[IPSM] No One Is Illegal Newswire/Bulletin de Nouvelles (February 27, 2006): Not guilty! Non coupable!

[No One Is Illegal Montreal]

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NO ONE IS ILLEGAL-MONTREAL NEWS AND EVENTS DIGEST
BULLETIN DE NOUVELLES ET D'ÉVÉNEMENTS DE PERSONNE N'EST ILLÉGAL
=====

FEBRUARY 27, 2006 -- LE 27 FÉVRIER 2006 (1.2)

::::: NOT GUILTY!/NON-COUPABLE! :::::

1) Not Guilty!: More than two years after being brutalized by police
in Ottawa, non-status migrants and supporters are acquitted
2) Non Coupable!: Plus de deux ans après avoir été brutalisés par la
police à Ottawa, les migrants sans statut et leurs supporteuses sont
acquittés
3) Photo Essay/Gallerie d'images
4) La Ligue des droits et libertés et Amnistie internationale se
réjouissent du verdict d'acquittement dans l'affaire des sans statut
algériens
5) (Ottawa Sun) 10 Acquitted in Sit-in: Algerian natives cheer
not-guilty verdict on mischief charges in 2003 incident
6) (Ottawa Citizen) Judge acquits 10 Algerians of mischief: Group
occupied office of immigration minister

::::: EVENTS/ÉVÉNEMENTS (MONTREAL) :::::

7) Journée internationale des femmes 2006: Concert, Forum et Manif
8) International Women's Day 2006: Concert, Forum and Demo

::::: PHOTO REPORTS/GALERIES DE PHOTOS :::::

9) Picket Against Immigration Minister in Toronto; Two Arrests Before
Demo (January 21, 2006)

::::: NEWS/NOUVELLES :::::

10) (Ottawa Citizen) Police unable to execute warrant in deportation case
11) (IPS) Unmarked Graves Across the U.S. Border
12) (El Paso Times) Border fence, citizenship denial opposed
13) (Infoshop News) Long, Hard Days and Low Pay for Immigrants
Rebuilding from Katrina

14) (La Presse) L'attente se prolonge pour un réfugié algérien
15) (Le Droit) Les Van Hauve refusent de se rendre à la police d'Ottawa
16) (Indymedia France) Occupation d'un chantier de prison pour mineur·e·s
-----

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-----

(((((1)))))

-- NOT GUILTY!

-- More than two years after being brutalized by police in Ottawa,
non-status migrants and supporters are acquitted

-- The struggle for full regularization continues

OTTAWA, February 24, 2006 – Today, 12 protesters involved with the
Action Committee of Non-Status Algerians were acquitted of mischief in
relation to the occupation of the Immigration Minister's offices in
downtown Ottawa on May 29, 2003, more than two-and-a-half years ago.

The "not-guilty" verdict, for all 12 defendants, was greeted with loud
cheers and applause. The courtroom, crammed with more than sixty
supporters from Ottawa, Gatineau, Montreal and Toronto, broke into the
chant: "So-so-so, solidarité, avec, avec, avec les sans-statut!"

Immediately after the verdict, one non-status defendant denounced, at
the top of his voice, the police brutality and racism that was
exhibited during the original arrests of the protesters in 2003: after
spending almost ten-hours in demanding a meeting with the Minister or
a senior-level official, an Ottawa-police tactical squad invaded the
office, and used tasers (electrical guns) to shock four protesters,
while others were beaten with open fists.

The office occupation, as the verdict today makes clear, was always an
assertive and valid expression of the demands of the protesters. In
the end, it is the police that should answer for their brutality, and
still haven't been forced to do so.

[Photos from the courthouse today, as well as photos attesting to the
police brutality, and the struggle of the Action Committee of
Non-Status Algerians since 2002, are available at:
http://gallery.cmaq.net/ottawaverdict]

* * *

The defendants at trial today were Tarik Abderrahim, Noreddine Argoub,
Nourdine Belhadj, Zoheir Belaroui, Amokrane Benmeziane, Fawzi Hoceni,
Djamel Ouchfoun, Fouad Rebai, all non-status Algerians living in
Canada; as well as Sarita Ahooja and Andrea Schmidt, who were active
supporters of the Action Committee of Non-Status Algerians/Le Comité
d'action des sans-statut algériens (CASS). Many of the non-status
defendants are still fighting for status in Canada.

Two defendants – Mohamed Cherfi and Djamel Meziani –could not be
present, because they were deported before trial. Mohamed Cherfi, the
public spokesperson for the CASS, was forced to take sanctuary inside
the St-Pierre Church in Quebec City in February 2004, in order to
prevent a deportation order. However, his sanctuary was forcibly
violated by police on March 5, 2004, and he was immediately removed to
the United States. He spent more than one year in prison before being
accepted as a refugee by the United States (a status he and hundreds
of others were denied by the Canadian government).

Cherfi was informed immediately of the verdict today by cellphone in
Burlington, Vermont, where he still awaits his return to Quebec.
(After the verdict, supporters chanted: "Ramenez Cherfi, son pays est
ici! Ramenez Meziani, son pays est ici!).

The not-guilty verdict comes after a long trial. The length of the
trial was partially blamed by the trial judge – Ann Alder -- on the
senior Crown lawyer in the case. The judge underlined the delays in
disclosure by the Crown – David Elhadad -- that prolonged the trial.
However, the Judge's verdict did not deal substantively with the claim
by the demonstrators that the police used excessive and brutal force
in making the original arrests.

At trial, the defendants were represented by a legal team comprised of
Montreal lawyers Denis Barette and Pascal Lescarbeau, as well as
Ottawa lawyer Yavar Hameed.

* * *

The original protest took place on May 29, 2003, when a delegation of
non-status Algerians from Montreal, accompanied by supporters, took
their demands directly to the Ministry of Citizenship and Immigration
in Ottawa. The office occupation was consistent with many previous
actions and protests organized by the CASS since early 2002.

The protesters went straight into the Minister's office, and demanded
a meeting. They spent the entire afternoon and evening waiting for a
meaningful response. Instead, the police intervened. Shortly after
10pm, about 30 members of the Ottawa Police Services tactical squad,
in coordination with the RCMP, charged the people occupying the
waiting room. After forcing them to the ground, the police beat and
tasered many of the men on their necks, backs, torsos and genitals.
One man was bashed on the head with the butt of a taser gun, leaving a
large gash on his forehead. Another man lost a tooth as a result of
being punched in the face by a police officer. Several people have
taser burns on the backs of their neck, backs and arms.

During the arrests and processing, the police made several racist and
belittling comments. The police seemed to justify their use of tasers
and elevated force, against unarmed and non-violent protesters -- who
were preparing to leave the office -- as a training operation, and
even filmed the arrests.

[A video of the brutal arrest is available at:
http://taktic.org/~john/CASS.mp4.mov
The clicking sound on the video is the use of the electrical guns on
several protesters; the later images show the solidarity demonstration
outside.]

