[opirgyork] Upcoming Events + Calls to Action + Ways to get involved!

[OPIRG York]

Hello Everyone!

Check out the awesome line-up of upcoming events this and next week! Hope
you are able to attend some.
There are also a couple of calls to action- so please pay attention to
those!

If you want to get involved at OPIRG York, please get in touch:
opirgyork at gmail.com.

Look forward to seeing you all soon!

-OPIRG York

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

*Upcoming Events:*

*1. **October 31:* Scarrry-Oke TONIGHT!
*2. **October 31:* Stop Violence Against Indigenous People: Vigil for
Cheyenne Fox Murdered in Toronto. TONIGHT!
*3. ACT NOW: *UPDATE ON MR. MAHJOUB'S CASE, TIMELINE AND NEXT STEPS
*4. ACT NOW: *END CLEARCUTS IN GRASSY NARROWS
*5. **November 4-5:* Pack the Courtroom in Toronto on November 4 & 5 to
Show Solidarity with Hassan Diab!
*6. **VIDEO: *We will not be locked up and forgotten! #MigrantStrike goes
to the UN
*7. November 2: *Upping the Anti Issue 15 LAUNCH PARTY!!!* *
*8. November 5:* Jane & Finch: Speak out for our community services NOW!
*9. **DEADLINE November 7:* YU Free Press Callout for Submissions: Alt.
Media & Activism Issue
*10. **November 6: *Revolutionary Student Movement York- First Meeting*
**11. ** November 7: *Environmental Justice Working Group Meeting*
*
***************************
*
*1. Annual Scarrry-oke  *

Date: October 31, 2013
Time: 6PM-10PM
Location: Student Centre Room 313

Free admission, and food and drinks will be provided. It is a halloween
themed event, so its recommended that costumes are worn. It will be tons of
fun, so invite everyone to come out! Brought to you by the Filipino
Canadian Youth Alliance – Ontario (UKPC/FCYA-ON)--- an organization which
strives for social transformation and social justice under the call for
genuine settlement and integration for Filipinos in Canada.


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

*2. Stop violence against Indigenous People: Vigil for Cheyenne Fox
Murdered in Toronto*
Thursday October 31st
7:00 pm
30 college st, Toronto

A candle light vigil will happen in honor of my daughter Cheyenne Fox. (T.O
police head quarters-30 College st Downtown T.O). Bring candles and your
friends and family.


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

*3. **UPDATE ON MR. MAHJOUB'S CASE, TIMELINE AND NEXT STEPS*

***Please take action (see below)***

Supporters gathered at Mr. Mahjoub's home on Friday heard the news that
Justice Blanchard had refused to release Mr. Mahjoub with disbelief, rage
and disgust. Despite the outrageous violations that have taken place in the
case - the use of secret, unsourced intelligence, the admission that the
bulk of information in the file is derived from torture, systematic
destruction of evidence, repeated breach of  solicitor-client privilege,
etc.; despite the mountain of resources successive governments have already
wasted pursuing Mr. Mahjoub; regardless of the fact that Mr. Mahjoub has
been exonerated in Egypt of the only criminal charges ever laid against him
and that Canada has never charged him with anything at all; and in spite of
the fact that it has already been 13 years and four months of detention
without charge or trial, the Federal Court deemed Mr. Mahjoub's security
certificate to be "reasonable".

In fact, the Federal Court issued five rulings on Friday, October 25th. The
security certificate was found to be "reasonable". A motion to exclude
unsourced intelligence (basically, reports from spy agencies that have no
known sources) was dismissed. The motion to stay proceedings based on all
the charter violations was granted in part, recognizing that Mr. Mahjoub's
right to a fair trial had been violated as well as his right to protection
from abusive search; however, the court refused to order any other remedy.
Constitutional challenges to the security certificate law and the CSIS Act
were dismissed.

An upheld security certificate is a deportation order. However, in his
decision to uphold the certificate, Justice Blanchard ordered both sides to
define the issues they intend to address in an appeal (some appeal
questions will require the Federal Court's approval before they can go
forward; others can be directly appealed to the Federal Court of Appeal).
Essentially, the Federal Court just passed the buck to the Supreme Court,
condemning Mr. Mahjoub to several more years of slow torture and indefinite
detention as his case wends its way to the highest court.

Mr. Blanchard did not release his reasons with the decision. True to the
nature of immigration security certificate cases, some of the reasons will
remain secret lest they endanger the national security of Canada. And of
course this handicaps Mr. Mahjoub in his appeal from the get go: unlike the
government, Mr. Mahjoub will never fully know the reasons for the decision,
just as he will never know what information and allegations have been
presented in secret against him.

