une mesure exceptionnelle de la loi sur
l'immigration. ? Je ne comprenais pas ce qui m'arrivait ?, dit-il.

Ce n'est qu'une fois ? la prison de Rivi?re-des-Prairies qu'il apprend
l'existence du certificat de s?curit? d?livr? ? son endroit. ? La t?l? ?tait
allum?e ?, se rappelle-t-il. Ils parlaient de l'arrestation d'un agent
d'Al-Qa?da, Adil Charkaoui. Moi, j'?tais vraiment sid?r?. ?

Ces certificats de s?curit?, une proc?dure qui permet l'expulsion vers leur
pays d'origine les personnes soup?onn?es de menacer la s?curit? nationale,
Adil Charkaoui les d?finit plut?t comme des certificats de ? culpabilit? ?.
? Il est presque impossible de gagner contre cette loi ?, d?plore-t-il.
D?tention sur la base de soup?ons, divulgation d'une partie seulement de la
preuve ? l'accus? : ? c'est un simulacre de proc?s, c'est une vraie
parodie ?, s'insurge-t-il. ? C'est vraiment du vrai Kafka. ?

Plusieurs manifestations ont ?t? organis?es en appui ? Adil Charkaoui.Adil
Charkaoui obtient une lib?ration conditionnelle en f?vrier 2005. ? La liste
[de restrictions] est vraiment longue ?, soupire-t-il. Un parent doit
l'accompagner s'il sort de chez lui, il doit respecter un couvre-feu (entre
20 h 30 et 8 h), il doit se soumettre ? plusieurs interdictions: quitter
l'?le de Montr?al, utiliser un ordinateur, utiliser un autre t?l?phone que
celui de son domicile, entrer en contact avec des personnes ayant un casier
judiciaire de m?me qu'avec plusieurs individus dont le nom figure sur une
liste. Un pr?c?dent dans une cause d'immigration, il porte ?galement un
bracelet de surveillance ?lectronique - qu'il d?crit comme un ? bracelet de
la honte ?. ? Le comit? onusien sur la d?tention arbitraire a bien dit [...]
que le Canada n'avait pas le droit de me traiter comme un criminel ?,
rapporte-t-il.

? Quand on ne peut pas toucher ses enfants, sa femme, sa famille, qu'il y
une vitre entre les ?tres qui nous sont chers, c'est incroyable, c'est ? en
devenir fou ?, se plaint-il. Il y a aussi ces ? petits d?tails ?, comme ? ne
pas pouvoir respirer l'air frais ?. Une dette que doivent payer les
criminels envers la soci?t?, mais une injustice difficile ? ? dig?rer ?
lorsqu'on est innocent, soutient-il. Ce qu'il trouve le plus difficile,
c'est toutefois ? le regard des autres ?, ne sachant pas s'il doit y lire de
l'empathie ou de la suspicion.

SUITE : DANS LA LIGNE DE MIRE DU SCRS

 Accueil du dossier | Vers un ?quilibre s?curitaire
Des infrastructures ? prot?ger
 Entrevue exclusive avec Adil Charkaoui
La s?curit? comme d?fi olympique | Terrorisme: la voie du web




From mfoster at web.ca  Tue Sep 13 19:20:02 2005
From: mfoster at web.ca (Bloquez l'empire)
Date: Tue, 13 Sep 2005 22:20:02 -0400
Subject: [Bloquez l'empire!] bell helicopter gets $3.7 million from govt for
	training
Message-ID: <049501c5b8d3$a0a90990$ea2d54c7@CPQ18145226471>

Bell Helicopter gets aid in meeting hiring goals
Quebec gives $3.7 million for training. Mirabel firm needs 500, including
engineers, as it takes on big contract with U.S. army

ROBERT GIBBENS
Freelance

Tuesday, September 13, 2005

Bell Helicopter Textron Canada, urgently looking for 500 production
technicians and engineers, is plowing $14.3 million into a three-year
workforce training program with the help of a $3.7-million grant from the
Quebec government.

BHTC recently signed a $700-million (U.S.) order for 368 Bell 407
helicopters for the U.S. army. They will be similar to commercial 407s and
their avionics will be installed by the parent Textron Inc. in Fort Worth,
Tex.

The Montreal operation designs, develops and assembles all Textron's
commercial helicopters. The frantic search for new oil and gas reserves
worldwide is boosting world demand for helicopters, BHTC president Jacques
St-Laurent said.

Mirabel builds helicopters carrying up to 15 passengers and crew and it is
tooling up for production of the new twin-turbine Bell 429 model, destined
for medical emergency services, mainly in the U.S. and Europe, to be
followed by three variants. The 429 will cost $4 million U.S. to $5
million U.S. and deliveries are expected to start in mid-2007.

"We're constantly planning ahead in line with the dictates of the market,"
St-Laurent added. "We've hired 300 technicians in the past twelve months,
including 80 from Bombardier, and we urgently need to raise the workforce
from 1,700 now to 2,200 by early 2006 to handle expanding demand."

The training program will help employees adapt to new design and
production technologies, he said. There are intense pressures to improve
reliability and fuel performance, besides production costs. BHTC's main
competitor worldwide is Eurocopter.

It means BHTC will invest 38 hours per employee annually for training, up
nine per cent from now, or 2.6 per cent of payroll. The program also will
raise productivity.

Last month BHTC delivered its 3,000th helicopter, an $8-million (U.S.)
Bell 412 destined for service in the offshore oil industry. The Mirabel
plant celebrates its 20th anniversary next year.

The $3.7-million grant was announced by Quebec Employment Minister
Michelle Courchesne during a plant visit yesterday. She stressed the role
of aerospace in Quebec's economic growth. The province has about 45 per
cent of Canada's aerospace industry. The rest is spread over Ontario and
the West.

The Mirabel plant already has been expanded twice and a further 60,000
square feet will be added soon.

Women make up about 10 per cent of the production workforce and 21 per
cent overall.

"It's a challenging job installing the Bell 412's five miles of intricate
electrical wiring, but it's very satisfying," said 12-year BHTC veteran
Maryse Thibault, who is 40.

BHTC hires high school graduates and co-operates with CEGEPS, specialized
technical colleges, and universities to form skilled technicians,
designers and engineers. A technician with four years of training can earn
$40,000 a year to start and a fully qualified engineer starts at $60,000.

"Some young people think you have to be an engineer with six years of
study to get a job at Bell Helicopter," St-Laurent said.

"But that's a mistake. There are many different routes to build a career
with us and we can offer stability."

Mirabel's helicopters are sold worldwide, with 40 per cent going to the
U.S., 20 per cent each to Asia and South America and the rest to Africa
and the Mideast.

The world market totals about 500 new helicopters annually, but the Asian
market, including China and India, will expand rapidly in the next five
years.

? The Gazette (Montreal) 2005



On Tue, 2 Aug 2005, David Bernans wrote:

> Date: Tue, 2 Aug 2005 18:59:54 +0000 (UTC)
> From: David Bernans <dbernans at sdf.lonestar.org>
> Reply-To: realize at lists.riseup.net, David Bernans
<dbernans at sdf.lonestar.org>
> To: realize at lists.riseup.net
> Subject: [realize] know war?
>
> This just in... BHTC (on Concordia BoG) has just got a huge chunk of a
> contract between its US parent company and the Pentagon. It looks like
this
> is one of the biggest US defense contracts ever undertaken on Canadian
soil.
>
> dave
>
> From bellhelicopter.com
>
> Bell Helicopter Awarded Army Contract to Build 368 Armed Reconnaissance
> Helicopters (ARH)
>
>
> Press Contact
> Erin Dick
> (817) 280-8416
> edick at bellhelicopter.textron.com
>
> Fort Worth, Texas Jul 29, 2005
>
>
> Bell Helicopter, a unit of Textron Inc., (NYSE: TXT) was awarded a $2.2
> billion contract by the United States Army to build its next generation
Armed
> Reconnaissance Helicopter, or ARH. The ARH will replace the Army?s OH-58D
> Kiowa Warrior Helicopter also produced by Bell. The contract calls for
Bell
> Helicopter to build 368 aircraft for delivery during fiscal years 2006
> through 2013.
>
> ?We are honored to have been chosen by the U.S. Army to continue our
legacy
> of providing outstanding Armed Reconnaissance Helicopter technology,? said
> Mike Redenbaugh, Chief Executive Officer of Bell Helicopter Textron.  ?The
> Army requires a state-of-the art Armed Reconnaissance Helicopter and
that?s
> exactly what Bell Helicopter will deliver.?
>
> Bell?s ARH is a militarized version of its highly successful 407 single
> engine light helicopter.  Capable of being equipped with a wide variety of
> weapons, the Bell ARH will provide the Army with exceptional mission
> versatility and with the flexibility to accomplish armed reconnaissance,
> light attack, troop insertion, and special operations missions with a
single
> aircraft.  The Bell ARH will also provide greater deployability,
> interoperability and survivability.
>
> ?We look forward to this partnership both with the Army and with our
> world-class aerospace suppliers?to provide a premier aircraft to America?s
> troops,? Redenbaugh said.
>
> Bell Helicopter Textron Inc., a subsidiary of Textron Inc., is a leading
> producer of commercial and military helicopters and the pioneer of the
> revolutionary tilt rotor aircraft. Globally recognized for customer
service,
> innovation and superior quality, Bell?s global workforce of over 7,500
> employees serves customers flying Bell aircraft in over 120 countries.
>
> Textron Inc. is a $10 billion multi-industry company with 44,000 employees
in
> 40 countries. The company leverages its global network of aircraft,
> industrial and finance businesses to provide customers with innovative
> solutions and services. Textron is known around the world for its powerful
> brands such as Bell Helicopter, Cessna Aircraft, Jacobsen, Kautex,
Lycoming,
> E-Z-GO and Greenlee, among others.
>
> More information is available at www.textron.com.
> http://www.bellhelicopter.textron.com
> Bell Helicopter Textron Inc. Post Office Box 482, Fort Worth, TX 76101
>
>
>
> From radio-canada
>
> Bell Helicopter: important contrat pour Mirabel
> Mise ? jour le lundi 1 ao?t 2005 ? 22 h 02
> .
> L'usine de Bell Helicopter, ? Mirabel, se verra confier une partie
importante
> d'un contrat de 2,67 milliards de dollars canadiens que vient d'obtenir la
> soci?t? m?re Textron de l'arm?e am?ricaine.
>
> L'usine qu?b?coise aura comme mandat de faire l'assemblage de base de 368
> appareils de type Bell 407, qui seront par la suite achemin?s aux
?tats-Unis
> pour ?tre compl?t?s et livr?s.
>
>
> Jules Bordeleau nous parle des retomb?es de ce contrat pour l'usine de
> Mirabel.
> La part du contrat qui sera r?alis?e ? l'usine de Mirabel repr?sente 849
> millions de dollars. Plus de 200 emplois seront cr??s pour mener ? bien la
> commande.
>
> L'usine de Mirabel livrera les premiers h?licopt?res ? compter de 2006, et
> les travaux d'assemblage se termineront en 2013.
>
> Les nouveaux appareils de Bell remplaceront les h?licopt?res de combat
OH-58D
> Kiowa Warrior, produits par la m?me compagnie. Ils sont destin?s ? servir
> dans des missions de reconnaissance, d'attaque au sol, d'insertion de
troupes
> et lors d'autres op?rations sp?ciales.
>
> La transformation finale en appareils militaires se fera dans les
> installations de Bell Helicopter aux ?tats-Unis, l'arm?e am?ricaine
acceptant
> rarement de confier cet aspect du travail ? un pays ?tranger.
>
> L'usine de Mirabel, qui emploie actuellement 1600 personnes, est une des
> trois usines de Bell Helicopter en Am?rique du Nord. Les deux autres sont
> situ?es au Texas et au Tennessee.
>
> En f?vrier dernier, Bell Helicopter Textron Canada avait annonc? un projet
> d'environ 700 millions de dollars sur une douzaine d'ann?es pour
> l'am?lioration et la modernisation de ses installations de Mirabel.




From mfoster at web.ca  Tue Sep 20 07:22:59 2005
From: mfoster at web.ca (Mary Foster)
Date: Tue, 20 Sep 2005 10:22:59 -0400
Subject: [Bloquez l'empire!] =?iso-8859-1?q?24_septembre=3A_NON_au_parten?=
	=?iso-8859-1?q?ariat_militaire_canado-=E9tasunien_/_NO_to_the_Cana?=
	=?iso-8859-1?q?da-US_military_partnership?=
Message-ID: <018a01c5bdf0$f5dd2a00$cb2d54c7@CPQ18145226471>

From: "?chec ? la guerre" <legaultr at colba.net>

        (English translation follows French message)

Faire circuler largement SVP.  Merci !