Outside the office occupation, supporters had gathered to show their
solidarity. Three of those supporters were eventually arrested too:
Francine Dumas and her daughter Michele Marois of Gatineau, and Paul
Smith of Ottawa. All their legal matters have been settled -- Paul
Smith won a complaint against the police for their use of a taser
against him -- and all three were in court today.

The trial showed clearly that the protesters were focussed on their
demands, and did not commit "mischief" by any legal definition.
Importantly, the evidence showed that senior level officials in the
office of then-Immigration Minister Denis Coderre were well aware of
the presence of protesters in the office, and were thereby complicit
in the eventual police operation and brutality.

* * *

In the end, while finding the defendants "not guilty" of mischief, the
judge indicated she would have found the protesters guilty of the
lesser crime of "trespassing" (if that charge had been laid). The
verdict, while absolving the defendants of criminal charges, clearly
does not resolve many fundamental injustices of this affair: Why were
non-status Algerian migrants essentially tortured in order to be
arrested on a minor charge? Why were the charges even allowed to
proceed in the first place? And, why haven't the demands of the
non-status Algerians on May 29, 2003 been recognized and acted upon by
the Canadian government?

The verdict should not cloud the main demands that the Action
Committee of Non-Status Algerians and their supporters have made clear
for more than four years: the immediate regularization of all
non-status Algerians living in Canada, as well as the return of those
non-status Algerians who were removed from Canada against their will.

That struggle, for fundamental justice and dignity, still continues,
even while the defendants and their supporters enjoy this meaningful
legal victory.

-- No One Is Illegal-Montreal
noii-montreal at resist.ca - 514-859-9023
-----


(((((2)))))

-- NON COUPABLE!

-- Plus de deux ans après avoir été brutalisés par la police à Ottawa,
les migrants sans statut et leurs supporteuses sont acquittés

OTTAWA, le 24 février 2006 – Aujourd'hui, 12 manifestant-e-s
impliqué-e-s dans le Comité d'action des sans statuts algériens ont
été acquitté-e-s des accusations de méfait portées suite à
l'occupation du bureau du ministre de l'immigration au centre-ville
d'Ottawa le 29 mai 2003, il y a plus de deux ans et demi.

L'annonce du verdict "non coupable" pour les 12 défendeurs a été
accueillie par des applaudissements chaleureux. Dans la salle
d'audience, les quelque 60 supporteurs-euse-s en provenance d'Ottawa,
de Gatineau, de Montréal et de Toronto ont scandé le slogan «
So-so-so, solidarité, avec, avec, avec les sans statuts! »

Après l'annonce du verdict, un des défendeurs sans statut a dénoncé
haut et fort le racisme et la brutalité déployés par la police lors de
l'arrestation des manifestant-e-s. Au moment de l'occupation, ces
derniers demandaient une rencontre avec le ministre de l'immigration
ou un membre de la haute direction. Après plus de dix heures
d'attente, une escouade tactique de la police d'Ottawa a envahit le
bureau et utilisé des « tasers » (des fusils électriques) pour donner
des chocs à quatre manifestants, tandis que d'autres ont été battus à
coups de poing.

L'occupation du bureau, tel que le démontre le verdict d'aujourd'hui,
était un moyen légitime et affirmatif pour exprimer les demandes des
manifestant-e-s. En bout de ligne, c'est la police qui devrait rendre
compte de la brutalité de ses gestes, et jusqu'à maintenant, elle n'a
pas été forcée à le faire.

Des photos de l'audience d'aujourd'hui - ainsi que des images de la
brutalité policière du 29 mai 2003 - peuvent être vues à l'adresse
suivante : http://gallery.cmaq.net/ottawaverdict

* * *

Les défendeurs présents en cour aujourd'hui étaient: Tarik Abderrahim,
Noreddine Argoub, Nourdine Belhadj, Zoheir Belaroui, Amokrane
Benmeziane, Fawzi Hoceni, Djamel Ouchfoun et Fouad Rebai, tous des
Algériens sans statut vivant au Canada, ainsi que Sarita Ahooja et
Andrea Schmidt, des supporteuses actives du Comité d'action des sans
statut algériens (CASS). Plusieurs des défendeurs sans statut luttent
toujours pour l'obtention d'un statut au Canada.

Deux défendeurs – Mohamed Cherfi et Djamel Meziani – ont été déportés
avant le procès et ne pouvaient donc pas être présents. Mohamed
Cherfi, le porte parole public du CASS, a été obligé de prendre
sanctuaire en février 2004 dans l'église St-Pierre, à Québec, afin
d'éviter un ordre de déportation. Cependant, le 5 mars 2005, la police
a violé le droit de sanctuaire et Mohamed Cherfi a immédiatement été
déporté aux Etats-Unis. Après avoir passé un an en prison, il a été
accepté en tant que réfugié par les Etats-Unis (un statut que le
Canada lui a refusé, ainsi qu'à des centaines d'autres).

M. Cherfi, actuellement à Burlington au Vermont (où il attend de
pouvoir revenir au Québec), a été informé du verdict par téléphone
aujourd'hui. (Après l'annonce du verdict, les supporteurs-euse-s ont
scandé « Ramenez Cherfi, son pays est ici! Ramenez Meziani, son pays
est ici! »).

Le verdict non coupable survient suite à un long procès. La juge Ann
Alder blâme, en partie, la longueur du procès sur l'avocat de la
Couronne responsable du cas. La juge a mentionné les délais de
divulgation par la Couronne – David Elhadad – qui ont prolongé le
procès. Par contre, le verdict de la juge ne répond pas directement à
l'allégation des manifestant-e-s quant à la force excessive et brutale
employée par la police lors des arrestations.

Les défendeurs ont été représentés par une équipe légale composée des
avocats montréalais Denis Barette et Pascal Lescarbeau, ainsi que de
l'avocat Yavar Hameed, de Ottawa.

* * *

La manifestation à l'origine des arrestations a eu lieu le 29 mai
2003, lorsqu'une délégation de sans statut algériens de Montréal,
accompagnée de supporteuses, a décidé d'apporter les revendications du
CASS directement au ministre de l'immigration et de la citoyenneté à
Ottawa. L'occupation des bureaux s'inscrivait dans la continuité
d'autres actions et de manifestations organisées par le CASS depuis
2002.

Les manifestant-e-s se sont directement rendu-e-s dans le bureau du
ministre et ont demandé à le rencontrer. Ils et elles ont passé
l'après-midi et la soirée à attendre une réponse significative.
Finalement, la police a intervenu. Peu après 22h, environ 30 membres
de l'escouade tactique, en coordination avec la GRC, ont chargé les
occupant-e-s dans la salle d'attente. Les policier-e-s les ont
forcé-e-s au sol, battu-e-s et ont utilisé leurs "tasers" sur
plusieurs des hommes, sur leurs cous, leurs dos, leurs torses et leurs
parties génitales.