On Friday, November 1st, those reasons which will not imperil the existence
of Canada will be released to Mr. Mahjoub and the public. As the Federal
Court will have to justify its perverse decision, we must brace ourselves
for another round of unfounded, terrorism hysteria in the media, triggering
a racist, anti-immigrant and Islamophobic response.

*:::WE NEED YOUR HELP:::*

* Organizations: Please write statements of support expressing your disgust
at the decision, reiterating your opposition to immigration security
certificates and calling for the immediate release of Mr. Mahjoub. (Here is
an example from the Centre for Gender Advocacy:
www.supportmahjoub.org/archives/1930.)
* Individuals: Starting Friday or Saturday (or whenever media coverage of
the reasons begins), please be prepared to respond with comments and
letters to the editor to racist and misinformed articles. Feel free to get
in touch with us or look at our website to check facts.
* Community Media: Please get in touch if you would like suggestions for
interviews from the many voices who oppose security certificates.
* Everyone: if you would like to be part of our team responding to racist
and misinformed commentary, please get in touch with us at
justiceformahjoub at gmail.com.

A small rally in downtown Toronto took place within an hour of the news,
with friends and supporters holding aloft hearts calling for freedom for
Mahjoub. During the week prior to the ruling, supporters sent messages of
encouragement and support, a strong and truly heartening display of broad
community commitment to continue to fight for Mr. Mahjoub and for the
rights of all migrants. See the beautiful photos and messages here:
www.supportmahjoub.org/archives/1578.

The fight for justice for Mr. Mahjoub is a fight against racism,
islamophobia, immigration detention and deportation. This fight is ongoing.
The xenophobic charter of values proposed in Quebec shows that islamophobia
thrives in Canada. Immigration detainees on strike in Lindsay, Ontario
(#migrantstrike) against their seven years of detention, show that Canada
is all too happy to lock migrants away and forget about them. But we insist
that our communities will not live in fear, our families and friendships
will not be torn apart, we will fight each deportation and the systems that
enable them. We are with Mahjoub, we are with justice and our struggles
continue.

----

Justice for Mahjoub Network
fb.com/supportmahjoub
www.supportmahjoub.org
justiceformahjoub at gmail.com

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

*4. **END CLEARCUTS IN GRASSY NARROWS*


Mercury poisoning has left its terrible mark on three generations of
Anishinaabe people – loss of balance, tremors, loss of vision, numbness,
cerebral palsy, and more.

Please act now to support Grassy
Narrows!<http://freegrassy.net/mercury-action-alert/>

Last summer Premier Wynne promised to do something about this tragedy.
Instead of helping the Province continues to plan for another decade of
clearcut logging in Grassy Narrows' watershed – a practice that further
increases mercury poison levels in local fish.

Please tell Wynne to cancel this logging
plan!<http://freegrassy.net/mercury-action-alert/>

We need you to take action in the next 48 hours so that your voice can
count as an official submission in the public input process.

***************************
*
*5. Pack the Courtroom in Toronto on November 4 & 5 to Show Solidarity with
Hassan Diab!*

What:   Appeal of Dr. Hassan Diab's extradition decision
When:  Monday-Tuesday, November 4-5, 2013, starting at 10:00 AM
Where: Courtroom #2, 361 University Avenue, Toronto, Ontario

Map: http://goo.gl/maps/Q8zTp
TTC: St Patrick station on the Yonge-University-Spadina subway line

You can stay for the day or come and go whenever you wish.

If you can come only one day, please prioritize Monday. However, we would
love to see a show of support both days.

Please come out to show solidarity with Dr. Hassan Diab! Join us at the
Court of Appeal for Ontario, on Monday November 4 at 10:00 AM, for a
crucial hearing regarding Canada's unjust extradition law. Take a stand
against extradition based on secret intelligence and a single handwriting
analysis report that has been discredited and condemned in Court.

Amnesty International, the British Columbia Civil Liberties Association
(BCCLA), and the Canadian Civil Liberties Association (CCLA) have filed
interventions with the Court expressing their deep concerns about Hassan’s
case.

Let's pack the courtroom and show our concern about the erosion of the
rights of Canadians under the extradition law.

Please help us circulate this announcement widely!

For information about transportation from Ottawa to Toronto , contact:
Ria Heynen
r-j.heynen at bell.net
Phone: (613) 828-8468

For general information, contact:
Don Pratt
diabsupport at gmail.com
Phone: (650) 576-5616


Background

“My life has been turned upside down because of unfounded allegations and
suspicions.
I am innocent of the accusations against me.
I have never engaged in terrorism. I am not an anti-Semite.
I have always been opposed to bigotry and violence.”