================================
CONF?RENCE DE PRESSE PUBLIQUE
Samedi le 24 septembre, ? 11 h
Place ?milie-Gamelin
Angle Berri & Sainte-Catherine (m?tro Berri-UQAM)

NON AU PARTENARIAT MILITAIRE CANADO-?TASUNIEN !
=======================================

[]  Pour marquer notre solidarit? avec la grande protestation
    de Washington, samedi prochain, qui exigera la fin de
    l'occupation de l'Irak et le retrait imm?diat des troupes
    ?tasuniennes,

[]  Pour indiquer au gouvernement canadien que nous
    rejetons

        => la hausse grotesque du budget militaire qui
             devrait presque doubler au cours des 5
             prochaines ann?es, ce qui vise ? doubler la
             capacit? d'intervention rapide et soutenue des
             forces arm?es canadiennes ? l'?tranger

        => l'envoi, en f?vrier 2006, de 1 400 soldats
             canadiens ? Kandahar en Afghanistan pour
             aller tuer des "vermines" terroristes comme
             l'a si bien expliqu? le nouveau Chef d'?tat-major
             de la "D?fense", le lieutenant-g?n?ral Rick Hillier

        => et le partenariat militaire agressif de plus en plus
             grand entre le Canada et les ?tats-Unis sous le
             couvert de la guerre "contre le terrorisme"

le Collectif ?chec ? la guerre organise une conf?rence
de presse en plein air o? il convie les m?dia et le public.

? cette occasion, une d?claration claire de rejet du
partenariat militaire canado-?tasunien sera rendue
publique, sign?e par plusieurs personnalit?s
qu?b?coises, dont certaines seront sur place pour
expliquer pourquoi elles ont endoss? cette d?claration.

Nous esp?rons que cette d?claration servira ?
consolider, au sein de la soci?t? qu?b?coise, un
mouvement soutenu de r?sistance au militarisme
croissant de la politique ?trang?re canadienne.

Vous ?tes tous et toutes invit?es ? venir endosser
personnellement la d?claration qui sera d?voil?e
samedi prochain.

Apportez aussi vos pancartes et vos banni?res !

======================
  ENGLISH BEGINS HERE
======================

Please circulate widely.  Thank you !

PUBLIC PRESS CONFERENCE
Saturday, 24 September, at 11 am
Place Emilie-Gamelin
Corner Berri & Sainte-Catherine (metro Berri-UQAM)

NO TO THE CANADA-US MILITARY PARTNERSHIP !

[]  To mark our solidarity with the mass protest in Washington,
     this coming Saturday, which will demand the end of the
    occupation in Iraq and the immediate withdrawal of US troops;

[]  To say to the Canadian government that we fully reject

        => the gross increase of the military budget which
             should almost double during the next 5 years,
             with the chief aim of doubling the Canadian armed
             forces capacity for quick and sustained intervention
             in foreign countries;

        => the sending, in February 2006, of 1,400 Canadian
             soldiers to Kandahar in Afghanistan to go kill
             "scumbag" terrorists, as was explained so well by
             the new Chief of "Defense" Staff, lieutenant-general
             Rick Hillier;

        => and the aggressive military partnership that is growing
             between Canada and the US, under the cover of the
             war "on terror";

Collectif Echec a la guerre is organizing an outdoors press
conference where both the media and the public are invited.

On this occasion, a declaration clearly rejecting the
growing Canada-US military partnership will be made public,
signed by several Quebec personalities, some of whom
will be present to explain why they have endorsed this
declaration.

It is our hope that this declaration will serve to
strengthen, within Quebec society, a sustained
movement of resistance to the growing militarism of
Canada's foreign policy.

You are all invited to come and endorse in person
the declaration which will be made public this Saturday.

Also bring your placards and your banners !




From mfoster at web.ca  Wed Sep 21 03:17:50 2005
From: mfoster at web.ca (Mary Foster)
Date: Wed, 21 Sep 2005 06:17:50 -0400
Subject: [Bloquez l'empire!] Mahjoub's Update Sept 21
Message-ID: <003901c5be95$c8b1d7b0$a52d54c7@CPQ18145226471>

> Day 77 of Hunger Strike - Mahjoub Still in Prison Cell
>
> Below:
> 1.Mohammad Mahjoub Current situation
> 2.Mohammad's demands
> 3.Keep Up the pressure - what to do
> 4.Reports from Monday demos in Montreal Toronto Ottawa Edmonton
> 5.Inerview with Mona Elfouli
> 6.Media reports
>
> 1. Mahjoub- Current Situation
>
> On Day 76 (sept 20) of his hunger strike, secret trial detainee Mohammad
> Mahjoub was
> taken to the hospital in Toronto after pressure on government authorities
> from friends,
> family and supporters across Canada.
>
> Mohammad's family and supporters were relieved he would finally get the
> lifesaving care he needs. Mahjoub, in very poor health, was visited by an
> independent physician, Dr. Jane Pritchard, on Sunday (sept 18)  who
> recommended that Mahjoub be hospitalized to monitor his vital signs given
> the risk of a  sudden deterioration of body function which could send him
> into a coma.
>
> Mahjoub and his family also hoped that while he was hospitalized, health
care
> authorities would be able to properly investigate the conditions which
have
> led to his hunger strike, including his Hepatitis C, and his knee injury.
>
> Instead Mohammad had a few tests and was taken back to the prison. He was
> told he did not need to be hospitalized for another two weeks. Contrary to
> Dr. Pritchard's report which states he needs to be hooked up to a heart
> monitor machine because there is a high risk of cardiac arrhythmia and
> there are signs he may already have kidney damage, which will worsen if
> the hunger strike continues.
> ======================================
> 2. Mohammad Mahjoub's demands:
>
> 1.To have one hour a month contact visits with his two young children.
> 2. Access to proper medical attention including
>       -    A liver biopsy for Hepatitis C with which he was
>            diagnosed in prison
>       -    care for a leg injury sustained at the jail
>       -    filling a long neglected prescription for eye glasses
> ==========================================================
>
> 3. PLEASE KEEP UP THE PRESSURE
> Demand that Mohammad be hospitalized and properly monitored in a medical
> setting.
> Call McGuinty's office: Premier Dalton McGuinty
> PHONE: (416) 325-1941
> FAX: (416) 325-3745
> dalton.mcguinty at premier.gov.on.ca
>
> BE CREATIVE:
> In Ontario, call your local MPP
> Anywhere in Canada, call your MP
> Get in touch with journalists or other media people you know
> Post the story on Indy media websites
> Or anything else you think might work.
>
> ====================================================
> 4. Reports from Monday demos in Montreal Toronto Ottawa Edmonton
>
> About thirty people gathered outside the Montreal offices of Prime
>  Minister  Paul Martin, in a building which also houses Montreal offices
of
> Canadian
>  Border Services Agency (CBSA). People gathered were shaken by the news
>  that  the  Ontario government was refusing to hospitalize Mahjoub, today
on
> his 75th
>  day of hunger strike. After over five years of detention without charge
>  under a security certificate, facing deportation to torture, Mahjoub is
>  only  demanding monthly touch visits with his children, and prescribed
> medical
>  care, particularly a liver biopsy for his Hepatitis C.
>
>  Janet Weinroth spoke spontaneously, expressing her deep concern that
there
>  had been so little public attention  to the appalling situation. A small
> delegation of friends of Mona
>  Elfouli's,  including Janet and two health professionals, then entered
the
> building,
>  hoping to follow up with two officials who had already met with
supporters
>  of Mahjoub in past weeks: Mme. Santaro, a representative of Paul Martin's
>  office, who met with a delegation of doctors and nurses on 2 September
and
>  has not followed up with the health professionals; and Mr. Raymond
>  Archambault, a representative from the CBSA, who did follow up with
>  friends  of Mona's on Friday to confirm that he had delivered letters
about
> the
>  situation from Human Rights Watch, Ligue  des droits and CCR to officials
> in the federal CBSA office, but who had
>  not  at that time followed through on  his promise to Mona to pass on a
> message directly from her that she would
>  be  holding them and other Canadian and Ontario officials responsible for
> the
>  death of her husband. Neither official, nor anyone else from the two
>  offices, was available to meet with friends of Mahjoub's today.
>
> In Toronto, Mona Elfouli, accompanied by an NDP MPP and Campaign
>  to  Stop Secret Trials in Canada, was able to meet with an official in
the
>  office of Monte Kwinter (Ontario Minister of Community Safety). Mona was
>  told that she should persuade her husband to come off hunger-strike, that
>  normal policies with respect to touch visits, medical care and immediate
>  hospitalization would not be altered, though the official was no doubt
>  aware  that five years without charge in a short-term detention centre is
> not an
>  ordinary situation. Outside Mona also ran into Monte Kwinter (making his
>  way  to his car); when asked whether he would take the responsibility for
> the
>  death of her husband, Kwinter replied that everything was under control
>  and  he didn't have the mandate to speak to them about the case.
>
> In Ottawa, supporters of Mahjoub picketed outside of MPP Richard Patten's
> office. They informed passers-by  Mohammad Mahjoub was in an urgent
> medical crisis, and that he was in the
> care and custody of the Government of Ontario.  They urged people to
demand
> that MPP Richard Patten and Premier Dalton McGuinty intervene in the
prison
> system in order that Mohammed's  demands be met.
> Following a good 40 minutes of leafletting and chanting, a
> delegation (of two) went up into the second floor of the office building
to
> meet briefly with Patten's constituency staff, where they
> explained the purpose of  the gathering and the demands.
>
> In Edmonton, Anne McLellan's riding, a chain fast in support of Mahjoub
> continues
>
>
> ==============================================
> 5. ONLINE INTERVIEW WITH MONA ELFOULI
> http://s40.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=1X56MX0ZXEQZW3KGD1QNSQ8JWZ
> ==================================
>
> 6. Media Reports
>
> September 19, 2005 - 16:36
>
> Detained terrorist suspect will die without political help, supporters say
>
> JEN HORSEY
>
> TORONTO (CP) - Supporters of an Egyptian refugee who has been in prison in
> Canada for more than five years under the suspicion of terrorist links are
> accusing Canadian authorities of putting the man's life at risk.
>
> They say Mohammad Mahjoub will die in jail unless there is immediate
> intervention by the federal and provincial governments. "I am here today
> holding the government of Canada responsible... if anything happens to my
> husband," his wife Mona Elfouli said Monday, choking back tears.
>
>
> Mahjoub is on the 75th day of a hunger strike in protest of conditions at
> the Metro West Detention Centre, where has been kept in solitary
> confinement for two years. He is calling for humane treatment during his
> detainment, including contact visits with his wife and children.
>
> Elfouli said Monday that the last time she spoke to her husband by
> telephone, he was so weak she could barely hear his voice. He isn't
> walking, his blood pressure is critically high and his supporters say he
is
> being refused treatment for the Hepatitis C he contracted in jail. A
doctor
> told Elfouli this weekend that Mahjoub should be in hospital.
>
> "My husband's health is very, very, very bad," she said.
>
> About 40 people descended Monday on the Ontario legislature in hopes of
> convincing Premier Dalton McGuinty to take action. The group met in front
> of the offices of Ontario Correctional Services Minister Monte Kwinter and
> marched in somber silence to nearby Queen's Park where Elfouli was denied
a
> meeting with the premier.
>
> "(Mahjoub) has said, 'I'm happy to wait for these decisions, but provide
me
> with livable living conditions in the meantime.' You wouldn't treat a dog
> like this, nor should you," said social justice activist Matthew Behrens,
> one of the man's most vocal advocates.
>
> "We don't know how much longer he can last."
>
> Mahjoub is one of five men being held as a suspected terrorist under
> federal security certificates. The certificates - which can be employed
> against immigrants and refugees but not against Canadian citizens - have
> become a red flag to Muslim groups because of the way they've been used in
> anti-terrorist cases.
>
> The accused risk being deported without ever learning the full extent of
> the evidence against them.
>
> Instead, a judge hears details of the case behind closed doors and
provides
> only a bare-bones summary to defence lawyers, who are often left groping
in
> the dark as they try to challenge claims based on secret intelligence.
>
> Because the people aren't charged under the federal criminal code, they
are
> typically held in provincial facilities that are designed to accommodate
> prisoners on a more temporary basis, raising questions about the
conditions
> of their detainment.
>
> The cases of Mahjoub and the four others - Mohamed Harkat, Moroccan Adil
> Charkaoui, Syrian-born Hassan Almrei, and Egyptian national Mahmoud
> Jaballah - have received increasing public support in recent months.
>
> "People are starting to realize there are things we do to non-citizens
that
> we would not do to citizens," said Kent Roach, an expert on terrorism at
> the University of Toronto. "I think some people are questioning the
> fairness of that."
>
> Among the high-profile backers is Sasha Trudeau, the son of former prime
> minister Pierre Trudeau. The younger Trudeau is making a documentary film
> about Harkat's case.
>
> Although there were few in attendance at the Toronto protest on Monday,
> Elfouli said she has received nothing but a growing sense of support since
> she launched her battle five years ago.
>
> *********
>
> > Wife of jailed Egyptian terror suspect fears for his life, protests at
> > Queen's Park
> > Man on hunger strike in critical condition, diagnosis by independent
> > physician shows
> >
> >  By MARINA JIM?NEZ
> > Tuesday, September 20, 2005 Page A9
> >
> > Mona Elfouli is terrified her husband Mohammad Mahjoub will die in jail.
> And
> > if he dies, she vows to hold the government of Canada responsible.
> >
> > Mr. Mahjoub, a terrorism suspect held on a security certificate, is on
the
> > 76th day of a hunger strike to protest against the conditions of his
> > incarceration in the Metro West Detention Centre in Toronto.
> >
> > "The prison is taking an unnecessarily punitive approach," Ms. Elfouli
> said.
> > "They are refusing his medical treatment for security reasons. They're
> > killing him slowly."
> >
> > She and 40 supporters held a protest at the Ontario Legislature
yesterday
> > and tried unsuccessfully to meet with Premier Dalton McGuinty.
> >
> > Ms. Elfouli said her husband is refusing all food (except water and
orange
> > juice) to fight for the right to have eyeglasses, be treated for a knee
> > injury and for hepatitis C, which he contracted in jail, and to see his
> > children without a Plexiglas barrier separating them.
> >
> > At 140 pounds with high blood pressure, he is too weak to stand and his
> wife
> > worries he could fall into a coma in the middle of the night and die.
> >
> > The 45-year-old Egyptian native could save his own life by ending his
> hunger
> > strike; however, Ms. Elfouli said that would not resolve the question of
> why
> > prison officials have so far not dealt with his health issues, or
allowed
> > him to have a liver biopsy, as recommended by a doctor in 2004, to
> determine
> > a course of treatment for hepatitis C.
> >
> > On Sunday, Jane Pritchard, an independent physician, examined Mr.
Mahjoub,
> > found his condition to be critical and recommended he be transferred to
> > hospital within the next two or three days so that his heart could be
> > monitored, according to Mr. Mahjoub's lawyer, Barbara Jackman. Dr.
> Pritchard
> > also found his health was not being monitored frequently enough at the
> jail,
> > where he is being held in solitary confinement for his own protection,
she
> > said.
> >
> > "Within the space of 10 minutes he could have a heart collapse," Ms.
> Jackman
> > said. "He is at imminent risk of death or severe, permanent impairment.
He
> > is too weak to stand, has shooting pains in the abdomen, pain in his
> > kidneys, shortness of breath, chest pains, and his eyesight is failing."
> >
> > Mr. Mahjoub, who has been imprisoned for five years, has asked to be
> > hospitalized and will accept an IV.
> >
> > Prison officials referred all calls yesterday to Julia Noonan, a
> spokeswoman
> > for the Ministry of Community Safety and Correctional Services.
According
> to
> > Ms. Noonan, health officials do monitor hunger-striking inmates on a
daily
> > basis.
> >
> > "We have no medical direction to transfer any inmate to the hospital
now,"
> > she said. "He is seen every day by health care and if a doctor directed
us
> > to transfer an inmate to hospital, then that is what we would do."
> >
> > Mr. Mahjoub is one of five Muslim non-citizens being held on a security
> > certificate, a controversial legal process that allows Canada to detain
> and
> > deport terrorism suspects considered a threat to national security based
> on
> > detailed intelligence that remains secret.
> >
> > All five are fighting deportation, arguing they will be tortured or
killed
> > if sent to their homelands, and the Supreme Court will ultimately decide
> the
> > constitutionality of these cases.
> >
> > In Sudan, Mr. Mahjoub worked on a farm owned by Osama bin Laden. He is
> > alleged to be a member of al-Jihad, a terrorist organization in Egypt,
> where
> > he was tried in absentia. Ms. Jackman said her client denies any
> involvement
> > in terrorism. He fears he will be tortured if sent home, and a federal
> court
> > judge has agreed that he "could suffer ill treatment and human rights
> > abuses" if deported.
> >
> > Ms. Jackman argues her client -- as an immigration detainee -- should be
> > held in an immigration facility, or federal facility, which provides
more
> > freedom, allows for prison programs and regular family visits.
Provincial
> > facilities are designed to accommodate prisoners for short-term stays.
> >
> > Mr. Mahjoub has also applied for bail. Adil Charkaoui, a Montreal
resident
> > being held on a security certificate, was released on bail earlier this
> > year. The three men in the other security certificate cases remain in
> > prison, including Hassan Almrei, who recently ended a hunger strike to
win
> > the right to be allowed out of his cell to exercise for an hour a day.
>
>
>
>
>
>