Un homme a été frappé à la tête avec la crosse d'un fusil « taser » et
le coup qui a laissé une grosse marque sur son front. Un autre homme a
perdu une dent après qu'un agent de police lui ait donné un coup de
poing au visage. Plusieurs personnes ont des brûlures de "taser" à
l'arrière du cou, sur leurs dos et sur leurs bras.

Tout au long des arrestations et des procédures qui suivent, les
policier-e-s ont fait plusieurs commentaires racistes et
banalisateurs. La police semble justifier l'usage des fusils "tasers"
et de la force brutale contre des manifestant-e-s non-violent-e-s et
sans armes, qui se préparaient à quitter le bureau, en tant
qu'opération d'entraînement – des agent-e-s ont même filmé les
arrestations.

[Des images vidéo des arrestations brutales peuvent être vues à
l'adresse suivante :
http://taktic.org/~john/CASS.mp4.mov
Sur la bande sonore, on entend un son semblable à « rat-tat-tat ». Il
s'agit du bruit émis par les fusils électriques utilisés contre
plusieurs des manifestants.]

À l'extérieur du bureau occupé, des supporteur-euse-s étaient
rassemblé-e-s en signe de solidarité. Parmi eux et elles, trois
personnes ont été arrêtées : Francine Dumas et sa fille Michèle
Marois, de Gatineau, ainsi que Paul Smith, d'Ottawa. Toutes les
questions légales liées à ces arrestations ont été réglées depuis –
Paul Smith a porté plainte et gagné sa cause contre la police pour
l'usage du « taser » – et tous les trois étaient en cour aujourd'hui.

La procès a clairement démontré que les manifestant-e-s étaient
voué-e-s à leurs revendications et n'ont commis aucun « méfait » selon
les définitions légales. Soulignons le fait que la preuve a démontré
que les membres de la haute direction du bureau du ministre de
l'immigration de l'époque, Denis Coderre, étaient bien au courant de
la présence des manifestant-e-s. Ils sont donc complices de
l'opération et de la brutalité policière qui s'ensuivit.

* * *

Finalement, tout en déclarant les défendeurs "non coupables" de
méfait, la juge a mentionné qu'elle aurait déclaré les
manifestant-t-es coupables de l'accusation "d'intrusion" (si celle-ci
avait été portée). Le verdict, qui absout les défendeurs de toute
accusation criminelle, ne résout pas pour  autant plusieurs injustices
fondamentales à cette affaire. Pourquoi a-t-on torturé des Algériens
sans statut afin de les arrêter et de porter des accusations mineures?
Au départ, pourquoi a-t-on permis aux accusations d'être portées? Et
pourquoi le gouvernement canadien ignore-t-il toujours les
revendications exprimées le 29 mai 2003?

Le verdict ne devrait pas nous faire oublier les principales
revendications que porte le Comité d'action des sans statut algériens
depuis plus de quatre ans: la régularisation immédiate de tous les
Algérien-ne-s sans statut vivant au Canada, et le retour des
Algérien-ne-s sans statut qui ont été déporté-e-s contre leur gré du
Canada.

Aujourd'hui, les défendeurs et les personnes qui les appuient peuvent
se réjouir de cette victoire légale significative. Mais la lutte pour
la justice fondamentale et la dignité se poursuit.

-- Personne n'est illegal – Montréal
sansfrontieres at resist.ca - 514-859-9023

-----

(((((3))))))

PHOTO ESSAY/GALLERIE D'IMAGES --> http://gallery.cmaq.net/ottawaverdict
-----


(((((4)))))

Communiqué de presse
Pour diffusion immédiate

La Ligue des droits et libertés et Amnistie internationale se
réjouissent du verdict d'acquittement dans l'affaire des sans
statut algériens qui avaient occupé le bureau du ministre de
l'Immigration

Les organisations demandent une enquête publique et indépendante sur
l'utilisation des armes incapacitantes à décharge électrique taser.

Montréal, 27 février 2006 / La Ligue des droits et libertés et
Amnistie internationale section canadienne francophone se réjouissent
du verdict d'acquittement prononcé vendredi dernier à l'égard des
neufs sans statut algériens et de deux de leurs supporters qui
avaient occupé le bureau du ministre de l'Immigration à Ottawa en
mai 2003.

En décidant que ces onze personnes n'avaient pas commis
l'infraction de méfait qui leur était reprochée, la juge Ann Alder
de la Cour de justice de l'Ontario n'a pas eu à statuer sur la
demande d'arrêt des procédures formulée par les défendeurs en raison
des mauvais traitements et de la brutalité policière qu'ils ont subi
lors de leur arrestation, notamment l'utilisation répétée des
pistolets à décharge électrique «tasergun».

La Ligue des droits et libertés et Amnistie internationale réitèrent
auprès de Stockwell Day, ministre de la Sécurité publique, leur
demande de tenue d'une enquête indépendante et impartiale sur
l'utilisation des armes incapacitantes par les forces policières.

Les organisations signataires tiennent à rappeler à cet égard que le
Comité contre la torture de l'ONU, lors de l'examen des pratiques
canadiennes en mai 2005, s~Rest montré «préoccupé par la persistance
des allégations faisant état d'un usage abusif par les forces de
l'ordre d'armes chimiques, irritantes, incapacitantes ou mécaniques
dans le cadre d'opérations de contrôle de foule» et à recommandé que
le Canada «procède à une étude publique et indépendante et à un
réexamen de sa politique concernant les méthodes de contrôle de
foule».

- 30 -

Contact:

Ligue des droits et libertés
Tél: 514-849-7717/Cell: 514-825-6136
info at liguedesdroits.ca

Amnistie internationale, section canadienne francophone
Téléphone: 514-766-9766
-----


(((((5)))))

10 Acquitted in Sit-in: Algerian natives cheer not-guilty verdict on
mischief charges in 2003 incident

http://ottsun.canoe.ca/News/OttawaAndRegion/2006/02/25/1461434-sun.html

By SEAN MCKIBBON, OTTAWA SUN

CHANTING and applause rang out in the Elgin St. courthouse yesterday
as supporters cheered 10 people acquitted of mischief charges in
connection with a 2003 Citizenship and Immigration sit-in.

"Sol-sol-sol! Soliderite! Avec, avec les sans statut!" supporters
shouted following the ruling of Justice Anne Alder. It was the same
chant shouted by the protesters when they occupied a reception area
for 10 hours on May 29, 2003, demanding to speak with then-minister
Denis Coderre.

Alder ruled the protesters, who were trying to call attention to the
problems of Algerian refugee claimants, could not be said to have
interfered with the office employees' lawful enjoyment of the
premises.

Citing testimony by a number of witnesses, Alder said the employees
had continued working and only stopped after police came and moved
them out.

One employee testified the group was calm and polite, Alder said.

NO RULING ON COMPLAINT

Because of the acquittal, Alder chose not to rule on an application by
defence lawyers to have the entire case dismissed based on alleged
breaches to the Charter rights of the protesters. The protesters
complained Ottawa police tasered and brutalized them when they moved
into the office and made arrests.

