[Bloquez l'empire!] URGENT! SOLIDARITY WITH ABDELKADER BELAOUNI!!!

[No One is Illegal Montreal]

::: A CALL FOR SUPPORT, SOLIDARITY AND ACTION :::

::: ABDELKADER BELAOUNI TAKES SANCTUARY INSIDE A MONTREAL CHURCH :::

4 January 2006

Abdelkader Belaouni ­ who is an active member of Solidarity Across Borders & 
the Action Committee of Non-Status Algerians, and was one of over 100 people 
who marched to Ottawa this summer to demand the regularization of all 
non-status persons in Canada ­ has taken sanctuary at St. Gabriel¹s church in 
Montreal. Abdelkader¹s deportation date is set for tomorrow, January 5th, but 
he has decided to continue to fight against this injustice, and has sought 
sanctuary in order to avoid deportation.

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Your support is urgently needed to ensure that Abdelkader remains safely in
sanctuary until his status in Canada is regularized!
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While Abdelkader and his supporters are actively campaigning for him to stay in 
Canada, we are urgently calling for a PHONE/FAX/EMAIL campaign, to demand that 
the Minister of Citizenship and Immigration STAY ABDELKADER BELAOUNI¹S 
DEPORTATION AND IMMEDIATELY GRANT HIM STATUS IN CANADA.

It is essential ­ as Abdelkader¹s deportation date passes ­ that we demonstrate 
our support and demand justice.

TAKE ACTION

>> Please call and/or fax a letter to the following politicians to demand that 
>> they stop Abdelkader¹s deportation and grant him permanent
resident status in Canada. Please cc sansfrontieres at resist.ca to let us know 
you have written or called.

Calls are particularly important during this period because of the urgency.

Joe Volpe, Minister of Citizenship and Immigration, Tel: (613) 992-6361 and 
(416) 781-5583, Fax: (613) 992-9791 and (416) 781-5586, volpej at parl.gc.ca AND 
Minister at cic.gc.ca

Anne McLellan, Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness (also in 
charge of the Canadian Border Services Agency), Tel: (613) 992-4524, Fax: (613) 
943-0044, McLellan.A at parl.gc.ca

René D¹Aoust, Director Investigations and Removals, CIC Montreal, Tel: (514) 
496-1237, Fax: (514) 496-2222

Liza Frulla, MP (Liberal), Jeanne-Le Ber, Tel: (514) 496-4885, Fax: (514) 
496-4888

Paul Martin, Prime Minister of Canada, Tel: (514) 363-0954, Fax: (514) 
367-5533, pm at pm.gc.ca


See sample letter, below.


:::BACKGROUND:::

Abdelkader Belaouni is a blind man from Algeria who has been living in Montreal 
for close to three years.  After exhausting all recourses to remain legally in 
Canada, and facing deportation on January 5th, 2005, Abdelkader sought 
sanctuary at Saint Gabriel¹s church in his own neighbourhood of Point 
St-Charles, in Montreal. For him, deportation will mean losing the dignity, 
autonomy and security for which he has worked so hard to achieve since settling 
in Montreal nearly three years ago.

Recognizing the importance of supporting Abdelkader in his fight against the 
injustice of Citizenship and Immigration Canada¹s decision to reject his 
applications to remain legally in Canada, Saint Gabriel¹s church in Montreal 
offered sanctuary to Abdelkader. Father MacDonald, of Saint Gabriel¹s church, 
has stated: ³[It is] compassionate justice that we are looking for, as opposed 
to any kind of legalistic justice.²


Over the past few years, Abdelkader has worked hard to put down roots in 
Montreal.  His adaptation to life in Montreal is particularly remarkable given 
that he has been displaced on two previous occasions: first in Algeria where he 
endured and escaped the civil war and, second, in the post-9/11/2001 climate of 
the U.S.A., where he experienced the racist backlash against Arabs and Muslims. 
Moreover, his involvement in Quebec and Canadian society is demonstrated by the 
32 letters of support he has received thus far, including organizations and 
individuals who have come to know and respect him.  Groups such as Committee to 
Aid Refugees, Montreal City Mission, Association Multi-ethnique pour 
l'intégration des personnes handicapées (where he volunteered for over a 
year),The Brail and Nazareth Institute, and Legal Aid of Pointe St-Charles and 
Little Burgundy have called for the deportation to be halted and Abdelkader to 
remain in Canada.


