[van-announce] CHURCH SANCTUARY VIOLATED IN QUEBEC CITY - MOHAMED CHERFI ARRESTED (fwd)

[anton at resist.ca]

---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Fri, 5 Mar 2004 18:42:12 -0500 (EST)
From: OCAP <ocap at tao.ca>
To: anton at resist.ca
Subject: CHURCH SANCTUARY VIOLATED IN QUEBEC CITY - MOHAMED CHERFI ARRESTED


(Please post and forward)

CHURCH SANCTUARY VIOLATED IN QUEBEC CITY - MOHAMED CHERFI ARRESTED

PHONE / FAX / EMAIL / PHONE / FAX / EMAIL

MONTREAL UPDATE

---> FOR PEOPLE IN THE MONTREAL-AREA: There will be a vigil for Mohamed at
Immigration Canada (1010 St-Antoine Ouest, metro Bonaventure) beginning at
4pm this afternoon (Friday). We have information that Mohamed is being
transported to Montreal for an eventual removal order. Please come and
show your solidarity with Mohamed Cherfi!

Friday, March 5, 2:30pm -- Members of the No One Is Illegal Campaign in
Montreal have learned that Mohamed Cherfi has been arrested in Quebec
City. Mohamed had been in sanctuary inside the Saint-Pierre United Church,
on the invitation of the church's pastor, the Reverend Gerald Dore.

According to eyewitness reports in Quebec City, at least 15 police
officers from the City of Quebec broke into the church at approximately
12:45pm this afternoon to arrest Mohamed. The police claimed to have an
arrest warrant for Mohamed on a breach of a previous condition of release.
That condition apparently stipulated that Mohamed reside at the same
address in Montreal. Mohamed took sanctuary inside the Saint-Pierre Church
in Quebec City on February 18 in order to avoid an eventual deportation to
Algeria.

According to lawyers working on the case, Mohamed is currently being
transported to Montreal from Quebec City. It is expected that he will be
put into detention, or forcibly removed to the United States.

Mohamed has been an active member of the Action Committee of Non-Status
Algerians in Montreal. He has resided in Canada for close to seven years,
speaks fluent French, and has been a tireless advocate on behalf of
non-status refugees in Canada. He has helped hundreds of non-status
Algerians gain status in Canada, but he himself has been targeted for
removal due to his outspoken advocacy. Mohamed has previously been
arrested three times for his participation at sit-ins and pickets.

A Solidarity Committee for Mohamed is active in Quebec City. They can be
reached at 418-262-0144 or solimo2004 at yahoo.fr

The No One Is Illegal Campaign in Montreal can be reached at
nooneisillegal at tao.ca or 514-859-9023.



PHONE / FAX / EMAIL IMMEDIATELY   PHONE / FAX / EMAIL IMMEDIATELY

DEMAND THE RELEASE AND LANDING OF MOHAMED CHERFI

Below is a letter from the Ontario Coalition Against Poverty.  Please read
on for details as to how you can act immediately to support Mohamed. More
details to follow ...


March 5th, 2004


Minister McClellan,
Minister Sgro,
Minister Courchesne,


We demand an immediate intervention on your part in today’s vicious arrest
of Mohamed Cherfi, who was ripped from his place of sanctuary in
Saint-Pierre Church by Quebec Police.

We stand by Mohamed and his courageous struggle to win landed status not
only on his own behalf but for the sizable community of non-status
Algerians living in Montreal who faced deportation, danger, and potential
death after the Canadian government lifted a moratorium on deportations to
Algeria several years ago.  We stand by Mohamed in his fight to stay and
live in safety in Canada, a right to which he is entitled.  We condemn the
Canadian state and their overt targeting of Mohamed as an outspoken and
tireless leader in the just struggle against Immigration Canada’s
detention and deportation machine.

Clearly, the police used the guise of intervening on a criminal matter in
Mohamed’s case, specifically alleging that Mohamed was violating a
condition specifying he live in Montreal by seeking safety in a Quebec
City Church.  This overt operation by state forces sends a clear signal
that Immigration Canada and their police lackeys have no qualms about
violating church sanctuary – the final place of refuge to which people
seeking asylum are forced to turn.  The Canadian state is sending a clear
message that they will go to extreme lengths to hunt down people fleeing
deportation.

We condemn this reprehensible tactic and demand immediate release and
landing of Mohamed Cherfi.

Members of the Ontario Coalition Against Poverty

To all supporters - Please act now to support Mohamed by calling / faxing
the Ministers below:

Anne McLellan, P.C., M.P.
Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness
c/o Solicitor General of Canada
Ottawa, Ontario, K1A 0A6
Fax: 613-990-9077
Tel: 613-991-2924
E-mail: McClellan.A at parl.gc.ca

Judy Sgro, P.C., M.P.
Citizenship and Immigration Canada
Ottawa, Ontario
K1A 1L1
Fax: 613-947-8319
Tel: 613-992-7774
E-mail: Minister at cic.gc.ca

Michelle Courchesne
Minister of Quebec Immigration
Ministère des Relations avec les citoyens et de l'Immigration
Édifice Marie-Guyart
Aile René-Lévesque
1050,Louis-AlexandreTaschereau
3 étage
Québec (Québec)
G1R5E6
Phone: (418) 644-2128
Fax: (418) 528-0829

A Solidarity Committee for Mohamed is active in Quebec City. They can be
reached at 418-262-0144 or solimo2004 at yahoo.fr

The No One Is Illegal Campaign in Montreal can be reached at
nooneisillegal at tao.ca or 514-859-9023.