"I think it's a tremendous day for non-status Algerians," said Sarita
Ahooja, 33, one of two Canadian citizens who was among the acquitted
protesters. Ahooja said the ruling should stand as a lesson to both
Canadians and people without citizenship status that they have the
right to freedom of expression and political protest. "What it says is
justice can be obtained."

Ahooja said the protesters had been trying to highlight the problems
faced by some Algerians living in Canada who do not have refugee
status, Canadian citizenship or landed immigrant status.

"It's a huge relief," said acquitted protester Nourdine Belhadj, 36,
of the decision. An Algerian living in Canada without status, Belhadj
said his biggest complaint was the uncertainty of his position in
Canada.

A pizza joint owner, Belhadj said he just wants to lead a productive
life. Without a decision in his criminal proceedings, he said he
hadn't been able to resolve his status with Citizenship and
Immigration Canada.

Others acquitted by Alders' ruling yesterday were Tarik Abderrahim,
35, Noreddine Argoub, 39, Amokrane Benmeziane, 39, Fawzi Hoceni, 26,
Jamel Ouchfoun, 32, Fouad Rebai, 32, Andrea Schmidt, 30, and Zoheir
Belaroui, 36. Two other men charged in the incident, Mohamed Cherfi,
36, and Djamal Meziana, 37, were already deported.
-----


(((((6)))))

Judge acquits 10 Algerians of mischief: Group occupied office of
immigration minister
OTTAWA CITIZEN

By Tony Lofaro
Page: D10
Date: 2006−02−25 Source:

Cheers erupted yesterday in an Ottawa courtroom after an Ontario Court
Justice acquitted 10 Algerians on trial for occupying the office of
then−Immigration Minister Denis Coderre three years ago.

The Algerians, who were seeking refugee status when they were arrested
in a waiting room at the minister's office in May 2003, were acquitted
on a charge of mischief. In her decision, Justice Ann Alder said the
Algerians did not interfere with the operation of Mr. Coderre's
Laurier Avenue office.

"It proved that we didn't create mischief," said Fawzi Hoceini, 25,
one of the accused, who is from Montreal. "We were there just to talk
and to get some respect, but we did not get it that day."

He said he was happy with the decision, but in the interim, two of the
accused have been deported.

On May 29, 2003, a delegation of 12 Algerians went to speak to Mr.
Coderre about their status. At the time, about 1,000 Algerians were
facing deportation after the federal government lifted a ban on such
deportations in 2001.

They occupied the office for about nine hours before the tactical unit
of the Ottawa police arrested them.
-----


(((((7)))))

::: Journée internationale des femmes 2006
::: FEMINISMES MONDIAUX ET TRANSFORMATION SOCIALE

CONCERT et FORUM
Le 3 et 4 mars, 2006
Université Concordia
1455 de Maisonneuve Ouest
(Métro Guy)

MANIFESTATION
8 mars, 18h (rencontre a 17h)
Place Emilie Gamelin
Coin Sainte-Catherine et Berri
(Metro Berri-UQAM)
--> Apportez vos bannieres et vos drapeaux!

*SOIREE D'OUVERTURE
18h-22h
Vendredi, 3 mars
Salle H-110

18h-19h:  Inscription pour le forum
19h-22h:  Musique et Poésie par...
Faith Nolan
avec
Sandra Morán
Maude Macaurelle et d'autres invitées...

Billets: Contribution suggérée de $10. Personne ne sera refusé.

*FORUM
10h-16h30
Samedi, 4 mars
Salle H-110

9h-10h: Inscription.

10h-12h30: CONFERENCE
avec
- Ginette Apollon Présidente de la Commission nationale des femmes
travailleuses d'Haiti, (CNFT), HAITI
- Zleikha Muhtaseb Centre Ibrahimi pour le développement social, PALESTINE
- Sandra Morán Centre national des femmes, GUATEMALA
- Marilou Carrillo Centre des femmes philippines, VANCOUVER

12h30-13h30: DINER

13h45-15h: ATELIERS (Voir le programme pour les numéros de salles)

** Thèmes: femmes dans la lutte de classes, luttes pour un foyer avec ou
sans frontières, droits des femmes au prison, femmes et idéologie, trafic
des femmes et enfants, photo-activisme, etc.

15h30-16h30: PLENIERE

Traduction anglais/français/espagnol disponible
Service de garde
Dîner offert sur place (choix végétariens et viande)
Contribution suggérée 5$


Organisé par: le Comité d'action et de coordination des femmes de diverses
origines pour le 8 mars en collaboration avec l'Institut Simone de
Beauvoir de Concordia. Endossé par Personne n'est illégal-Montréal

Pour plus d'informations, contactez: le comité 8 mars au (514)342-2111
-----


(((((8)))))

::: International Women's Day 2006
::: GLOBAL FEMINISMS AND SOCIAL TRANFORMATION

*CONCERT & FORUM
March 3rd & 4th, 2006
Concordia University
1455 de Maisonneuve Ouest
(Métro Guy)

*DEMONSTRATION
March 8th, 6pm (meet at 5pm)
Place Emilie Gamelin
Corner Ste-Catherine and Berri
(Metro Berri-UQAM)
--> Bring flags, banners and noise-makers!


*OPENING NIGHT
6-10PM
Friday, March 3rd
Concordia Hall bldg, Rm H-110

6-7PM: Registration for forum.

7-10PM: Music & Poetry performed by...
-- Faith Nolan
   with
-- Sandra Moran
-- Maude Macaurelle and others...
Tickets: Suggested donation 10$. No one turned away.

*FORUM
10AM-4:30PM
Saturday, March 4th
Hall bldg, Rm H-110

9-10AM: Registration.

10AM-12:30PM: Panel discussion with...
- Ginette Apollon, President, Haitian Women Workers Commission, HAITI. -
Zleikha Muhtaseb, Centre Ibrahimi Centre for Social Development,
PALESTINE.
- Sandra Moran, National Women's Forum, GUATEMALA.
- Marilou Carrillo, Philippine Women's Centre, VANCOUVER.

12:30-1:30PM: LUNCH

1:45-3PM: WORKSHOPS (please consult program for room numbers)

**Topics: Women and Ideology, Institutional Recognition, Struggle
for a Home with or without Borders, Women in Class Struggle, Transnational
Organizing, Women Rights in Prison, Photo-Activism, etc.

3:30-4:30PM: PLENARY

*Free Childcare and Translation provided.
Lunch will be served (meat and vegetarian options).
Suggested Donation $5.


Organized by the March 8th Action and Coordination Committee of Women of
Diverse Origins in partnership with the Simone de Beauvoir Institute.
Endorsed by No One Is Illegal-Montreal.