Mr. Belaouni would be deported first to the U.S.A., where there is a high risk 
of detention pending deportation back to Algeria. As an Arab, as a Muslim, and 
as a blind man with diabetes-related health problems, he would be particularly 
vulnerable in detention.



Mr. Belaouni was victim of an unjust decision by CIC that rejected his 
application on Humanitarian and Compassionate grounds on October 24, 2005. This 
decision discriminated against Mr. Belaouni on the basis that he wasn't 
employed ­ which neglected to take into account both the systemic 
discrimination against handicapped persons in general and the lack of access to 
employment opportunities as a result of the precariousness associated with not 
having legal status. The decision ignores the varied contributions that 
Abdelkader has made in his community.


:: SAMPLE LETTER ::

Feel free to use the following letter as a model. Please also feel free to 
personalize the text as much as possible.


(Name)

(Address)


(Place, date)

Re : Abdelkader Belaouni

Dear (fill in name),

I am shocked and angry to learn that Canada plans to deport Mr. Abdelkader 
Belaouni on January 5th.  Mr. Belaouni is a man who has overcome great barriers 
- including a visual impairment - to create a secure and dignified life for 
himself in Montreal, after being displaced twice.  I find it alarming that 
rather than exercise its ³compassion² and recognize Mr. Belaouni¹s 
achievements, CIC has instead based its refusal to grant Mr. Belaouni status on 
the grounds that Mr. Belaouni has been unable to find work. This decision fails 
to take into account the fact of his total visual impairment, and is thus 
discriminatory.  Not only does this decision discriminate against Mr. Belaouni 
because of his disability, but it also ignores the significant contributions 
and strong connections Mr. Belaouni has made in his community of Point 
St-Charles, and more broadly in Montreal.

Mr. Belaouni enjoys the support of over 30 organizations in Montreal, as well 
as the support of countless individuals such as myself. For example, Steve 
Watson from the Canadian Auto Worker's union writes:

       "I know that Abdelkader has tried hard to make an independent life for 
himself in Canada. He is active in his neighbourhood, Point St-Charles, and in 
groups working to make a better life for people in poverty and insecurity.

       "Abdelkader has tried very hard to support himself. He told me how he 
sold the magazine l'Itineraire in the Montreal Metro. He has taken a mobility 
course for the blind at the Institut Nazareth et Louis-Braille.

       "He should not be penalized for discriminatory policies and employment 
practices which are beyond his control. Because he is not a citizen Abdelkader 
was denied entry to some programmes meant to enhance opportunities for the 
blind.

       "Nevertheless, Abdelkader has volunteered with the Multi-Ethnic 
Association for the Integration of the Handicapped of Quebec (AMEIPH). There he 
has been a front-desk receptionist since January, 2005. I have since learned 
that he has only missed three days: once when his mother went into a coma, once 
when his mother died, and once after he learned of his deportation order.

       "We need more people like Abdelkader in Canada.²


I couldn¹t agree more.

The fact that the deportation of Mr. Belaouni will likely mean his detention in 
the US, pending his eventual deportation to Algeria, exemplifies a gross 
injustice.He will be particularly vulnerable in detention due to his diabetes 
and visual impairment, and this in addition to the discrimination that he will 
face as an Arab and Muslim.

Why would Canada deport a man to detention, deportation and insecurity - 
someone who contributes to the fabric of our community while living a dignified 
and autonomous life in Canada?

I urge you to exercise your power to stop the deportation of Mr. Belaouni, and 
to provide him with status here in Canada.


Sincerely,

Name
Address

************************************************************************

This appeal is issued by the Committee to Support Abdelkader Belaouni
sansfrontieres at resist.ca
(514) 859-9023
www.solidarityacrossborders.org

To see photos of Abdelkader marching to Ottawa with Solidarity Across
Borders this past summer, visit:
http://gallery.cmaq.net/nooiimarch_05/DSCN0013_1
http://gallery.cmaq.net/nooiimarch_05/DSCN0026_1

---
sansfrontieres at resist.ca
http://www.solidarityacrossborders.org