Dr. Hassan Diab, Ottawa , Canada

Dr. Hassan Diab is a Canadian academic of Lebanese descent who is facing
extradition to France for questioning regarding an attack near a Paris
synagogue in 1980. Hassan has never been charged with any crime, yet since
2008 he has either been imprisoned or living under very strict bail
conditions that include paying $2,000 per month for a GPS device he is
required to wear at all times.

The case against Hassan is anchored in secret intelligence from unknown
sources. The intelligence cannot be tested or challenged in a court of law
and carries the real risk of being derived from torture.

In 2011, a Canadian judge decided to commit Dr. Diab to extradition based
solely on a handwriting analysis report that alleges that Hassan’s
handwriting matches five words on a Paris hotel registration card from
1980. Five internationally renowned experts testified that the report is
based on fundamentally flawed methodology and is totally absurd,
unscientific, and biased. The experts pointed out that the evidence
actually points away from Hassan. The extradition judge himself described
the handwriting analysis report as “very problematic”, “very confusing”,
“convoluted”, and with “conclusions that are suspect”. Yet the judge ruled
that he is required under Ontario’s interpretation of Canada’s extradition
law to commit Dr. Diab for extradition.

In the extradition proceedings, Hassan was prevented from introducing
evidence that shows that his palm prints do not match those of the suspect.
Hassan has repeatedly affirmed that he is willing to answer questions from
French authorities in Canada. He has also offered to take a lie detector
test, but there has been no response to both offers.

Hassan’s case points to glaring problems with Canada’s extradition law. In
extradition cases, the Charter rights of the person sought are severely
compromised. Canadian standards of evidence do not apply. The standard for
extradition is so low that Canada hands people over to other countries
based on evidence that is not acceptable in Canadian courts. Canada has
extradition treaties with countries that allow secret intelligence,
including intelligence that may have been the product of torture, to be
used as evidence at trial.


Articles
“Human rights groups sound alarm over Diab extradition evidence”, Ottawa
Citizen, July 3, 2013
http://www.ottawacitizen.com/news/8612960/story.html
“The Extradition Case of Dr. Hassan Diab”, Canadian Dimension, October 15,
2013
http://canadiandimension.com/articles/5586/


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

*6. **VIDEO: We will not be locked up and forgotten! #MigrantStrike goes to
the UN*

Michael Mvogo has been locked up in a maximum security prison for seven
years. Canada cannot remove him, but will not release him. Refusing to be
forgotten, Mr Mvogo joined #MigrantStrike with over 190 other detainees at
Lindsay Central East Correctional Centre on September 17th.

Together, immigration detainees are opposing Harper's prison policy. They
are demanding that Public Safety Minister Steven Blaney either remove them
within 90 days or release them.

Earlier this morning, Mr Mvogo filed a complaint with the Working Group on
Arbitrary Detentions at the United Nations High Commissioner for Human
Rights demanding an end to his indefinite detention. If he succeeds in
forcing Canada to establish a 'presumptive period', indefinite immigration
detention could end!


*:::: WATCH & SHARE: WE WILL NOT BE LOCKED UP AND FORGOTTEN ::::*
::::: http://youtu.be/Asih_uAdBsY :::::

Have questions about #MigrantStrike?

*::::: READ & SHARE OUR BRAND NEW FAQ :::::*
::::: http://endimmigrationdetention.com/faq/ :::::

*TAKE ACTION TO SUPPORT #MIGRANTSTRIKE*
*SIGN THE PETITON, MAKE CALLS, TWEET & MORE*
::::: http://endimmigrationdetention.com/take-action/ :::::

www.endimmigrationdetention.com
http://on.fb.me/MigrantStrike


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

*7. **Upping the Anti Issue 15 LAUNCH PARTY!!! **
*
*Date*: Saturday, November 2nd
*Time*: 8pm
*Location*: Bike Pirates, 1292 Bloor St West
*Facebook*: https://www.facebook.com/events/210088149169418

With DJ Betti Forde! (https://www.facebook.com/djbettiforde)
DJ B# (http://soundcloud.com/b-shrp)
Spoken word by London based artist Awâsis

It's that time again....time for dancing, cheap beer (and some mid-priced
beer for the more discerning palates), music, radical discussions, mingling
and tingling, and some good old fashioned fundraising for your favourite
radical Canadian journal of theory and action, Upping the Anti. Join us
around 8pm at Bike Pirates to celebrate the launch of our 15th issue,
marking 8 years since we first went to print.