From mfoster at web.ca  Wed Sep 21 03:18:11 2005
From: mfoster at web.ca (Mary Foster)
Date: Wed, 21 Sep 2005 06:18:11 -0400
Subject: [Bloquez l'empire!] Mahjoub Situation Actuelle Sept 21
Message-ID: <003c01c5be95$cad66560$a52d54c7@CPQ18145226471>

> Jour 77 de la gr?ve de la faim
> Mahjoub est toujours dans sa cellule de prison
>
> ? lire:
> 1. La situation actuelle de Mohammad Mahjoub
> 2. Les revendications de Mohammad
> 3. Soutenez la pression - quoi faire
> 4. Compte rendu des manifestations ? Montr?al, Toronto, Ottawa et Edmonton
> 5. Entrevue avec Mona Elfouli
> 6. Compte rendu des m?dias
>
>
> 1.Mahjoub - Situation actuelle
>
> Au 76e jour de sa gr?ve de la faim, Mohammad Mahjoub, d?tenu en vertu d'un
> certificat de s?curit? ? Toronto, a enfin ?t? hospitalis? aujourd'hui
suite
> ? des pressions exerc?s par des membres de la famille, des amis et des
> milliers d'autres sympathisants qui r?clament depuis des semaines que les
> autorit?s gouvernementales prennent des mesures pour prot?ger sa vie.
> Mahjoub, dont l'?tat de sant? est tr?s pr?caire, a ?t? examin? dimanche
par
> un m?decin ind?pendant qui a recommand? que M. Mahjoub soit hospitalis?
> imm?diatement afin de surveiller ses signes vitaux, vu le risque d'une
> d?t?rioration soudaine de son ?tat de sant? pouvant provoquer une
> d?faillance cardiaque ou le coma.
>
> Mahjoub et sa famille esp?rent que pendant son hospitalisation, les
> autorit?s m?dicales accepteront de lui prodiguer les soins m?dicaux qu'il
> r?clame depuis des mois et qui ont men? ? sa gr?ve de la faim, notamment
des
> soins pour son h?patite C et sa blessure au genoux.
>
>
> Au contraire, Mohammd a re?u quelques examens et fut retourn? en prison.
> Il s'est fait dire qu'il n'aurait pas ? ?tre hospitalis? pour un autre
> deux semaines. Contrairement aux recommendations du rapport du Dr.
> Pritchard qui souligne qu'il a besoin d'?tre branch? ? un moniteur
> cardiaque, puisque qu'il y a un grand risque d'arrhythmia cardique et
> parce qu'il y a des signes de dommages aux reins qui vont s'intensifier si
> la gr?ve de la faim se poursuit.
> ==================================================
>
> 2. Les revendications de Mohammad Mahjoub:
>
> 1.        D'avoir une visite d'une heure par mois avec ses enfants.
> 2.        D'avoir acc?s ? des soins m?dicaux, entre autre:
> -        Une biopsie du foie pour l'h?patite C, qu'il a depuis qu'il est
> en prison
> -        Des soins pour sa blessure ? sa jambe, qu'il a eu en prison
> -        Faire suivre sa prescription pour des lunettes qu'il a depuis
> longtemps
>
> =============================================================
>
> 3.        Mettez de la pression
>
> Demandez que Mohammad soit hospitalis? et qu'il obtienne un suivit m?dical
> appropri? dans une institution m?dicale,
>
> T?l?phonez le bureau du premier ministre Dalton McGinty:
> Tel: (416) 325-1941
> FAX: (416) 325-3745
> dalton.mcguinty at premier.gov.on.ca
>
>
> Soyez cr?atifs et cr?atives:
>
> En ontarion contactez vos d?put?s locaux,
> Partout au Canada, contactez vos d?put?s,
> Contactez des journalistes ou d'autres gens dans les m?dias que vous
> connaissez
>
> Affichez l'histoire sur les sites web ind?pendants,
> Faites tout ce que vous pensez pourrait fonctionner.
>
> ==========================================================
>
> 4. Compte rendu des manifestions ? Montr?al, Toronto, Ottawa et Edmonton
>
> Aujourd'hui, environ trente personnes se sont r?unies devant les bureaux
> du Premier Ministre Paul Martin, dans un ?difice o? se trouvent ?galement
> les bureaux montr?alais de l'Agence des services frontaliers du Canada
> (ASFC). Les personnes rassembl?es ?taient fort ?branl?es par les derni?res
> nouvelles au sujet de Mohammad Mahjoub : le gouvernement ontarien a refus?
> d'hospitaliser Mahjoub qui en est aujourd'hui ? sa 75e journ?e de gr?ve de
> la faim. Depuis plus de 5 ans, Mahjoub est d?tenu sans accusation sous un
> ? certificat de s?curit? ?, risquant la d?portation vers la torture. Par
> sa gr?ve de la faim, Mahjoub demande seulement de voir ses enfants et
> d'avoir un contact physique avec eux une fois par mois, ainsi que de
> recevoir des soins m?dicaux prescrits, particuli?rement une biopsie du
> foie pour cas d'H?patite C.
>
> Aujourd'hui, Janet Weinroth a pris la parole spontan?ment, exprimant son
> immense inqui?tude face au peu d'attention publique que re?oit cette
> situation alarmante. Une petite d?l?gation d'amiEs de Mona Elfouli, dont
> Janet Weinroth et deux professionnelLEs de la sant?, est entr?e dans
> l'?difice. La d?l?gation esp?rait pouvoir faire le suivi de l'affaire
> aupr?s de deux repr?sentants gouvernementaux qui avaient d?j? rencontr?
> des camarades de Mahjoub au cours des derni?res semaines : Mme Santaro,
> une repr?sentante du Bureau de Paul Martin qui a rencontr? une d?l?gation
> de m?decins et d'infirmi?res le 2 septembre dernier mais n'a pas donn?
> suite aupr?s de ces professionnelLEs de la sant?, ainsi que M. Raymond
> Archambault, repr?sentant de l'ASFC qui a donn? suite aupr?s des amiEs de
> Mona vendredi dernier. Il a ainsi confirm? qu'il avait bien remis des
> lettres au sujet de Mahjoub ?crites par Human Right Watch, la Ligue des
> droits et libert?s et le Conseil canadien pour les r?fugi?s ? des agents
> de l'ASFC. Par contre, Archambault n'avait pas encore rempli sa promesse
> faite ? Mona. Il devait directement dire aux agents de l'ASFC que Mona les
> tiendraient, ainsi que d'autres repr?sentants canadiens et ontariens,
> responsables de la mort de son mari. Ni Santaro, ni Archambault, ni aucun
> autre repr?sentant de ces deux bureaux n'?taient disponible pour
> rencontrer les amiEs de Mahjoub aujourd'hui.
>
> Des rassemblements ont aussi eu lieu ? Toronto et ? Ottawa aujourd'hui. ?
> Edmonton, le comt? de Anne McLellan, des gens participent ? un je?ne
> rotatif en appui ? Mahjoub. ? Toronto, Mona Elfouli, accompagn?e d'un
> d?put? provincial du NPD et de membres de la Campagne contre les proc?s
> secrets (Campaign to Stop Secret Trial), a pu rencontrer un agent du
> bureau de Monte Kwinter (Ministre ontarien de la S?curit? communautaire et
> des Services correctionnels). Mona s'est fait dire qu'elle devrait
> convaincre son mari d'arr?ter sa gr?ve de la faim. On lui a dit que les
> politiques concernant d'interdiction des visites avec contact, des soins
> m?dicaux et d'hospitalisation imm?diate ?taient tout ? fait ? normales ?
> et ne seraient pas r?vis?es. Toutefois, l'agent devait tr?s bien savoir
> qu'une d?tention de 5 ans sans accusation n'a rien de normal. Une fois
> sortie, Mona a rencontr? Monte Kwinter par hasard (il se rendait ? sa
> voiture). Mona lui a demand? s'il prendrait la responsabilit? de la mort
> de son mari. Kwinter lui a r?pondu que tout ?tait sous contr?le et qu'il
> n'?tait pas mandat? pour commenter la situation.
>
> ===================================================
>
> 5. Entrevue en ligne avec Mona Elfouli
> http://s40.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=1X56MX0ZXEQZW3KGD1QNSQ8JWZ
>
> =====================================================
>
> 6. Compte rendu des m?dias
>
> September 19, 2005 - 16:36
>
> Detained terrorist suspect will die without political help, supporters say
>
> JEN HORSEY
>
> TORONTO (CP) - Supporters of an Egyptian refugee who has been in prison in
> Canada for more than five years under the suspicion of terrorist links are
> accusing Canadian authorities of putting the man's life at risk.
>
> They say Mohammad Mahjoub will die in jail unless there is immediate
> intervention by the federal and provincial governments. "I am here today
> holding the government of Canada responsible... if anything happens to my
> husband," his wife Mona Elfouli said Monday, choking back tears.
>
>
> Mahjoub is on the 75th day of a hunger strike in protest of conditions at
> the Metro West Detention Centre, where has been kept in solitary
> confinement for two years. He is calling for humane treatment during his
> detainment, including contact visits with his wife and children.
>
> Elfouli said Monday that the last time she spoke to her husband by
> telephone, he was so weak she could barely hear his voice. He isn't
> walking, his blood pressure is critically high and his supporters say he
is
> being refused treatment for the Hepatitis C he contracted in jail. A
doctor
> told Elfouli this weekend that Mahjoub should be in hospital.
>
> "My husband's health is very, very, very bad," she said.
>
> About 40 people descended Monday on the Ontario legislature in hopes of
> convincing Premier Dalton McGuinty to take action. The group met in front
> of the offices of Ontario Correctional Services Minister Monte Kwinter and
> marched in somber silence to nearby Queen's Park where Elfouli was denied
a
> meeting with the premier.
>
> "(Mahjoub) has said, 'I'm happy to wait for these decisions, but provide
me
> with livable living conditions in the meantime.' You wouldn't treat a dog
> like this, nor should you," said social justice activist Matthew Behrens,
> one of the man's most vocal advocates.
>
> "We don't know how much longer he can last."
>
> Mahjoub is one of five men being held as a suspected terrorist under
> federal security certificates. The certificates - which can be employed
> against immigrants and refugees but not against Canadian citizens - have
> become a red flag to Muslim groups because of the way they've been used in
> anti-terrorist cases.
>
> The accused risk being deported without ever learning the full extent of
> the evidence against them.
>
> Instead, a judge hears details of the case behind closed doors and
provides
> only a bare-bones summary to defence lawyers, who are often left groping
in
> the dark as they try to challenge claims based on secret intelligence.
>
> Because the people aren't charged under the federal criminal code, they
are
> typically held in provincial facilities that are designed to accommodate
> prisoners on a more temporary basis, raising questions about the
conditions
> of their detainment.
>
> The cases of Mahjoub and the four others - Mohamed Harkat, Moroccan Adil
> Charkaoui, Syrian-born Hassan Almrei, and Egyptian national Mahmoud
> Jaballah - have received increasing public support in recent months.
>
> "People are starting to realize there are things we do to non-citizens
that
> we would not do to citizens," said Kent Roach, an expert on terrorism at
> the University of Toronto. "I think some people are questioning the
> fairness of that."
>
> Among the high-profile backers is Sasha Trudeau, the son of former prime
> minister Pierre Trudeau. The younger Trudeau is making a documentary film
> about Harkat's case.
>
> Although there were few in attendance at the Toronto protest on Monday,
> Elfouli said she has received nothing but a growing sense of support since
> she launched her battle five years ago.
>
> *********
>
> > Wife of jailed Egyptian terror suspect fears for his life, protests at
> > Queen's Park
> > Man on hunger strike in critical condition, diagnosis by independent
> > physician shows
> >
> >  By MARINA JIM?NEZ
> > Tuesday, September 20, 2005 Page A9
> >
> > Mona Elfouli is terrified her husband Mohammad Mahjoub will die in jail.
> And
> > if he dies, she vows to hold the government of Canada responsible.
> >
> > Mr. Mahjoub, a terrorism suspect held on a security certificate, is on
the
> > 76th day of a hunger strike to protest against the conditions of his
> > incarceration in the Metro West Detention Centre in Toronto.
> >
> > "The prison is taking an unnecessarily punitive approach," Ms. Elfouli
> said.
> > "They are refusing his medical treatment for security reasons. They're
> > killing him slowly."
> >
> > She and 40 supporters held a protest at the Ontario Legislature
yesterday
> > and tried unsuccessfully to meet with Premier Dalton McGuinty.
> >
> > Ms. Elfouli said her husband is refusing all food (except water and
orange
> > juice) to fight for the right to have eyeglasses, be treated for a knee
> > injury and for hepatitis C, which he contracted in jail, and to see his
> > children without a Plexiglas barrier separating them.
> >
> > At 140 pounds with high blood pressure, he is too weak to stand and his
> wife
> > worries he could fall into a coma in the middle of the night and die.
> >
> > The 45-year-old Egyptian native could save his own life by ending his
> hunger
> > strike; however, Ms. Elfouli said that would not resolve the question of
> why
> > prison officials have so far not dealt with his health issues, or
allowed
> > him to have a liver biopsy, as recommended by a doctor in 2004, to
> determine
> > a course of treatment for hepatitis C.
> >
> > On Sunday, Jane Pritchard, an independent physician, examined Mr.
Mahjoub,
> > found his condition to be critical and recommended he be transferred to
> > hospital within the next two or three days so that his heart could be
> > monitored, according to Mr. Mahjoub's lawyer, Barbara Jackman. Dr.
> Pritchard
> > also found his health was not being monitored frequently enough at the
> jail,
> > where he is being held in solitary confinement for his own protection,
she
> > said.
> >
> > "Within the space of 10 minutes he could have a heart collapse," Ms.
> Jackman
> > said. "He is at imminent risk of death or severe, permanent impairment.
He
> > is too weak to stand, has shooting pains in the abdomen, pain in his
> > kidneys, shortness of breath, chest pains, and his eyesight is failing."
> >
> > Mr. Mahjoub, who has been imprisoned for five years, has asked to be
> > hospitalized and will accept an IV.
> >
> > Prison officials referred all calls yesterday to Julia Noonan, a
> spokeswoman
> > for the Ministry of Community Safety and Correctional Services.
According
> to
> > Ms. Noonan, health officials do monitor hunger-striking inmates on a
daily
> > basis.
> >
> > "We have no medical direction to transfer any inmate to the hospital
now,"
> > she said. "He is seen every day by health care and if a doctor directed
us
> > to transfer an inmate to hospital, then that is what we would do."
> >
> > Mr. Mahjoub is one of five Muslim non-citizens being held on a security
> > certificate, a controversial legal process that allows Canada to detain
> and
> > deport terrorism suspects considered a threat to national security based
> on
> > detailed intelligence that remains secret.
> >
> > All five are fighting deportation, arguing they will be tortured or
killed
> > if sent to their homelands, and the Supreme Court will ultimately decide
> the
> > constitutionality of these cases.
> >
> > In Sudan, Mr. Mahjoub worked on a farm owned by Osama bin Laden. He is
> > alleged to be a member of al-Jihad, a terrorist organization in Egypt,
> where
> > he was tried in absentia. Ms. Jackman said her client denies any
> involvement
> > in terrorism. He fears he will be tortured if sent home, and a federal
> court
> > judge has agreed that he "could suffer ill treatment and human rights
> > abuses" if deported.
> >
> > Ms. Jackman argues her client -- as an immigration detainee -- should be
> > held in an immigration facility, or federal facility, which provides
more
> > freedom, allows for prison programs and regular family visits.
Provincial
> > facilities are designed to accommodate prisoners for short-term stays.
> >
> > Mr. Mahjoub has also applied for bail. Adil Charkaoui, a Montreal
resident
> > being held on a security certificate, was released on bail earlier this
> > year. The three men in the other security certificate cases remain in
> > prison, including Hassan Almrei, who recently ended a hunger strike to
win
> > the right to be allowed out of his cell to exercise for an hour a day.
>
>
>