For more information, please contact: The March 8th Committee at
(514)342-2111
-----


(((((9)))))

Picket Against Immigration Minister in Toronto; Two Arrests Before Demo

On January 21, 2006, about fifty members of Solidarity Across Borders
traveled to Toronto to picket outside the election offices of
Immigration Minister Joe Volpe, joining Toronto allies involved with
groups such as OCAP Immigration, No One Is Illegal-Toronto, Justicia
for Migrant Workers, the Campaign to Stop Secret Trials, Toronto
Action for Social Change, SIKLAB and others. Prior to the picket, two
members of No One Is Illegal-Montreal were arrested and detained after
trying to enter the office to demand a face-to-face meeting with Volpe
with protesters.

--> Photos from the picket are available at: http://gallery.cmaq.net/volpepicket

--> The text of the flyer passed out at the demo -- "Justice and Dignity
Don't Fit Into Ballot Boxes: Why we are here!" -- is linked at:
http://solidarityacrossborders.org/en/node/106

Many of the demonstrators who traveled to Toronto for the picket were
also active participants in the No One Is Illegal March on Ottawa
between June 18-25, 2005 (a one week march to Ottawa from Montreal).
Joe Volpe, refused to meet with the demonstrators during the march,
and did not even acknowledge our efforts, despite repeated letters and
calls, as well as a visit to his Ottawa office. Because of Volpe's
silence, we came to Toronto, two days before the election. To quote
from the demo flyer:

"There will undoubtedly be many more challenges after the election, no
matter who claims to hold power over our lives; but today, two days
before the elections, we hold Joe Volpe accountable for his ignorance
of the reality of non-status persons in Canada. Our actions are never
taken in vain, but they are the result of our lived reality as
immigrants and refugees; Joe Volpe must be made to understand that."

Two members of No One Is Illegal Montreal were arrested before the
picket began after they tried to enter the backdoor of Volpe's office.
Failing to get in, they refused to leave and were dragged away,
arrested and jailed. They were released and charged with trespassing,
under the Offenses to Property Act in Ontario. Three other protesters
had previously entered office to demand that Volpe meet with
demonstrators, but were carried out by Toronto police on the orders of
Volpe's staff.

Solidarity Across Borders continues its "Status for All" campaign,
with a planned mobilization for a Montreal city march in late May.

For more info, visit: http://www.solidarityacrossborders.org
-----


(((((10)))))

Belgian family goes back into hiding
Police unable to execute warrant in deportation case

http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizen/news/story.html?id=cfc20df6-3608-4a52-8944-2da68658bdde&k=69867

Joel Kom
The Ottawa Citizen

Wednesday, February 22, 2006

A Belgian family that recently emerged from hiding while they fought
to stay in Canada has gone underground again after the father's car
caught fire yesterday morning.

Michel Van Hauve retreated to a "secure location" with his wife, Suzy
Myers, and their 17-year-old son, Blaise, a few hours after
firefighters and police who came to his aid realized there was a
warrant out for his arrest, said Pierre Etter, the family's employer.

It's the latest incident in a saga spanning two months and filled with
twists. It began with the family fighting to stay in Canada and
eventually going into hiding, only to emerge about two weeks later in
defiance of immigration authorities, all while questions were raised
about the veracity of the family's claims.

The situation yesterday started when Mr. Van Hauve's pickup truck
caught fire around 6:30 a.m., just as he was beginning his workday on
Mr. Etter's farm on Sarsfield Road. The pair quickly called
firefighters to put out the blaze, Mr. Etter said.

Police, following standard procedure, came to the scene, but left once
the fire was extinguished. However, Mr. Etter said they returned about
8:30 a.m. after apparently finding Mr. Van Hauve's name on their
database.

"When they came back, they said there was a warrant for his arrest,"
Mr. Etter said.

The police were referring to the Canada-wide arrest warrant issued
last month for the family. The warrant came after the family failed to
report for their scheduled expulsion from the country, instead
choosing to go into hiding and fight their case. They were being
kicked out, the family said, mainly because of a 25-year-old criminal
conviction for shoplifting on Mr. Van Hauve's criminal record.

The police asked Mr. Van Hauve to go with them, but he refused, said
Mr. Etter, adding that the police noted they couldn't come on private
property to arrest him. The police warned Mr. Van Hauve he could be
arrested once he ventured on to a public road.

A police car then sat at the end of Mr. Etter's farm entrance for two
hours, Mr. Etter said, only leaving after journalists arrived at Mr.
Etter's farm.

Ottawa Police Staff-Sgt. Tim Halderson explained later that officers
can only go on private property for serious situations and would have
needed an entry warrant to go into the house.

When the officers sought the entry warrant from the border service
agency, which has the sole authority to issue one in this case, border
officials chose not to give it to them, perhaps because the family's
case is being reviewed, Staff-Sgt. Halderson said.

Mr. Van Hauve and his family, though, decided not to take any chances
and went back into hiding yesterday afternoon. Mr. Etter wouldn't say
where they were or how long they would stay there. "We'll have to
re-evaluate the situation," he said.

Mr. Etter said he didn't know what caused the fire, but the pickup
truck was destroyed.
-----


(((((11)))))

Unmarked Graves Across the U.S. Border
Diego Cevallos
Inter Press Service News
http://ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=32272

MEXICO CITY, Feb 23 (IPS) - Sex: male. Age and nationality: unknown.
Cause of death: drowning. Place and date: U.S. southern border,
October 2005. This is the stark record left behind by a Latin American
migrant who now lies in an unmarked grave, like thousands of others
who have died without reaching their goal.

The victim is on a list of 280 recorded in the U.S. state of Arizona
by the Human Rights Coalition/Indigenous Alliance Without Borders in
2004-2005.

More than 3,800 people have died in the U.S.-Mexican border region
since 1993. Some 1,000 of them are buried in unmarked graves.

Thousands of people from Latin America and the Caribbean die in the
attempt to reach the United States or other destinations by the most
varied means imaginable and trying to outwit ever stricter border
controls. Some get lost or die of exposure in inhospitable desert
areas, others are shipwrecked on the high seas, murdered, or suffocate
in shipping containers, boxcars or trucks.

Nobody knows for sure how many deaths there have been, but the numbers
continue to mount.

"We now know there are even some (Arizona county) authorities who have
the bodies of unidentified immigrants cremated, because they are
running out of room in the cemeteries," the coordinator of the
non-governmental Human Rights Coalition/Indigenous Alliance Without
Borders, Katarina Rodríguez, told IPS by telephone from Arizona.

In one of the latest incidents, 25 Haitians suffocated while
travelling to neighbouring Dominican Republic concealed in an
unventilated truck last January.

Cubans, Ecuadoreans, Guatemalans, Haitians, Hondurans, Mexicans and
Salvadorans are the main victims of the regional migration phenomenon,
according to studies.

At least 15 out of every 100 Cubans who try to reach the United States
by sea die, and in most cases their remains are never found.

Last year, 31 Cubans disappeared when the boat they were travelling in sank.

In one extraordinary case, a young Cuban woman was granted political
asylum in the United States, having arrived there in a crate sent by
the DHL cargo company from the Bahamas.

Since 2005, the Mexican Foreign Ministry has distributed leaflets in
border areas and airports, warning about the dangers of travelling to
the United States without documents and in the company of human
traffickers, or "coyotes".