So, come on our on November 2nd to a fun party for an amazing cause
(keeping our resilient little project afloat) and dance the night away to
some rad DJs with a great group of people.

$10 entry with journal


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

*8. Jane & Finch: **Speak out for our community services NOW!*

Attend a very important public meeting on Nov. 5th, 7:00 pm, at Oakdale
Community Centre.
The City did not plan for a "public consultation" in Jane and Finch but we
insisted.
So they called an extra meeting here which they say is a "community
conversation.”
They seem to be trying to pull important resources from our communities.

What programs or services could be cut?

•           poverty elimination,
•           enhanced family, seniors,  children, youth arts & recreation
•           youth employment and leadership,
•           more accessible parks,
•           better library services,
•           community-based social services,
•           tenant support

Join community residents and organizations to tell the City that you oppose
these cuts. We need better and more accessible programs and services, good
jobs and better futures for ourselves, our seniors and our children.

*Tuesday, Nov. 5th, 2013 7:00pm*
*Oakdale Community Centre*
*350 Grandravine Drive*
*Childcare, TTC Tickets, Refreshment*
*Facebook: *https://www.facebook.com/events/532097200198309

Jane-Finch Action Against Poverty (JFAAP)
janefinchactionagainstpoverty at gmail.com
Jfaap.wordpress.com

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

*9. ONGOING: YU Free Press Callout for Submissions: Alt. Media & Activism
Issue*

There is a constant necessity to use and interact with media in order to be
informed, stay connected, and communicate. The variety of mediums in use,
whether it be the newspapers, radio, YouTube, Facebook, or Twitter, amongst
others, brings forth fundamental questions: How do we understand and define
alternative media and mass media?  In what ways have art and creative work
become modes of alternative media? How do we assess the validity of
alternative media? To what extent has the digital age brought about
participatory forms of media?  What are some strategies for sustaining the
production of alternative media outlets? How can we strengthen alternative
media as an activist tool?

For our next issue of YU Free Press we welcome submissions that critically
engage in topics and questions related to journalism, media-industrial
complexes, activism and alternative media. We are interested in alternative
media, understood broadly as alternative knowledge production, including
but not limited to alternative education, autonomous broadcasting,
 activist blogging, community arts, and critical knowledge & skill sharing
practices. Please send us your writings, reviews, art, photography, poetry,
and other creative works, especially if they are relevant to our issue’s
theme.

On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/events/374335099364170/
Suggested Word Count : 300 - 2000 words
Submission Deadline : November 7th
Please email submissions and inquiries to info at yufreepress.org

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

*10. **Revolutionary Student Movement York- First Meeting*

The Revolutionary Student Movement sees its mission to create a combative,
anti-capitalist student movement that will serve the proletariat and
oppressed peoples in the fight against exploitation. We’re committed to
making campus a site of class struggle!

We currently have chapters across Quebec and Ontario, and are expanding to
York University!

We invite all revolutionary minded youth and students to come to our first
orientation event in order to:
- Learn what we mean when we talk about communism and revolution and find
out more about student and youth revolutionary movements all over the world
- Vent to us and let us vent to you about the increasing difficulty of
being a young person in capitalist society
- Discuss campaigns and actions we can do at York to make a stand against
exploitation and oppression in our communities.

We will be meeting at 5:00, Wednesday Nov 6th in the York Student Centre,
room 311B.
There will be yummy snacks!

*Facebook*: https://www.facebook.com/events/310279362446350/

More info on RSM:
http://rsmtoronto.wordpress.com/


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

*11. Environmental Justice Working Group Meeting*

The Environmental Justice working group at OPIRG York is gearing up for an
exciting year.  We will be mapping Line 9 in the Jane-Finch community and
putting together outreach materials for the community to use that talk
about how the pipeline reversal project will affect them.

We will also be using these materials to start a divestment campaign at
York to get the University to divest from Enbridge. We will talk about
these upcoming projects and how people can get involved.

The meeting will take place on:

*Thursday Nov. 7
3:30-5pm
York University Student Centre
room 311B*

Hope to see you there!  Feel free forward this email to anyone who might be
interested in getting involved!

-- 

-OPIRG York
--
www.opirgyork.ca
416-736-5724
opirg at yorku.ca



*There are many ways to get involved at OPIRG. Apply to be a working group:
**http://opirgyork.ca/working-groups*
Contact victoria at opirgyork.ca for further information.

*We also have two collectives: *PrOPIRGanda Radio and the Radical Reading
Room. You can contact us about ways to get involved in these collectives:
opirgyork at gmail.com.

*Unsubscribe*: https://lists.resist.ca/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/opirgyork
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