From mfoster at web.ca  Thu Sep 22 20:37:59 2005
From: mfoster at web.ca (Mary Foster)
Date: Thu, 22 Sep 2005 23:37:59 -0400
Subject: [Bloquez l'empire!] =?iso-8859-1?q?PROCHAINE_r=E9union/NEXT_meet?=
	=?iso-8859-1?q?ing?=
Message-ID: <05d501c5bff5$d8f7d320$692d54c7@CPQ18145226471>

 (English follows)

 Prochaine r?union de Bloquez l'Empire!!!
 *************************************
Lundi, 26 sept.
 18h00
 Caf? Tribune (St.Denis & de Maisonneuve)

 SVP informez-nous de votre pr?sence
 ////////////////////////////////////////

 Next Block the Empire meeting!!!

 Monday, September 26
 6 pm
 Caf? Tribune (St.Denis & de Maisonneuve)

 Please let us know if you can attend




From mfoster at web.ca  Sat Sep 24 11:05:55 2005
From: mfoster at web.ca (Hunger strikers support Montreal)
Date: Sat, 24 Sep 2005 14:05:55 -0400
Subject: [Bloquez l'empire!] Mohammad Mahjoub Suspends Hunger Strike on Day
	79
Message-ID: <00b801c5c132$c13a5bc0$d62d54c7@CPQ18145226471>

(version francaise plus tard ...)

From: "TASC" <tasc at web.ca>
Sent: Saturday, September 24, 2005 1:22 PM


Mohammad Mahjoub Ends Hunger Strike
Secret Trial Detainee "Wins" Most Demands, but at What Cost?

September 24, 2005, Toronto -- As he lay in the medical unit of Metro West
Detention Centre last night on Day 79 of a hunger strike, a weak, exhausted
Mohammad Mahjoub gave his consent to a written agreement with the province
of Ontario that promised his long-standing demands for proper medical
treatment would be met.

In a letter received by Mahjoub's legal counsel, Barbara Jackman,
the province has promised to allow medical specialists into Metro West to
assess Mr. Mahjoub's medical conditions, including Hepatitis C and a knee
injury. The province has agreed as well that it will respect the medical
advice of those specialists and abide by their recommendations, including,
if need be, hospitalization.

Earlier in the week, Mahjoub finally received a pair of eye glasses
(eight months after they were prescribed), and although they did not fit,
he is likely to get them within a few weeks. Mahjoub also received a
written agreement that officials at the detention centre would work to
ensure that family visits would not be subject to the kind of arbitrary
interference and outright denial that have marked the past five years.

However, the issue of contact visits with his children remains
unresolved and, given the government's absolute refusal to consider the
possibility, Mahjoub vows to pursue this demand through the courts.

Speaking from Metro West Detention Centre this morning, Mahjoub
wanted to thank people around the world who have showed tremendous support
during his hunger strike. "I thank every individual, starting from my wife,
Mona, my kids, my lawyers, my support committee in Toronto, and every
individual S for their support and their sympathy. I ask Allah to reward
them all and S to make them soft in their hearts towards one another."

Friends, family and supporters of Mr. Mahjoub, whose hunger strike
has provoked international coverage and outrage, are troubled that such a
simple agreement --doctors see a patient, doctors recommend
hospitalization, patient receives hospitalization if required -- should
have to take such a potentially lethal toll on Mr. Mahjoub.  While pleased
that Mr. Mahjoub has ended his hunger strike, they note he will likely
suffer health complications from this 79-day hunger strike for the rest of
his life. Why, they ask, couldn't the province have intervened months ago?

Mahjoub had long been denied hospitalization for a recommended
liver biopsy for undisclosed "security" reasons, so he was just as
surprised as everyone else when he was briefly hospitalized last Tuesday
for a short battery of tests, none of which related to Hepatitis C or his
knee injury. Supporters of Mahjoub question the medical ethics of those
doctors who told him he could likely go another 10 days to two weeks on
hunger strike and had him returned to prison.

Mona Elfouli, who along with her children, has struggled every day
of the last three months with the consequences of her husband's hunger
strike, is grateful for the support of so many people across Canada and
around the world who put pressure on the provincial and federal governments.

"Now we need to put that same pressure on the governments so they
can stop the secret trial security certificates and return my husband and
the other men who are still in jail to their families," she said last
night, in reference to the Secret Trial Five, all subject to  years of
Canadian detention without charge on secret evidence.

Mahjoub, like a victim of famine, is still in critical shape, and
it will be a long and difficult climb back as he begins to eat, his health
still very much in question. As he recovers from the hunger strike, he
still faces many stresses: he awaits word on whether he may be released on
bail, thus ending his indefinite detention,  and on whether the Canadian
government will continue pursuing his deportation to torture or death in
Egypt.

Hassan Almrei, a Syrian refugee who has spent the past 47 months in
solitary confinement, ended a 73-day hunger strike September 3 at Metro
West, and will go to court on October 11 seeking a court order allowing him
the same rights as other federal inmates, including one hour of fresh air
and exercise for his own knee injury. He too is awaiting a bail decision
and is fighting government attempts to deport him to torture or death in
Syria.

Secret trial detainee Mahmoud Jaballah, also at Metro West for over
four years, is currently challenging the provisions of the Immigration and
Refugee Protection Act which prevent him from applying for bail while he
fights deportation to torture or death in Egypt.

In Ottawa, secret trial detainee Mohamed Harkat, held almost three
years, will apply for bail at the end of October, while in Montreal, Adil
Charkaoui, released in February under draconian conditions, will launch an
application in early October calling for an end to his security certificate
given the mental torture it has inflicted on him and his family. Both
Harkat and Charkaoui are fighting deportation to torture or death in
Algeria and Morocco, respectively.