One of these, the "Guide for the Mexican Migrant," points out the
travel risks, provides safety tips, and explains the consular rights
of people who are detained. It also includes recommendations about how
to act while living in the United States without a residence permit.

Ecuador has been doing something similar since January, by
broadcasting messages over the media. The aim is to make "people aware
of the dangers of illegal emigration, and of trusting human
traffickers," says a government communiqué.

But the warnings and the dangers do not deter potential migrants.

Raúl, a 26-year old Mexican, is adamant that he will keep trying to go
to the United States. "I've already been sent back once by the 'migra'
(U.S. border patrol), and another time the coyotes stole everything I
had, but I'll soon try again," he said.

A 32-year-old Cuban who preferred to remain anonymous said something
similar. "I have tried to (reach the United States from Cuba
illegally) seven times, and something always goes wrong. But I won't
give up till I get there," he told IPS.

He said he had been intercepted at sea by the U.S. coast guard and by
Cuban authorities, and that he had also experienced trouble on a
homemade boat.

On Feb. 20, 98 Ecuadoreans heading to Central America in a fishing
boat were intercepted and sent home. They had planned to reach the
United States overland from Central America. The group also included
24 Peruvians, one Dominican and three Asians.

Last August, 94 Ecuadoreans drowned when their boat, also sailing
towards Central America, sank. There were 103 emigrants on board the
craft, which was designed to carry a total of 15 people.

"Costa Rica, Guatemala and Mexico are the initial destinations, and
sometimes migrants die there or are abandoned before reaching the
United States, their final destination," Iván Granda, spokesman for
the Public Defenders Office in Ecuador, told IPS.

Ecuador's Dirección Nacional de Migrantes, the national migration
office, reports that hundreds of thousands of Ecuadoreans have
emigrated to the United States and Europe since the mid-1990s. IPS was
told that from 2002-2005, the bodies of 496 emigrants were
repatriated.

"The situation is getting steadily worse, every year there are more
dead migrants, and they are very difficult to identify, as sometimes
only their bones are found," Rodríguez said, describing conditions in
the most inhospitable desert areas in the U.S. border state of
Arizona.

Identification of the victim's origin, name and nationality is often
difficult, which means many of the migrants end up in unmarked graves.
Some are cremated, thus foreclosing any opportunity for their families
to find out what happened to them.

In order to deal with this problem, in late 2004 the Mexican
government implemented a System for Identifying Remains and Locating
Individuals - a computer programme which logs information about and
photographs of the dead, and of persons reported missing along the
frontier with the United States.

Around 11,000 Mexican families have already filled in forms with a
large amount of information, to start searching the system. They have
also checked the files containing 299 photographs of bodies that have
been found. Among these, there are 44 where the sex of the deceased
could not be established because of the advanced state of
decomposition when the bodies were found.

In order to avoid detention, many people attempting to make it into
the United States swim across rivers, walk across deserts in extreme
temperatures, or hide in sealed compartments on trains or trucks.

But many migrants find the greatest obstacles in their journey towards
the United States in Mexico.

Mexico deported 235,297 undocumented migrants last year, most of whom
were from El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras.

Mexican authorities reported that 200 bodies of migrants were found in
this country in 2005. In addition, the governmental National
Commission for Human Rights reported at the end of 2005 that
foreigners from Central America suffer "a high degree of social
exclusion and poor treatment" in Mexico.

Most Latin American immigrants in the United States are Mexican.
Mexico is also a transit route for migrants of all nationalities to
enter the United States.

In 2005, more than 400,000 immigrants entered the United States
without a visa, and around one million people were detained and
deported in the attempt, according to Mexican government reports.

* With additional reporting by Dalia Acosta in Cuba and Juan Carlos
Frías in Ecuador.
-----

(((((12)))))

Border fence, citizenship denial opposed
Louie Gilot
El Paso Times
Thursday, February 23, 2006

El Pasoans oppose the construction of a fence along the border to
limit illegal immigration and want the government to continue giving
automatic citizenship to babies born on U.S. soil even if the parents
are not U.S. citizens, an El Paso Times/KVIA-ABC 7 Poll indicates.

The poll, by The Reuel Group, found that close to 57 percent of
habitual voters opposed the construction of two layers of reinforced
fencing with lights, cameras and sensors -- which many critics are
calling a wall -- in sections along 700 of the 2,000 miles of the
U.S.-Mexico border. In a second poll question, close to 61 percent of
the same voters said they opposed denying so-called birthright
citizenship to babies born in the United States.

The fence proposal is part of HR4437, the House immigration bill
passed late last year, and will be considered by the Senate, possibly
next month. The revocation of the birthright citizenship had more than
70 sponsors in the House, but was not ultimately included in HR4437.
However, political experts said the topic is bound to come up again
this year.

El Pasoans who were not part of the poll protested the initiatives on
various grounds. Mostly, they felt it wouldn't work and would waste
money.

"People are going to find a way (to come to the United States) no
matter what," said Gerardo Anaya, a nurse. "Not all the border is
going to be covered. I don't think it's a wise way to spend income."

The House bill does not include a cost estimate or a funding source
for the fence.

Musician Jim Ward objected to the escalation of border enforcement.

"We should build four walls with a maze in the middle," he said,
sarcastically. "It's offensive to me. The whole country is built on
immigration."

One supporter of the fence was Bob Masling, founder of the Texas
Border Regulators, a recently formed group of Minutemen-style
volunteer patrollers operating around Fabens. Masling brought up
recent violent incidents involving drug smugglers on the border in
Hudspeth County.

"We need a permanent barrier, something that can easily be patrolled
for the safety of officers and people who live along the border. But
it's going to take time. What we need right now is the military on the
border. If we can secure the border of North Korea, we surely can
secure this border," Masling said.

One section of the proposed double fence would start five miles west
of the Columbus, N.M., port of entry and end 10 miles east of El Paso.

El Paso's congressman, Democrat Silvestre Reyes, voted against the
immigration bill and said it went overboard, did little to deal with
homeland security concerns and distracted from efforts to deal with
the economic roots of immigration. Reyes, President Bush and others
support the creation of a guest-worker program.

El Pasoans' opinions in the poll were divided according to political
affiliation.

In the sample, Democrats were strongly against the construction of a
border fence -- 62 percent opposed it and 29 percent favored it. But
Republicans were split, 48 opposing it and 45 percent in favor. For
the birthright citizenship question, 62 percent of Democrats and 51
percent of Republicans opposed denying the benefits.

The margin of error was plus or minus 5.5 percentage points.

The House immigration bill last year was sponsored by U.S. Rep. James
Sensenbrenner, R-Wis.; the amendment about the fence by U.S. Rep. Tom
Tancredo, R-Colo.; and the proposal to deny birthright citizenship by
U.S. Rep. Nathan Deal, R-Ga.

Tony Payan, assistant professor of political science at the University
of Texas at El Paso, said it would be a dangerous precedent to deny
citizenship to some babies born in the United States while the 14th
Amendment of the Constitution guarantees the right to all.

