[van-announce] EVENTS AND UPDATES

[noii-van at resist.ca]

* PLEASE FORWARD *

UPDATES AND EVENTS

1) MAY 2: NO ONE IS ILLEGAL AT MAYWORKS
2) MAY 14: LIFE, JOURNEY AND STRUGGLES OF PALESTINIANS
3) UPDATE ON MOHAMED CHERFI

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NO ONE IS ILLEGAL AT MAYWORKS.....

NO ONE IS ILLEGAL: THE FIGHT AGAINST APARTHEID
SUNDAY MAY 2
1:30- 3:30 @Britannia Cafeteria (1661 napier)

For more information contact noii-van at resist.ca

No One is Illegal struggles for the right to self-determination
and freedom of movement of all people who fight for life and dignity.
Borders, a creation of colonization, are the cartographies of anti-racist
and anti-imperialist struggle. Immigrant/refugee movements will continue
to gain strength as the causes of migration- state repression and
capitalist globalization- continue. This workshop will address the ways in
which the political and economic system of apartheid operates against
immigrants and refugees and the role of the labour movement within this
fight.

for more info on mayworks: check www.resist.ca

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The life, journey and struggles of Palestinians
..
Presented by No One is Illegal and Palestine Community Center as part of
Asian Heritage Month

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FILM AND PANEL
Friday May 14 at 7pm
Palestine Center 1874 Kingsway (corner Victoria)
<><><><><><><><><>

VANCOUVER PREMIERE !!! Film: Frontiers of Dreams and Fears
(Lebanon/Palestine 2001)
Frontiers of dreams and fears accompanies two young girls on an
extraordinary journey to the borders of exile, which separate them from
each other and from their homeland. Mona (from Beirut’s Shatila camp) and
Manar (from Bethlehem’s Dheisha camp) begin to communicate via email and
build a friendship, despite the barriers separating them. Their remarkable
relationship culminates in their dramatic meeting at the Israeli/ Lebanese
border. Through their correspondence, we learn of their fears and dreams
they share with their friends in both refugee camps.

AND PANEL DISCUSSION WITH:
* brief introduction by Hana Kawas (Canada-Palestine Network, ISM)
* a Palestinian refugee from the West Bank facing deportation
* Iranian Federation of Refugees who have recently had a major victory in
their fight against Citizenship and Immigration Canada
* short report back from Al-Awda conference in NYC in April 2004

For more information: noii-van at resist.ca

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-- From family, friends and supporters of Mohamd Cherfi:

Hi everyone,

        Thousands of you across the country have supported Mohamed Cherfi
and demanded that the Québec and Canadian authorities bring him
home immediately and implement a permanent humanitarian solution enabling
him to live here. The Canadian government has heard that call. A
government representative met with members of the Support Committee and
the League of Rights and Freedoms. But will it heed that call? That’s what
we have to keep demanding, because neither the Canadian nor the Québec
government can ignore your voice and that of the thousands of other people
who have expressed solidarity with Mohamed.

        The Mohamed Cherfi Solidarity Committee invites you to make
yourselves heard again by the Québec and Canadian authorities, by
telephone or fax, using the form letter proposed below. A small
opening has been made in recent weeks, but we have to continue our efforts
to open the door that will enable Mohamed to come home!

        Through small gestures, you can make a big difference. We also
encourage you to make a financial contribution to Mohamed, who
must pay enormous legal fees after having been jailed unjustly in
the United States due to the irresponsibility of our governments.
Donations can be made to “Fonds Mohamed Cherfi” at the following
address: Maison Ludger Duvernay, 82, rue Sherbrooke Ouest,
Montréal (QC) H2X 1X3. Below is the proposed form letter:


April 18, 2004

The Right Honourable Paul Martin          The Honourable Jean Charest
Fax: (613) 941-6900                           (418) 643-3924
Tel.: (613) 992-4211                           (418) 643-5321
E-mail: Martin.P at parl.qc.ca


Subject: Bring Mohamed Cherfi home! It’s not too late, you have the power!


Mr. Prime Minister, Mr. Premier,

        It has been more than a month since the police broke sanctuary at
Église unie Saint-Pierre in Quebec City and arrested Mohamed
Cherfi,
spokesperson for the Action Committee of Non-Status Algerians, who was
then deported to the United States, where he remains in jail in difficult
conditions and faces imminent deportation to Algeria. As indicated by
Amnesty International, his life is in danger in that country.

        A vast pan-Canadian movement in which we have been directly
involved (signatures from over 170 organizations and public
figures, four national days of action in a dozen cities across
Canada, thousands of faxes sent to the authorities) called upon
the Canadian and Québec authorities to take action. On March 17, a
representative of Prime Minister Paul Martin’s office met with
members of the League of Rights and Freedoms and the Mohamed
Cherfi Solidarity Committee. However, the political authorities
concerned still have not met our demands. We are therefore calling on you
again.

        The federal government can take action by granting Mohamed the
right to return to Canada and a right of abode here. The Québec
government can take action, through the Ministère des Relations
avec les citoyens et de l’Immigration (MRCI), by issuing a Québec
selection certificate. All that is needed is the political will.

        We know that, in Mr. Cherfi’s case, there have been serious
violations of the foundations of the rule of law and of
fundamental rights: the failure to take into account the risks
Mohamed faces in Algeria because of his political interventions
here; Minister Coderre’s disregard for the review of Mohamed’s
application under way at Minister Courchesne’s office, and his
simultaneous implementation of removal measures; the use of
illegal procedures to break sanctuary and arrest and deport
Mohamed (false arrest warrant, denial of his right to appear
before a judge, collusion between immigration authorities and the
police); and the communication by Canada of false information (the threat
allegedly posed by Mohamed) to the U.S. government, thereby increasing the
risk of removal for Mohamed. We ask you, Minister
Prime Minister and Mister Premier, to move swiftly to bring
Mohamed Cherfi back to Canada and regularize his situation.

Name of individual or organization:
Signature:
Address:

cc: Comité de solidarité avec Mohamed Cherfi        solimo2004 at yahoo.fr

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