Protests against secret trials continue to grow across Canada, and
this week coast-to-coast actions occurred, closing with a 24-hour vigil of
support for Mahjoub in Vancouver.  On Wednesday, groups and individuals
including former Solicitor General Warren Allmand,  the Committee for
Justice for Mohamed Harkat, Campaign to Stop Secret Trials in Canada,
Amnesty International, and Canadian Council for Refugees appeared before a
Parliamentary subcommittee reviewing secuirt legislation, calling for an
abolition of security certificates.

For more information, contact the Campaign to Stop Secret trials in
Canada at (416) 651-5800, tasc at web.ca, www.homesnotbombs.ca. For
information on the Charkaoui challenge in October,  (514) 859-9023.

Thanks to all who have called, written, emailed, faxed,
demonstrated, and prayed for justice.







From mfoster at web.ca  Sun Sep 25 05:51:13 2005
From: mfoster at web.ca (Hunger strikers support Montreal)
Date: Sun, 25 Sep 2005 08:51:13 -0400
Subject: [Bloquez l'empire!] Mohammad Mahjoub suspend sa greve de la faim
Message-ID: <00e001c5c1d0$7f4b0b30$1bbc13cc@CPQ18145226471>

Mohammad Mahjoub suspend sa gr?ve de la faim, gagne l'acc?s
? des soins m?dicaux

24 septembre 2005, Toronto - Le r?fugi? Mohammad Mahjoub, d?tenu en vertu
d'un certificat de s?curit?, a accept? de suspendre
sa gr?ve de la faim de 79 jours apr?s que le Gouvernement de l'Ontario ait
sign? une entente s'engageant ? lui donner
acc?s ? des soins m?dicaux qu'il r?clame depuis des mois.

C'est ? partir de son lit ? l'infirmerie du Toronto West Detention Centre
que Mahjoub, ?puis? et affaibli, a donn? son accord ? l'entente hier soir
par t?l?phone ? son avocate Barbara
Jackman, et son ?pouse Mona Elfouli. M. Mahjoub, un r?fugi? ?gyptien d?tenu
depuis juin 2000 sans accusation et sur
la foi de preuves secr?tes, a fait cette tr?s longue gr?ve de la faim pour
revendiquer de meilleures conditions de
d?tention.

Citant l'apppui extraordinaire qu'il a re?u de partout au
Canada et m?me sur le plan international au cours des
derni?res semaines, M. Mahjoub a dit ? Je remercie tous les
individus qui m'ont appuy?, en commen?ant par Mona, mes
enfants, mes avocats, mon comit? d'appui ? Toronto, et tous
les autres individus pour leur appui et leur sympathie. Je
demande ? Allah de les r?compenser et de les rendre doux
dans leurs cours les uns envers les autres. ?

Dans une lettre re?ue par Jackman hier apr?s-midi, le
gouvernement ontarien a promis de permettre ? des
sp?cialistes m?dicaux d'entrer au centre de d?tention afin
d'?valuer l'?tat de sant? de M. Mahjoub, notamment en
rapport avec son h?patite C et sa blessure au genou. Les
autorit?s gouvernementales ont ?galement pris l'engagement
de donner suite aux recommendations des sp?cialistes,
incluant l'hospitalisation s'il y a lieu.

M. Mahjoub demeure dans un ?tat critique et risque de subir
des s?quelles permanentes r?sultant de sa gr?ve de la faim
de 79 jours men?e, comme le rappelle le Centre for
Constitutional Rights (Centre pour les droits
constitutionnels) de New York, pour obtenir des ?
conditions de d?tention minimalement d?centes ?. Plus t?t
cette semaine, Mahjoub avait enfin re?u une paire de
lunettes qu'il demande depuis huit mois. Mahjoub a aussi
re?u des assurances ?crites de la part des autorit?s
carc?rales qu'elles cesseront d'entraver arbitraitement
les visites familiales comme elles le font depuis cinq ans,
au point o? ce droit a ?t? souvent bafou?. Cependant, les
autorit?s refusent toujours d'autoriser des visites
contacts mensuels avec les enfants de Mahjoub, ?g?s de 6 et
8 ans. Vu le refus absolu du gouvernement de n?gocier sur
ce point, M. Mahjoub pr?voit s'adresser aux tribunaux pour
faire reconna?tre ce droit.  De nombreuse organisations
canadiennes et internationales, dont le Centre pour les
droits constitutionnels, ont ? condamn? les conditions
inhumaines auxquelles Mohammad Mahjoub est soumis ?.

? Nous devons maintenant mettre autant d'?nergie dans la
bataille pour mettre fin aux d?tentions en vertu de preuves
secr?tes, afin que mon mari et les autres hommes d?tenus
puisse revenir ? leurs familles ? a dit Mona Elfouli hier
soir d'une voix remplie d'?motion. Matthew Behrens du comit? d'appui, a
ajout? ? Nous nous
r?jouissons de cette entente, mais nous trouvons cela
honteux qu'un homme soit oblig? de mettre sa vie et sa
sant? en p?ril pour obtenir des soins de
sant? auxquels il a droit, d'abord ? titre simplement
humanitaire, et aussi en vertu des normes internationales. ?

Mahjoub est un des cinq
hommes musulmans menac?s de d?portation vers la torture en
vertu d'un certificat de s?curit?. Quatre sont encore
d?tenus, dont le r?fugi? syrien Hassan Almrei qui a mis un
terme ? sa gr?ve de la faim de 73 jours au d?but du mois.
Tout comme Mahjoub, Hassan Almrei, en d?tention solitaire
depuis quatre ans, revendiquait de meilleures conditions de
d?tention, notamment le droit ? une heure par jour en
dehors de sa cellule. Le cinqui?me, Adil Charkaoui, a ?t?
lib?r? mais sujet ? des conditions extr?mement
restrictives.

Des manifestations contre les certificats de s?curit? ont
eu lieu partout au Canada cette semaine, se terminant par
une vigile de 24 heures ? Vancouver pour appuyer Mahjoub.
Mercredi, l'ancien Solliciteur G?n?ral Warren Allmand, le
Comit? pour la Justice pour Mohamed Harkat, la Campagne
pour Arr?ter les Proc?s Secrets au Canada, Amnistie
Internationale et le Conseil Canadien des R?fugi?s,
comparaissaient devant le sous-comit? parlementaire charg?
de r?vis? les lois f?d?rales en mati?res de s?curit?, ont
unanimement revendiqu? l'abolition des certificats de
s?curit?.

Campaign to Stop Secret Trials in Canada - (416) 651-5800,
tasc at web.ca, www.homesnotbombs.ca




From mfoster at web.ca  Wed Sep 28 04:36:08 2005
From: mfoster at web.ca (Bloquez l'empire)
Date: Wed, 28 Sep 2005 07:36:08 -0400
Subject: [Bloquez l'empire!] =?iso-8859-1?q?CONF=C9RENCES_3=2C_4_et_6_oct?=
	=?iso-8859-1?q?obre?=
Message-ID: <003b01c5c420$d92bc890$892d54c7@CPQ18145226471>

From: "Objection de conscience"
Sent: Tuesday, September 27, 2005 7:10 AM


            (English message follows French)

S?rie de conf?rences ? Montr?al,
les 3, 4 et 6 octobre: OCCUPATION ET ACTION POUR LA PAIX EN IRAK

(en anglais, avec traduction vers le fran?ais)

Greg Rollins parlera de son travail avec les ?quipes chr?tiennes d'action
pour la paix (?CAP) en Irak. ?CAP est une des rares organisations
occidentales pour une paix non-violente encore en Irak. Greg d?crira la
situation pr?sente sur le terrain en Irak, son travail et les  r?centes
alliances qu'?CAP a faites en s'entra?nant et en travaillant avec les
?quipes musulmanes d'action pour la paix..

Avec une pr?sentation de diapositives et un temps d'?change.

**Lundi le 3 octobre, 18h30 -21h
Centre communautaire des femmes sud-asiatiques
1035 Rachel Est - 3? ?tage (Christophe Colomb et Rachel, m?tro Sherbrooke)

**Mardi le 4 octobre 18h30 -21h
Paroisse Notre-Dame-de-Gr?ces
5333 avenue Notre-Dame-de-Gr?ces
M?tro Villa Maria (marcher sur D?carie vers le sud,
puis tourner ? gauche sur Notre-Dame-de-Gr?ces)

**Jeudi le 6 octobre, 19h30
8789 Berri
(? deux pas du m?tro Cr?mazie, sortie  nord)

Greg Rollins, 32 ans, de Surrey, Colombie Britannique, a ?t? volontaire ?
temps plein avec les ?quipes chr?tiennes d'action pour la paix (?CAP)
pendant 4 ans. La derni?re ann?e et demie, il a travaill? avec ?CAP ? Bagdad
en enqu?tant sur les effets de l'occupation sur le peuple irakien, en
escortant les Irakiens et les Irakiennes cherchant des membres de leurs
familles qui ont ?t? arr?t?s par les forces de s?curit?s ou qui sont
"disparus" et en travaillant avec les ?quipes musulmanes d'action pour la
paix. nouvellement form?es. En Irak, Greg est all? ? Falloujah, Nadjaf,
Kerbala et Sadr City.

Comme membre de l'?quipe ?CAP en Cisjordanie, il a accompagn? des ?coliers
et des fermiers palestiniens et il a travaill? avec des groupes de paix
isra?liens et palestiniens. Il a ?t? arr?t? par les militaires isra?liens en
mai 2003 'pour s'?tre trouv? du c?t? palestinien d'H?bron'. En mars 2004, le
gouvernement isra?lien l'a banni d?finitivement d'Isra?l (et de la Palestine
occup?e).

 Les ?quipes chr?tiennes d'action pour la paix (?CAP) est un programme
ocum?nique international de r?duction de la violence, qui place des ?quipes
entra?n?es ? la non violence dans des r?gions de conflits arm?s. ?CAP a
pr?sentement des ?quipes actives en Palestine, en Colombie et en Irak. En
Am?rique du Nord, ?CAP  a des projets dans le d?sert d'Arizona o? des
centaines de travailleurs migrants meurent en tentant de traverser la
fronti?re ?-U?Mexique, et ? K?nora, Ontario o? les r?sidents Anishinaabe et
les visiteurs font face ? des traitements racistes.

Organis? par : Objection de conscience (OCVC), Pasto Sociale Ahuntsic,
R?seau de Grand Montr?al pour la paix, Voix des femmes (Qu?bec), Centre de
ressources sur la non-violence.

Pour plus d'INFORMATION :  www.cpt.org

POUR AIDER ? PUBLICISER ces conf?rences dans votre entourage : Affichette ?
t?l?charger

=======================
  ENGLISH BEGINS HERE
=====================

Series of talks in Montreal,

October 3, 4, and 6 : OCCUPATION AND ACTION FOR PEACE IN IRAQ

 Greg Rollins will talk about his work with Christian Peacemaker Teams (CPT)
in Iraq.  CPT is one of the few Western non-violent peace organizations
remaining in Iraq.  Greg will describe the present situation on the ground
in Iraq, his work and the recent alliances CPT has made in training and
working with Muslim Peacemaker Teams.  With a slide presentation and time
for questions and answers.

**Monday October 3, 6:30 -9 p.m.
South Asian Women's Centre
1035 Rachel St. East - 3rd floor (Sherbrooke Metro,   Christophe Colomb and
Rachel)

**Tuesday October 4, 6:30 - 9 p.m.
Paroisse Notre-dame de Grace
5333 avenue Notre-Dame-de-Grace
Villa Maria Metro ( walk one block south on Decarie then  left on
Notre-Dame-de-Grace (parking available)

**Thursday October 6, 7:30  p.m.
8789 Berri
(Close to Cr?mazie metro, exit north)

Greg Rollins, 32 from Surrey, B.C., has been a full-time volunteer with
Christian Peacemakers Teams (CPT) for four years. . For the last year and a
half he has worked on the CPT team in Baghdad documenting the effects of the
occupation on the Iraqi people, escorting Iraqis looking for family members
who have been arrested by security forces or have "disappeared" , and
working with the newly formed Muslim Peacemaker Teams. Greg's travels in
Iraq include Falluja, Najaf, Karbala and Sadr City.

As a member of the CPT team in the West Bank, he accompanied Palestinian
school children and farmers, and worked with Israeli and Palestinian peace
groups. He was arrested by the Israeli military in May of 2003 "for being in
the Palestinian side of Hebron." In March 2004 the Israeli government banned
him from returning to Israel (and occupied Palestine).

Christian Peacemaker Teams (CPT) is an ecumenical and international violence
reduction program that places teams trained in nonviolence in regions of
lethal conflict. CPT currently has teams active in Palestine, Colombia and
Iraq. In North America, CPT has projects in the Arizona desert where
hundreds of migrant workers are dying in the attempt to cross the US-Mexico
border, and in Kenora, Ontario where Anishinaabe residents and visitors
encounter racist treatment.