Undocumented immigrant parents "are not going anywhere. All you're
doing is making their children undocumented as well," he said.

The Rev. Ben Flores, a priest at San Antonio de Padua Catholic Church,
said denying birthright citizenship means closing one of the few
remaining legal avenues for undocumented immigrants to legalize their
status.

"It just makes the situation even worse," he said.

A U.S. citizen child can sponsor his parents to become legal residents
once he turns 18.

A survey last year by Rasmussen Reports, a public opinion research
firm, found 49 percent of Americans in favor of ending birthright
citizenship, and 41 percent in favor keeping it. That survey also
showed 60 percent of Americans favored building a barrier along the
border between the United States and Mexico and just 26 percent
opposed to it.
-----

(((((13)))))

Long, Hard Days and Low Pay for Immigrants Rebuilding from Katrina
By Kari Lydersen

Infoshop News (news.infoshop.org)
February 17, 2006

New Orleans -- "Latino para barato! Mecanico!" calls out William, a
friendly 20-something man wearing a New Orleans baseball cap, as a
truck pulls into the gas station across from the towering pedestal
with a statue of Robert E. Lee on it on the outskirts of downtown New
Orleans.

William isn't quick enough to make it over to the truck, and his offer
of a "cheap Latino mechanic" is drowned out by other workers as about
six men jump into the back of the truck and it peels off.

William and the 150 or so other men congregating around Lee Circle are
the true face of the rebuilding of New Orleans, a city where surreal
scenes like long lines of white FEMA trailers inching along railroad
overpasses and houses jumbled against each other like discarded toys
are now common.

William made the dangerous trek across mountains and deserts to come
here from his native Guatemala for a chance to earn some money
rebuilding from Hurricane Katrina. He is not alone. Scores of Latino
immigrants from Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras and even
South America and the Caribbean have come to New Orleans and the rest
of the Gulf Coast to participate in the massive rebuilding.

Some immigrated to the U.S., almost always without documents,
specifically because of Katrina. Others came from Texas, the Midwest,
or other states where they were already working, often at the behest
of recruiters who promised them good wages and housing. Latino
immigrants compete for the Katrina-related jobs with some immigrants
from Asia and Africa and a significant number of local black
residents. The local residents say they have trouble getting hired
since, they say, Latinos will work for less and keep quiet about bad
working conditions.

"Me being black, they're not going to pick me," said John Pace, 47, a
New Orleans resident who is trying to earn money to repair his damaged
house. "They'll hire four Mexicans instead of me, because it's cheap
labor."

As Pace complains about Mexicans, he gestures good-naturedly toward a
quiet, thin man with intense green eyes who was his partner on a
recent job. The man, Wilson, 33, is actually Honduran. He came here
three months ago with his brother from the Honduran capitol of
Tegucigalpa to raise money to send back to their family. There is a
large Honduran community in New Orleans; ironically many came after
being displaced from their country by Hurricane Mitch in 1998 only to
be slammed again by Katrina. More Hondurans have come to New Orleans
since Katrina to join the existing community and look for work.

Even with the Honduran population, before Katrina New Orleans was one
of few major cities with a negligible Latino population, only three
percent in the 2000 census. Now the influx of immigrant workers has
created a new demographic, and new racial tension. If many of the
workers stay the whole ethnic face of the city could be significantly
shifted, especially since many black residents are afraid they won't
be able to come back because their neighborhoods are not being
redeveloped. Mayor Ray Nagin angered many by saying, "How do I make
sure New Orleans is not overrun with Mexican workers" at a Town Hall
meeting in October.

It's true that various, often fly-by-night subcontractors have largely
opted to recruit Latinos from other states and newly arrived
immigrants, rather than hire local residents. At 8 or 9 a.m., the
corners surrounding Lee Circle are packed with men of various races.
But by midday most of the Latinos have been hired and only a crowd of
black men remain. By 10 a.m. Pace had been waiting five hours and
hadn't been hired.

But the situation for immigrant workers is far from desirable. Partly
because of their undocumented status and limited English, immigrant
workers are especially vulnerable to unscrupulous subcontractors, who
often enjoy virtual anonymity since they are hired by other
subcontractors on various levels who at the top of the ladder are paid
by US government agencies or private owners and developers.

There are rampant reports of Latino immigrants not being paid what
they were promised for their work, or not being paid at all. When they
are cheated, they have little recourse since they are undocumented and
most of the work is off the books, without written contracts. Last
fall the Southern Poverty Law Center filed two lawsuits against
contractors, LVI Environmental Services of New Orleans and its
subcontractor D&L Environmental  and Belfor USA Inc. for violating
workers' rights under the Fair Labor Standards Act. The lawsuits
allege the workers worked 12 hours a day, seven days a week cleaning
up schools (in the case of LVI and D&L) and hospitals and Tulane
University buildings (for Belfor), but weren't paid overtime or even
minimum wage.

Workers at Lee Circle say LVI brought about 200 workers from Texas to
the gulf. Then, they say, it laid off all the undocumented workers,
claiming the company was being harassed by immigration authorities.

One of the plaintiffs in the LVI case, Adrian Salazar, told reporters
he was promised $13 an hour plus overtime, room and board, but in
reality he was only paid $9.50 an hour, wasn't paid at all for one
full week and had to pay for his own hotel accommodations.

"Many contractors don't want to pay," said Roberto, 26, from
Michoacan, Mexico, waiting for work at Lee Circle. "I have a lot of
friends who weren't paid. They were lied to and told they'd get $80
for a day, then they were only given $50. There's nowhere they can go
since they don't have papers."

Roberto said he advises workers to get signed contracts from
employers, and to get their cell phone numbers and license plate
numbers. He said New Orleans police have been helpful with filing
reports about employers who don't pay; but still it is extremely
difficult to enforce action against them.

"There's no help for these people, if you have an accident and you
don't speak English and know how to ask for help, what do you do?"
asked "Joe," who grew up in Cancun, Mexico and has lived in Iowa for
years before coming to the Gulf Coast "for the hell of it."

"If you don't speak English and you don't ask for a mask or water, you
won't get anything," Joe said.  "People are working without
protection, breathing in dust that's really bad for the lungs. The
houses are full of asbestos. If you work for three months and then get
sick, all the money you made won't even cover your healthcare."

The work is heavy, grueling and dangerous: moving and disassembling
large appliances and pieces of furniture; tearing down rotten wood and
sheetrock; clearing endless piles of debris; dealing with rusty metal
and nails, industrial and chemical hazards and copious mold the whole
time.

Sometimes you find poisonous snakes in the houses," said Joe. "My
friend found a body in one house. The smell was so bad he had to throw
his clothes away."

Joe added that companies "will really jerk these guys around. [The
worker] will say do you want me to break [disassemble] this toilet.
They'll say yes. Then you break it and they say that wasn't supposed
to be broken, you have to pay for it."

