[IPSM] URGENT! SOLIDARITY WITH ABDELKADER BELAOUNI!

[nbetta at po-box.mcgill.ca]

::: 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) 596-2222

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