Organised by: Voices of Conscience, Peace Network of Greater Montreal,
Voice of  Women (Quebec), Centre de ressources sur  la non-violence

For more INFORMATION:  www.cpt.org

TO HELP PUBLICISE these conferences around you : Small poster to download




From mfoster at web.ca  Wed Sep 28 04:36:15 2005
From: mfoster at web.ca (Bloquez l'empire)
Date: Wed, 28 Sep 2005 07:36:15 -0400
Subject: [Bloquez l'empire!] The Afghanistan Food Crisis, by Noam Chomsky
Message-ID: <004d01c5c420$e250c970$892d54c7@CPQ18145226471>

recalling that canada has been integral in occupation of afghanistan.
>
> http://blog.zmag.org/index.php/weblog/entry/the_afghanistan_food_crisis/
>
> Sunday, September 04, 2005
> The Afghanistan Food Crisis
> Posted by Noam Chomsky
>
> I plead guilty of failing to write anything at all about this at the time
when it mattered, or even to mention it except in some scattered interviews
and a few remarks in talks. That failure was deplorable, since the threat of
bombing, and then the bombing, were among the most disgraceful acts of
modern history, as was known instantly. In these few scattered remarks, I
quoted the international relief agencies, which bitterly denounced the
threat of bombing, then the implementation of the threat. As they warned,
the threat of bombing, which forced them to leave the country, and then the
bombing itself, put huge numbers of people at risk of starvation.
>
> .That starvation could cause death of millions was the clear, explicit,
unmistakable message of just about every international aid agency and those
who cared about the people of Afghanistan. That was the message they were
desperately seeking to convey. I did report their message in a few talks and
interviews, but far too little.
>
> As to the facts, the basic story is this. On Sept. 16, five days after
9-11, the NY Times reported that Washington delivered to Pakistan a series
of demands. Among then, Washington "demanded...the elimination of truck
convoys that provide much of the food and other supplies to Afghanistan's
civilian population." It is worth reading and re-reading that statement. It
would have been extraordinary if, say, 1000 people in Afghanistan's civilian
population were relying on the convoys that the US ordered be eliminated.
But it wasn't 1000.
>
> The numbers were estimated by the agencies at about 5 million. Simply
think for a moment about what those orders meant. The fact that there wasn't
an enormous outcry of protest is utterly scandalous.
>
> The aid agencies did protest vigorously. You don't have to go to exotic
sources to discover that. By late September, after the threat of bombing but
before it began, the UN Food and Agricultural Agency estimated that 7
million Afghans might face starvation if bombing were initiated. At the same
time, you could read in the NY Times that "The country was on a lifeline,
and we just cut the line," quoting aid workers who were evacuated under the
threat of bombing, as virtually all were. Just to cite a few of a flood of
other examples, a director of the UN World Food Program said that after the
bombing began, the threat of humanitarian catastrophe, which was already
very severe, had "increased on a scale of magnitude I don't even want to
think about."
>
> A spokesperson for the UNHCR said that "We are facing a humanitarian
crisis of epic proportions in Afghanistan with 7.5 million short of food and
at risk of starvation." After two weeks of bombing, the NYT reported that
the number of Afghans in need of food had risen from 5 million to 7.5
million-and the lifeline was cut. After a month of bombing, Harvard's
leading specialist on Afghanistan wrote in the prestigious journal
International Security that "millions of Afghans [are] at grave risk of
starvation" (winter issue). And so it continues.
>
> .Returning to the events of September-October 2001, to put such a mass of
people at risk of "silent genocide"-to borrow the term used by UN agencies
for far lesser threats-is a crime of the highest order, and failure to
condemn it vociferously and to organize to stop it is a bitter condemnation
of the US and its allies. To repeat, I unhappily accept my share of the
blame for barely mentioning it when the evidence was so overwhelming and the
actions of such extreme criminality.
>
> Considerably later, I did write about it, though still far too little,
also citing the shocking reports from the most respectable mainstream
sources months later of mass starvation and other horrors, and quoting the
pleas of some of the most prominent anti-Taliban Afghan individuals and
organizations to stop the bombing, which was destroying the country. But
that was far too late, for which, again, I plead guilty.
>
> All of this would have been horrendous enough even if there had been a
credible reason for driving the aid agencies out of the country, demanding
termination of the flow of food, and then the bombing with its shocking
expected effects. But there was no credible reason.
>
> After several weeks of bombing, the US and UK concocted the claim that
they were bombing to rid the country of the Taliban. One may decide for
oneself how to react to placing 7.5 million people at "grave risk of
starvation" to implement that goal, but it is irrelevant, because that was
not the goal. The bombing was undertaken to compel the Taliban to turn over
to the US people the US suspected of involvement in 9-11, but without
presenting the evidence that the Taliban requested-because Washington had no
evidence. The head of the FBI conceded in Senate testimony 8 months later
that after the most intensive international investigation in history, the
FBI could only report that it "believed" the plot might have been hatched in
Afghanistan but that it was implemented in Europe and the UAE, all US
allies.
>
> These are, again, crimes of extraordinary magnitude, as is the failure to
protest them vigorously and to act to terminate them.
>
> .In the few comments I made about this horrifying atrocity at the time, I
mentioned that we would never know the consequences, because they would not
be investigated. The reasons for believing that were quite strong: the
powerful don't investigate their own crimes. Take Vietnam. We do not know,
literally within millions, how many Indochinese died in the US wars, and
polls show that what the population believes is vastly below even the
official figures. Same with innumerable other cases. And the same held true
in this case.
>
> Though as noted, I did cite in print later the reports I could find from
mainstream sources, they were few and scattered. Such topics are simply not
investigated, unlike the crimes of official enemies, where huge
investigations are undertaken to unearth any scrap of evidence that might
give some idea of the scale of their crimes.
>
> But more important, the answer to that question has no bearing whatsoever,
precisely none, on assessment of the pre-bombing orders to Pakistan, the
threats that drove the aid agencies out of the country, or the bombing
itself. It's the merest moral truism that actions are evaluated in terms of
the range of anticipated consequences. We understand the truism very well
with regard to official enemies.
>
> Take, say, Khrushchev's sending missiles to Cuba in 1962, acts that
carried a significant risk of nuclear war. Sane people regard that as an act
of criminal lunacy, whatever the motives. I do not know whether there were
Communist party hacks who were so utterly depraved that they "indict" those
who warned of the threats on the grounds that there was no nuclear war. I
don't know of any, but perhaps there were some.
>
> These observations are really elementary. It is a remarkable comment on
the moral and intellectual culture in which we live that so many fail to
comprehend them-with regard to ourselves, that is; with regard to enemies
everyone rightly takes them for granted.




From mfoster at web.ca  Wed Sep 28 04:36:23 2005
From: mfoster at web.ca (Bloquez l'empire)
Date: Wed, 28 Sep 2005 07:36:23 -0400
Subject: [Bloquez l'empire!] recrutement latinos aux Etats unis
Message-ID: <004e01c5c420$e2cc8920$892d54c7@CPQ18145226471>