Workers at the Lee Circle said they typically earn about $8 to $10 an
hour or about $100 to $150 a day. Right after Katrina the pay was much
higher, but since more workers have arrived it has gone down.

Despite the arduous and health-compromising nature of the post-Katrina
work, those wages aren't any different than the national mean of $10
an hour for day laborers nationwide, as reported in a recent study
called "On the Corner" by the Center for Urban Economic Development at
the University of Illinois at Chicago. And in New Orleans, high
housing costs and the cost of living mean it isn't easy to save money.

Early on contractors were putting workers up in emergency shelters
meant for displaced residents, causing a national scandal. Some
workers are paying $800 a month for a house with no heat, electricity
or water. Most apartments, houses and hotel rooms cost a lot more.
"It's like you're working just to pay the rent, so what's the point?"
said Roberto.

Many workers camp out in the city park amongst trashed and abandoned
cars. The price is right, but they are exposed to the elements and the
risk of violence. Immigrant workers are often robbery targets since
people know they have a lot of money.

Meanwhile even if immigrant workers want to leave New Orleans or the
gulf it can be extremely difficult because they were often transported
to the area by a contractor, and don't have funds or information on
how to go elsewhere.

"If you don't have papers, you don't want to risk the Greyhound," said William.

Joe said he often rents a car and charges workers
 $150 to drive to Miami.

"I don't make any money it but I want to help them out," he said.
"We're all human."

-
Kari Lydersen is a freelance writer whose work has appeared in the
Washington Post, In These Times, LiP Magazine, Clamor, and The New
Standard.

Infoshop's page on Hurricane Katrina Mutual Aid Relief
http://www.infoshop.org/hurricanekatrina.html
-----


(((((14)))))

L'attente se prolonge pour un réfugié algérien
LA PRESSE

Le samedi 18 fév. 2006
LAURA-JULIE PERREAULT

Quand il a décidé de se réfugier dans un presbytère de
Pointe-Saint-Charles pour se dérober à son expulsion du Canada,
Abdelkader Belaouni, aveugle et diabétique, ne pensait pas pouvoir
tenir plus de quelques semaines dans ces conditions. Un mois et demi
plus tard, il ne voit pas la fin de son attente. Des appels lancés la
semaine dernière par les amis de M. Belaouni aux nouveaux ministres
conservateurs Stockwell Day et Monte Solberg sont restés sans réponse.
Hier, l'Agence des services frontaliers et Immigration Canada, qui ont
le dossier d'Abdelkader Belaouni entre les mains, ont confirmé
qu'aucune décision n'a été prise malgré l'intervention.

" L'attente est difficile à cause de mon diabète. Je ne bouge pas
beaucoup ici et le stress n'est pas bon pour ma santé. Mais au moins,
je sais que personne ne va me déranger. Ce sera bien pire si je suis
expulsé vers les États-Unis ou vers l'Algérie ", expose l'homme
d'origine algérienne, à qui la paroisse Saint-Gabriel a offert le
sanctuaire.

Consciente que le temps presse pour le demandeur d'asile débouté,
l'organisation Amnistie internationale a écrit cette semaine au
nouveau ministre de l'Immigration, Monte Solberg, pour lui demander
d'accorder la résidence permanente à Abdelkader Belaouni, 38 ans, pour
des motifs humanitaires. " Il est manifestement déraisonnable et cruel
de retourner cette personne gravement handicapée dans un pays où
Amnistie a maintes fois dénoncé les violations des droits humains, et
où M. Belaouni ne pourra recevoir les soins qu'il recevrait au Canada
", plaide Michel Frénette, le directeur général de la section
canadienne francophone d'Amnistie internationale, dans la missive
acheminée le jour de la Saint-Valentin.

Hier, M. Solberg a refusé de commenter l'affaire. " Le ministre ne se
mêle pas des cas personnels ", a dit son attachée de presse, Sheila
Watson.

Après un séjour de sept ans aux États-Unis, M. Belaouni a demandé le
statut de réfugié au Canada en 2003. Refusé. En décembre, le Canada
lui a demandé de quitter le pays. L'homme de 38 ans s'est alors
réfugié au presbytère de la paroisse Saint-Gabriel.
-----


(((((15)))))

Le mercredi 22 fév 2006
LE DROIT

Les Van Hauve ont passé près d'une catastrophe
André Dumont
Est Ontarien

Le destin de Michel Van Hauve a failli basculer, hier matin, quand sa
camionnette a pris feu. L'immigrant belge, son épouse et leur fils ont
refusé de se rendre à la police d'Ottawa quand elle s'est présentée à
son domicile de Navan avec les pompiers.

Le feu s'est déclaré vers 6 h 30. Les policiers sont venus dresser le
constat de routine puis sont repartis. Ils sont revenus une demi-heure
plus tard, après s'être rendus compte qu'un mandat d'arrestation
pesait contre le travailleur agricole et les siens, qui tentent
d'immigrer au Canada.

Selon Pierre Etter, l'employeur de Michel Van Hauve, les policiers ont
alors invité la famille à se rendre. Comme ils n'avaient pas
l'autorité de les arrêter sur une propriété privée, ils les ont
attendus pendant deux heures à l'entrée de la ferme, sur le chemin
Rockdale.

"Ça va un peu mieux, maintenant que les policiers sont partis. Ils
sont restés jusqu'à 11 h 30", a confié Pierre Etter, visiblement
angoissé.

Les Van Hauve sont au Canada depuis huit ans. Leurs visas ont été
renouvelés jusqu'à l'été dernier. Ils ont été incapables de compléter
leur demande d'immigration dans les délais prescrits. Il manque au
dossier du père un pardon pour un vol qu'il aurait commis dans une
épicerie belge à 18 ans.

Plus de détails dans notre édition du mercredi 22 février.
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(((((16)))))

Occupation d'un chantier de prison pour mineur·e·s
Indymedia France

http://www.indymedia.org/fr/2006/02/833783.shtml

Depuis le lundi 20 février 2006 au matin, plusieurs dizaines de
personnes occupent le chantier de construction du futur Établissement
Pénitentiaire pour Mineur·e·s (E.P.M.), à Orvault (en banlieue de
Nantes, France).

Une partie des occupant·e·s sont installé·e·s dans les arbres et y ont
établi quatre cabanes, pendant que d'autres assurent un soutien au
sol. L'action vise à empêcher la construction de cette nouvelle
prison, les arbres occupés devant être coupés pour que commence le
chantier.

Le 20 octobre dernier, une première manifestation contre l'EPM avait
eue lieu (voir compte-rendu), lors de laquelle les quelques 200
manifestant·e·s présent·e·s avaient envahi le chantier, accroché des
banderoles sur le périphérique, et arraché l'ensemble des piquets
topographiques, afin de retarder la construction.

Pour plus d'infos: http://www.indymedia.org/fr/2006/02/833783.shtml
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No One Is Illegal/Personne n'est illégal-MONTREAL
tel: 514-859-9023 -- noii-montreal at resist.ca