he Nation, New York
> >>
> >>
> >>The Nation, NY..
> >>
> >>The War for Latinos
> >>
> >>by ROBERTO LOVATO
> >>
> >>[from the October 3, 2005 issue]
> >>
> >>Jessica Sanchez poses an urgent threat to the US military. For a
> >>Pentagon stretched by stagnating enlistments and an Administration
> >>bent on waging a "global war on terror," the question of whether this
> >>four-foot-eleven Mexican-born legal resident and others like her will
> >>decide to join the military has enormous geopolitical implications.
> >>
> >>The Pentagon is spending hundreds of millions of dollars to find out
> >>whatever it can about Sanchez and other young Latinos: what they
> >>wear, where they hang out, what kinds of groups they form, what they
> >>read, what they watch on TV, their grades, their dreams. Members of
> >>the military's numerous and well-funded recruiting commands use
> >>sophisticated Geographic Information Systems maps, souped-up
> >>recruiting Hummers and other resources to establish strategic
> >>positions in the minds, pocketbooks and neighborhoods of young
> >>Latinos like Sanchez.
> >>
> >>Recruiters are devising new and often unexpected ways to penetrate
> >>daily Latino life. "I went to a birthday celebration at Chuck E.
> >>Cheese's," says Sanchez, a 25-year-old single mom from San Marcos,
> >>California, just outside San Diego. "We were watching a puppet show
> >>when all of a sudden a military song is playing in the background. I
> >>thought that was weird but kept watching. A couple of minutes later,
> >>all of us were looking at pictures on a TV screen of people in the
> >>Army giving food and supplies to kids in Iraq. My friends and I
> >>thought that was really weird--and got out."
> >>
> >>The bad news for Pentagon planners is not just Sanchez's negative
> >>reaction to the puppet show, or even her eventual decision not to
> >>join the Navy. It's that she and other Latinos who are rejecting the
> >>military's overtures are turning around and organizing a grassroots
> >>movement against recruitment in their community.
> >>
> >> From the northernmost corner of Washington State to the southernmost
> >>beaches of south Florida, veteran Latino counterrecruiters and
> >>younger activistas are facing off against thousands of military
> >>recruiters in a battle that will determine whether Latino youth
> >>continue echoing the "Yo soy el Army" and other Pentagon PR slogans
> >>or instead adopt the "Yo estoy en contra del Army" slogan taken up by
> >>Sanchez. The counterrecruitment movement, spearheaded by scores of
> >>Latinos in Chicago, El Paso, Tucson and other cities, suburbs and
> >>rural communities, is largely occurring beneath the radar of the
> >>mostly white antiwar movement, despite its potential to alter the
> >>course of Iraq and future US wars.
> >>
> >>"Latinos are very important to the national security of the United
> >>States," says Larry Korb, former Assistant Secretary of Defense for
> >>Manpower, Reserve Affairs, Installations and Logistics in the Reagan
> >>Administration Defense Department, where he administered about 70
> >>percent of the largest line items in the federal budget. "A decrease
> >>in Latino enlistment numbers would make things very difficult for the
> >>armed forces, because they are the fastest-growing [minority] group
> >>in the country and they have a very distinguished record of service
> >>in the military. If I were Donald Rumsfeld, I would be very worried
> >>about the possibility of decreasing Latino numbers. I'd be thinking
> >>about how to make do with smaller numbers of troops or with further
> >>lowering standards for aptitude, age, education and other factors."
> >>
> >>The centrality of Latinos to the military enterprise can be seen in
> >>statements by Pentagon officials like John McLaurin, Deputy Assistant
> >>Secretary of the Army for Human Resources, who stated that in order
> >>to meet recruitment goals, Latino enlistments must grow to 22 percent
> >>by the year 2025, when one in four Americans will be Latino. Two
> >>factors add to the urgency. One is that while Latinos make up only 13
> >>percent of the active-duty forces, they also make up a fast-growing
> >>16 percent of the 17- to 21-year-old population. In the eyes of
> >>Pentagon planners, this rapidly growing, relatively poor population
> >>is prime recruiting material. Latinos already in the military are
> >>concentrated in the low ranks of the Marines and the Army, serving in
> >>the high-casualty, high-risk jobs of front-line troops urgently
> >>needed in Iraq. The second factor driving the Latinization of the
> >>Pentagon's recruitment strategy is the decrease in African-American
> >>and women recruits. Since 2000 the percentage of African-American
> >>recruits has dropped from 23.5 percent to less than 14 percent,
> >>thanks to the widespread disaffection with the Iraq War--and good
> >>organizing--among parents and students in the black community.
> >>
> >>And some preliminary indicators show that the Pentagon's efforts are
> >>paying off. Latino enlistment increased from 10.4 percent of new
> >>recruits in 2000 to 13 percent in 2004. According to University of
> >>Maryland military sociologist David Segal, however, the jury is still
> >>out on whether the Latino enlistment campaign will solve the Defense
> >>Department's recruitment problem in the mid to long term. A drop in
> >>Latino numbers could, Segal says, "plunge the military into an even
> >>deeper crisis. They will have to learn how to better recruit whites."
> >>He adds that "when antiwar efforts focus on recruitment, they're
> >>denying recruiters major access they desperately need."
> >>
> >>The Bush adventure in Iraq has done much to foster anti-recruitment
> >>sentiment and create the "Latino unity" activists have dreamed of for
> >>decades. Beyond the anonymous, individualistic rejection of the war
> >>measured in recent polls of Latinos, a more vocal and active
> >>rejection of war and recruitment is taking hold on the ground,
> >>tapping into several currents of Latino political tradition. Vietnam
> >>veteran and University of San Diego professor Jorge Mariscal is among
> >>those working feverishly to cut Pentagon strings they feel yank young
> >>Latinos further and further into imperial entanglements. "We are
> >>trying to show the historical continuity of Latino protest against
> >>the exploitation of other Latinos in US wars of aggression," says
> >>Mariscal, considered by many to be the dean of Latino
> >>counterrecruitment efforts.
> >>
> >>On August 29, 2004, Mariscal's organization, the Project on Youth and
> >>Non-Military Opportunities (YANO), and dozens of other Latino groups
> >>launched a campaign to educate Latino parents and students about
> >>military recruitment in schools. A main focus was simply informing
> >>people that the No Child Left Behind Act, which allows recruiters
> >>access to student contact information, also contains an opt-out
> >>provision. The organizers chose to launch the campaign on August 29
> >>because it was the anniversary of the Chicano Moratorium of 1970--the
> >>largest, most radical Latino antiwar, antirecruitment mobilization in
> >>US history.  The campaign draws strength from the antimilitaristic
> >>traditions of US-born Latinos (especially Mexican-Americans and
> >>Puerto Ricans) as well as from the anti-militarismo traditions of
> >>more recent Latin American immigrants from such countries as El
> >>Salvador and the Dominican Republic.
> >>
> >>While the war for young Latino hearts rages in all corners of the
> >>country, the strategic theater of battle for Latino bodies remains
> >>the Southwest, especially Southern California. A 2001 study by the US
> >>Army Recruiting Command (USAREC), for example, defined Los Angeles,
> >>the rest of Southern California, Phoenix and Sacramento as its top
> >>markets for Latino recruits.  But California has also become the de
> >>facto heart of the nascent movement among US Latinos. Animating it is
> >>Fernando Suarez del Solar, a former student activist in Mexico who
> >>now lives in Escondido, California. Del Solar traces his struggle
> >>against the military to the moment he witnessed Mexican military
> >>personnel "push their bayonets into young men--and women" during a
> >>1972 protest in the Zocalo, the central square of Mexico City. "That
> >>was my first encounter with militarismo."
> >>
> >>Three decades later Del Solar took another, sharper turn against
> >>militarismo after his son, Jesus, a marine, died in Iraq in 2003.
> >>Since then, his denunciation of the "lies and half-truths" recruiters
> >>use on kids like Jesus has been unceasing. Because he can't shake
> >>images of how his then-13-year-old boy was first "seduced" by the
> >>trinkets, posters and ideas given to him by recruiters at a mall in
> >>National City, Del Solar works to educate other parents and students
> >>about recruitment and war.
> >>
> >>Bemoaning the "lack of leadership among Latinos at the national
> >>level," Del Solar and others in the Latino counterrecruitment
> >>movement complain that national advocacy groups like the League of
> >>United Latin American Citizens and the National Council of La Raza
> >>are not only silent but complicit in finding fresh Latino bodies to
> >>feed the war machine. LULAC and NCLR do accept sponsorships from and
> >>provide forums for Pentagon promotion at some of their national
> >>conferences and local events. In their determination to meet what
> >>recruiting handbooks call "influencers," Marine, Army and other
> >>Defense Department personnel can be seen at LULAC and NCLR events
> >>either glad-handing or manning the recruitment Hummers, chin-up
> >>challenges, inflatable obstacle courses and other props in front of
> >>their trinket-stuffed information booths. To fill the void, Del
> >>Solar's organization, Guerrero Azteca, and Mariscal's group, YANO,
> >>have joined forces. They plan to convene a national meeting of Latino
> >>counterrecruitment organizations and leaders to connect the numerous
> >>efforts springing up across the country.
> >>
> >>But the forces of counterrecruitment face an armada of military
> >>recruitment organizations backed by the best civilian, corporate and
> >>community alliances our tax dollars can buy. Continuing the Latino
> >>recruitment focus that started with the Clinton Administration's
> >>Hispanic Access Initiative, the Pentagon has invested hundreds of
> >>millions of dollars to turn poor Latino neighborhoods and decrepit,
> >>Latino-heavy schools into soldier factories. Last year alone USAREC
> >>deployed five brigades, forty-one battalions, 5,648 recruiters and
> >>1,690 recruiting stations. The military won't reveal what share of
> >>its recruitment resources is being targeted at Latinos, but it's
> >>clearly substantial. For Hispanic Heritage month, the Army is
> >>highlighting Hispanic soldiers in a massive ad campaign and a
> >>Congressional Medal of Honor tour of high schools across the country.
> >>
> >>In Puerto Rico counterrecruiters have fanned out to all 200 of the
> >>island's high schools to deliver the antimilitaristic and opt-out
> >>messages to thousands of students there. "We are picketing
> >>recruitment offices and asking Puerto Rico's Department of Education
> >>to give us 'equal time' or 'equal access' so that we can go to the
> >>schools to talk to the students against military recruitment," says
> >>Jorge Colon, spokesperson for the Coalici?n Ciudadana en Contra del
> >>Militarismo (Citizen's Coalition Against Militarism), a broad-based
> >>network of labor, parent, teacher, student and other groups. Like
> >>Mariscal, Colon and other Puerto Ricans link current
> >>counterrecruitment efforts to antimilitaristic traditions; much of
> >>the energy and momentum of the successful movement to rid the island
> >>of Vieques of bombing and other military exercises has been
> >>transferred to the counterrecruitment effort.
> >>
> >>In the northernmost corner of Washington State, Rosalinda Guillen is
> >>also drawing on tradition to combat what she sees as deception in the
> >>farmlands of Skagit and Whatcom counties, where recruiters are
> >>seeking to harvest new recruits among the Oaxacan and Chiapanecan
> >>Indians and Mexican, Salvadoran and Nicaraguan immigrants working the
> >>fields. Guillen, a former leader in the United Farm Workers, returned
> >>to her hometown to fight for Latino rights, including the right of
> >>youth to decline military service. "Recruiters are going into high
> >>schools. They're going after our young people and new immigrants,"
> >>says Guillen, whose organization translates opt-out materials, does
> >>educational work and plans larger strategy to fight Latino recruitment.
> >>
> >>Like many Latinos I spoke with, Guillen has one message for the
> >>larger progressive community, especially those fighting the war and
> >>recruitment: "White-led social justice programs and organizations
> >>need to do something. They need to make broader strokes to make sure
> >>they include Latinos, and they're not right now. All they need to do
> >>is help bring the resources and we can do the work like we always have."
> >>
> >>Ends




From mfoster at web.ca  Wed Sep 28 04:36:47 2005
From: mfoster at web.ca (Mary Foster)
Date: Wed, 28 Sep 2005 07:36:47 -0400
Subject: [Bloquez l'empire!] =?iso-8859-1?q?D=E9claration_du_Collectif_du?=
	=?iso-8859-1?q?_24_septembre_2005?=
Message-ID: <006e01c5c420$f3895b30$892d54c7@CPQ18145226471>

From: "?chec ? la guerre" <info at echecalaguerre.org>
Sent: Tuesday, September 27, 2005 7:38 AM


Bonjour,

la d?claration que le Collectif ?chec ? la guerre
a rendu publique samedi dernier est maintenant
disponible sur notre site Internet.

Pour la t?l?charger, cliquer simplement ici.

? ceux et celles qui l'ont d?j? re?ue hier : SVP utilisez
plut?t cette version-ci.  D'une part, parce que deux
corrections ont ?t? apport?es ? la liste des signataires
et d'autre part parce que celle-ci indique clairement
quoi faire avec les d?clarations une fois sign?es.

Solidairement,

Raymond Legault
pour le Comit? de suivi du Collectif ?chec ? la guerre




From mfoster at web.ca  Wed Sep 28 17:44:43 2005
From: mfoster at web.ca (Bloquez l'empire)
Date: Wed, 28 Sep 2005 20:44:43 -0400
Subject: [Bloquez l'empire!] EMS Technologies Receives Contract ...
Message-ID: <03d301c5c4a2$29cb9100$892d54c7@CPQ18145226471>

----- Original Message -----
From: "Eric Squire" <ftaaalert at yahoo.com>


> http://biz.yahoo.com/pz/050927/86843.html
> EMS Technologies Receives Contract for Joint Surveillance Target Attack
Radar System (Joint STARS) Improvements
> Tuesday September 27, 2:23 pm ET
>
> ATLANTA, Sept. 27, 2005 (PRIMEZONE) -- EMS Technologies, Inc.
(NasdaqNM:ELMG - News) announced today that its Defense & Space Systems
division is performing on a contract from Northrop Grumman Corporation's
(NYSE:NOC - News) Norden Systems business unit to provide maintenance
support and upgrades for the U.S. Air Force's E-8C Joint Surveillance Target
Attack Radar System (Joint STARS). The total value to EMS is estimated at
US$2.1 million over 12 months. As part of the effort, EMS is upgrading phase
shifter modules and control electronics to reduce power consumption and
enhance accuracy. In addition, the contract includes support services.
>
> Joint STARS features a 24-foot synthetic aperture radar antenna installed
on the underside of the aircraft, which can electronically scan to determine
the location and heading of moving targets on the ground. EMS modules and
control electronics are integral to that antenna, allowing the Joint STARS
radar to accurately map the battlefield and track targets. EMS has been
involved in the Joint STARS program since May 1987, and has delivered more
than 6,500 phase shifter modules under the program to date.
> About EMS Technologies, Inc.
>
> EMS Technologies, Inc. (NasdaqNM:ELMG - News) is a leading innovator in
the design and manufacture of wireless, satellite and defense solutions, and
focuses its unique range of advanced technologies on the needs of broadband
and mobile information users. The Company is headquartered in Atlanta, has
approximately 1,800 workers worldwide, and operates manufacturing facilities
in Atlanta, Montreal, Ottawa and Brazil.
>
> EMS Technologies' Defense and Space Systems Division develops advanced
technology systems for military and space applications. The Division
provides critical subsystems and components for airborne, commercial and
space-based communication, and radar and electronic warfare systems. For
more information, visit EMS on the World Wide Web at http://www.ems-t.com.
>
> ********
>
> http://www.spacewar.com/news/uav-05zzzz.html (see ref. to Heroux-Devtek
Inc. near the end)
>
> Northrop Grumman Nears Completion Of First Next-Gen Global Hawk
> San Diego CA (SPX) Aug 31, 2005
> Northrop Grumman has moved significantly closer to completing the first of
its next-generation, enhanced-capability RQ-4B Global Hawk unmanned aerial
vehicles (UAV) due to deliveries of two critical airframe components within
the last month.
> Vought Aircraft delivered the RQ-4B's new graphite-composite wing assembly
in July. Measuring 131 feet, the wing assembly successfully completed a
rigorous static test to 100 percent of its limit load, validating its
structural integrity. Northrop Grumman completed integration of the wings
with the fuselage in July.
> "This is a significant step forward in the manufacturing of the Global
Hawk RQ-4B," commented George Guerra, director for Northrop Grumman's Global
Hawk program. "With the wing mate, we can see the airplane taking shape."
> In late July, Aurora Flight Sciences delivered the first set of the
RQ-4B's vertical tails. With these two critical components, flight testing
of the first RQ-4B is scheduled to commence in the second half of 2006.
> Northrop Grumman is currently producing four of the new RQ-4B Global Hawks
at its Palmdale, Calif. production facility.
> With 3,000 pounds of payload capacity, the RQ-4B Global Hawk offers 50
percent more payload capacity than its currently deployed "sibling," the
RQ-4A. This added capability will allow it to carry more intelligence
sensors, enhancing its ability to simultaneously collect imagery, signals
intelligence and infrared and radar information, and transfer it to the
warfighter in near-real time.
> To accommodate the increased payload capacity, Northrop Grumman has
redesigned and strengthened Global Hawk's fuselage. The RQ-4B's fuselage is
four feet longer and just slightly taller than the RQ-4A's.
> The wingspan has also increased by approximately fifteen feet, allowing
the RQ-4B to carry more fuel. The RQ-4B also features a gross take-off
weight 5500 pounds heavier than that of the RQ-4A.
> Global Hawk flies autonomously at an altitude of at least 60,000 feet,
well above inclement weather and prevailing winds for more than 32 hours at
an average of 320 knots. During a single mission, it can travel more than
10,000 nautical miles from its take-off location, and it provides detailed
image-based intelligence on 40,000 square miles.
> The Northrop Grumman-led Global Hawk industry team comprises U.S. and
international companies. The unmanned system's primary program elements are
provided by team members as follows:
> - Integrated sensor suite and ground control elements, Raytheon Company,
Lexington, Mass.; - AE3007 engine, Rolls-Royce, Indianapolis, Ind.; - Data
communications, L-3 Communications, Salt Lake City, Utah; - Wings, Vought
Aircraft Corporation, Dallas, Texas; - V-tail and other composite
components, Aurora Flight Sciences, Manassas, Va.; - Landing gear, Heroux,
Montreal, Canada, and - Flight controls, Curtiss Wright Corporation, Santa
Clarita, Calif.
>
>
>
> ---------------------------------
> Yahoo! for Good
>  Click here to donate to the Hurricane Katrina relief effort.




From mfoster at web.ca  Fri Sep 30 12:00:57 2005
From: mfoster at web.ca (Mary Foster)
Date: Fri, 30 Sep 2005 15:00:57 -0400
Subject: [Bloquez l'empire!] Hillier protesters draw dissent
Message-ID: <01a501c5c5fa$0b5fa2c0$0abc13cc@CPQ18145226471>

From: <trevor.hache at sympatico.ca>


> Hillier protesters draw dissent
>
> Audience heckles activists during General's speech on campus
>
> by Philippe Morin
>
>   The first "boos" of the lecture came when Gen. Rick Hillier pulled out a
Toronto Maple Leafs notebook.
>
> It was a joke meant to tease an Ottawa crowd of around 350 people who
gathered at Carleton to watch Canada's chief of the defence staff speak
Sept. 22.
>
> The loudest boos came from the Student Coalition Against War group, which
protested the speech beforehand and gave out flyers depicting Canada's top
soldier as a nuclear-powered monster.
>
> The Raging Grannies held a sing-along outside the theatre, singing
anti-war songs to the tune of "The Ants Go Marching."
>
> At the speech, young people wearing anti-war buttons sat next to
ex-military officers.
>
> Hillier's speech, "Canada's military in a dangerous new world," addressed
the issue of Canadian participation in Afghanistan.
>
> He said Canada's upcoming contingent would be on a mission of peace,
looking to build "psychological security" and protect Afghan efforts to
rebuild one of the most destitute regions of the world.
>
> "There are four million people in Kabul," Hillier said. "My estimate is
that 25 to 50 of those would gladly work to kill Canadian soldiers on any
given day.
>
> "But four million people in Kabul are absolutely delighted and ecstatic
that our soldiers are there."
>
> Citing the Sept. 18 Afghan elections, Hillier called Canada's presence a
"beacon of hope in Afghanistan."
>
> He also recommended sweeping changes to the military, so "Canadian values"
can be backed by "Canadian toughness," if necessary.
>
> At the question period that followed the speech, several students lined up
at the provided microphones and accused Hillier of promoting imperialism,
Americanism and capitalist empire-building.
>
> Trevor Hach? of the Student Coalition Against War was first to take the
microphone.
>
> "I'd first like to commend Mr. Hillier on his public service, but there is
an elephant in the room no one is talking about," Hach? said.
>
> He then held up a copy of Embassy magazine, which featured a quote from
outspoken British MP George Galloway.
>
> In the magazine, Galloway is quoted as saying Canada is making "strategic
mistakes" in Afghanistan and jeopardizing its "fine reputation" as a
peacekeeper in the Muslim world by being allied with the United States.
>
> Wearing a green military-style jacket, Hach? embarked on a speech of his
own.
>
> He raised objections about the United States' "affection" for nuclear arms
and what he called its recent move toward approving potential pre-emptive
nuclear strikes against rogue nations.
>
> Crowd noise increased as Hach? pulled out another article citing Robert
McNamara, former American secretary of defence, who now says the American
nuclear policy is immoral and illegal.
>
> "What is your question, please?" asked Katherine Graham, moderator of the
question period, as Hach? reached for a third article.
>
> "My question is simple," Hach? said.
>
> "What are the Canadian forces doing to protect the rest of the world from
the United States, which is increasingly belligerent, ignoring international
law, conducting illegal wars . . ."
>
> At that moment, the crowd roared and Hach? was drowned out. Audience
members booed, yelled "get off the mic" and told Hach? to sit down.
>
> Some clapped in approval while others whistled and banged notebooks.
>
> Another student, who spoke after Hach?, challenged Hillier to resign.
>
> Immediately, boos and heckles shot from the audience.
>
> Hillier's one-word reply, "No," received a standing ovation.
>
> As questions kept coming, Hillier seemed to keep his composure.
>
> He repeated his view that Canada was "not building an empire" in
Afghanistan as three more students accused him of participating in
capitalist empire-building.
>
> "We work with many nations, including, sometimes, the United States,"
Hillier said.
>
> With six people left standing in line for questions, Graham stopped the
show.
>
> Hillier addressed a few more comments to the audience and left for an
informal reception in the Loeb Building.
>
> Gary Dalby, a former air force pilot officer from Nepean, said he was
angered by the protesters. He said the audience heckling was clearly in
favour of Hillier.
>
> "The crowd showed where their emphasis was," he said.
>
> Carleton president David Atkinson was at the speech and called the night a
success.
>
> "The general's views are very impassioned," Atkinson said. "He obviously
feels very committed. He's very single-minded and driven. And whenever you
have someone [like him] you'll always have people who are equally
impassioned and equally committed, but see the world in a different way."
>
> Atkinson said the raucous atmosphere in the lecture hall was "predictable"
considering the controversial nature of the speech.
>
> Though things "got pretty animated," he said, the night was an example of
free speech and democracy.
>
> "I think it's useful," he said. "I think it's what universities are for.
We exist for every point of view to be heard and that's what happened
tonight. If we didn't exist to allow that to happen, society would be worse
off."
>
> http://www.charlatan.ca/articles/2005/09/29/stories/50812.html




From t_filyavich at hotmail.com  Fri Sep 30 14:28:09 2005
From: t_filyavich at hotmail.com (Tamara Filyavich)
Date: Fri, 30 Sep 2005 21:28:09 +0000
Subject: [Bloquez l'empire!] Kanehsatake courtroom solidarity
Message-ID: <BAY102-F13A21BB84848ECE326AA408B8F0@phx.gbl>

[Veuillez noter que bien qu?on encourage un soutien continu durant toute la
dur?e du proc?s, IPSM appelle ? une mobilisation massive le lundi 3
octobre, puisqu?il s?agit de la date d?ouverture de la d?fense de ce
proc?s par jury. Les membres d?IPSM coordonnent le transport, mais
celui-ci est limit? par la disponibilit? des v?hicules. Le point de
rendez-vous est devant QPIRG-Concordia (1500 deMaisonneuve ouest) ? 8h15.
L?heure de d?part est 8h30 (PR?CISES!). Les supporteurs int?ress?s ? venir
et/ou ceux qui ont acc?s ? un v?hicule devraient entrer en contact avec
Pascal le plus t?t possible au (514) 933-9561.]

Les arr?t?s du 12 Janvier ont besoin de solidarit? en cour!
Venez soutenir les Kanehsata'kero:non dans leur lutte pour la justice!

******************************************
Les 3, 6, 7, 10-14 octobre (des dates additionnelles seront annonc?es)
(Environ) 8:30- 16:30
Cour de Justice de Saint-J?r?me
Directions disponibles sur :  http://tinyurl.com/8os4m
Information pour les autobus au : http://tinyurl.com/bs8kj
                                    & http://tinyurl.com/dq2uf
******************************************
Le 12 janvier 2004 est une journ?e m?morable ? c?est la journ?e o? la
communaut? de Kanehsata:ke a dit NON! au Grand Chef du Conseil de Bande de
Kanehsata:ke  appoint? par le f?d?ral, ainsi que ses supporteurs au
conseil, et les gouvernements coloniaux du kebec et du kanada. Lorsque 67
agents de police lourdement arm?s, secr?tement recrut?s ? l?ext?rieur de
Kanehsata:ke, la Police Mohawk de Kanehsatake (KMP), a lanc? l?attaque sur
la station de police de Kanehsata:ke, plus de 50 Kanehsata'kero:non (gens
de Kanehsata:ke) se sont r?unis pour r?sister au si?ge et dire aux goons
de partir. La force d'invasion, apr?s avoir d?barqu? dans le stationnement
de l'?cole alors que des enfants jouaient dehors, a utilis? des gaz
lacrimog?nes contre les membres de la communaut?. Quelques-uns ont r?agi
en incendiant la maison de l?ex-Grand chef James Gabriel. Les m?dias ont
d?peint tous les manifestants comme des criminels, et Gabriel comme un
martyr luttant contre le crime. Alors que Gabriel et le chef de la police
Terry Isaac ont lanc? un appel ? K?bec pour introduire les forces de la
S?ret? du Qu?bec et ainsi participer ? l?escalade de la crise, trois chefs
et les Peacekeepers Mohawk de Kanehsata:ke (KMPC) ont demand? le soutien
des communaut?s Kanien'keha:ka (Mohawk) alli?es afin de r?tablir la paix.

Les mois suivants, Kanehsata:ke est demeur?e dans un ?tat de crainte
constante, alors que la KMP a harcel? et molest? des membres de la
communaut?, sillonn? le territoire ? des vitesses dangereuses, tout en
?tant pay? par le  gouvernement canadien et log? au Hilton ? Laval. Le
tout a co?t? environ 20 million$, avant que la KMP ne soit finalement
d?mantel?e la semaine derni?re.  Pendant pr?s d?un an, des
Kanehsata'kero:non inquiets et leurs alli?s de la Haudenosaunee
(Conf?d?ration Iroquoise), de Tiohtia:ke (Montreal) et d?ailleurs ont aid?
? s?curiser le territoire. A pr?sent les Kanehsata'kero:non appellent pour
notre soutien.

24 personnes ?taient initialement accus?es de participation ? une ?meute
et de prise d'otage. Des 19 restants, personne n'a accept? l'offre de la
couronne d'un plaidoyer de culpabilit? et d'une amende de 500$ en ?change
d'une absolution. Ils insistent pour se battre en cour, et vont le faire
jusqu?au bout. L'auto d?fense est l?gale, et ils veulent que tout le monde
le sache.

La solidarit? est mutuelle!

Montrons ? nos alli?s que nous sommes l? en nous asseyant en cour avec eux
alors qu?ils se battent pour leur libert?.

Laissez-le savoir : la lutte continue.

Contactez Pascal (933.9561) si vous avez besoin de transport ou si vous en
avez ? offrir.

Soutenez la R?sistance!

- le Mouvement de Solidarit? avec les Peuples Autochtones (IPSM)
contact: IPSM at resist.ca

-************************************************************************
[Please note that while supporters are encouraged to attend the trial
consistently and regularly throughout its duration, IPSM is calling for a
strong mobilization on Monday, October 3, as this will mark the beginning of
the defense?s case in this jury trial. Members of IPSM are bottomlining
transportation (we are limited by the availability of vehicles). Rendez-vous
point will be in front of QPIRG-Concordia (1500 deMaisonneuve West) at
8:15am. Departure time is 8:30am (SHARP!). Supporters interested in coming
and/or those with access to vehicles are asked to get in touch with Pascal
ASAP at (514) 933-9561.]

The J12 arrestees need courtroom solidarity!
Come support the Kanehsata'kero:non while they fight for justice!

*************
October 3, 6, 7, 10-14 (additional days to be announced)
Approx. 8:30am until 4:30pm
Saint-J?r?me Courthouse
25, rue de Martigny Ouest
Saint-J?r?me (Qu?bec)
directions available at: http://tinyurl.com/8os4m
bus information available at: http://tinyurl.com/bs8kj
             & http://tinyurl.com/dq2uf
*************

January 12th, 2004 is a day to be remembered forever ? the day the
community of Kanehsata:ke said NO! to the federally-appointed Grand Chief
of the Kanesata:ke Band Council, and his supporters on council, as well as
the colonial governments of Kebec and Kanada.  When sixty-seven heavily
armed police, the Kanesatake Mohawk Police (KMP), secretly recruited
outside of Kanehsata:ke and laid siege to the Kanesata:ke Police Station,
over 50 Kanehsata'kero:non (people of Kanehsata:ke) gathered to resist the
siege and tell the goons to leave.  The invading force, after landing in
the school's parking lot in front of kids who were playing, would
eventually tear-gas community members.  A handful responded by burning
down ex-Grand Chief James Gabriel's home.  The media demonized all
protesters as criminal & presented Gabriel as a crime-fighting martyr.
While Gabriel and police chief Terry Isaac appealed to Kebec to bring in
the Suret? du Qu?bec (SQ) & escalate the crisis, three Chiefs & the
Kahnawake Mohawk Peacekeepers sought support from sister Kanien'keha:ka
(Mohawk) communities to finally bring a mediated peace.

For the following months, Kanehsata:ke was in a constant state of fear, as
the KMP continued to harass and brutalize community members, to race
through the territory at dangerous speeds, all the while being paid by the
kanadian
government and housed at the Laval Hilton.  The whole thing cost around $20
million, before the KMP was finally dismantled last week.  For almost a
year, concerned Kanehsata'kero:non and their allies from within the
Haudenosaunee (Iroqouis Confederacy), from Tiohtia:ke (Montreal) and
beyond performed security duties on territory.  Together, we guarded
entrances to the community, shared food, and strategized for the future.
Now the Kanehsata'kero:non need our support again.

24 people were originally charged for allegedly rioting and forcible
confinement. Of the 19 remaining facing charges, no one accepted the crowns
deal of a guilty plea with 500$ fine in exchange for a discharge.  They want
their day in court, and now it's here.  Self-defense is legal, and they
want to let everybody know.

Solidarity is mutual!

Show our allies that we mean business by sitting in court with them as they
fight for their freedom.

Let your friends and communities know that the struggle continues.

Contact Pascal (933.9561) if you are driving up or need a ride.

Support resistance!

-the Indigenous Peoples Solidarity Movement collective
contact us: IPSM at resist.ca