[van-announce] Laibar Singh Community Meeting This Thursday

[mia amir]

***Please Forward Widely***
***Sorry for any cross-postings***

2nd EMERGENCY Community Meeting on Laibar Singh and Racist Backlash
Against South Asian Community

Thursday January 3rd at 6 PM
Lore Krill Co-Op
65 West Cordova (corner, just east of Cambie)
Wheelchair accessible.

Last Thursday there was an emergency meeting called by concerned
activists and allies to organize support for Laibar Singh to stay in
Canada. This meeting was also to organize against the racist backlash
fueled by the misinformation that various media outlets
have been spreading about Laibar and his supporters. We
came together primarily as people outside of the Punjabi and Sikh
communities, inspired by the strength and solidarity that has been shown
by those communities in the numerous actions that have recently taken
place in support of Laibar Singh.

This first meeting was a success, with large attendance and the
formation of 'Communities for Laibar Singh'. At this meeting we
resolved to take on a number of projects to build support for Laibar,
as well as find ways to support the work that is already going on in
the Sikh, Punjabi, other South Asian communities on this front. Some of
these projects include:


   - A public forum on Laibar's case, which will take place Saturday
   January 12th.
   - Regular petitioning, tabling, and picketing on campuses, skytrain
   stations,and other public places.
   - Support for future actions taken by the Punjabi and Sikh communities
   for Laibar Singh.


We encourage people who are interested in getting involved with this
campaign in support of Laibar Singh to attend this meeting. This call
is particularly for allies in the community, acknowledging the need to
disrupt the media's characterization that support for Laibar Singh
comes only from South Asian communities. This call is also being made
out of a sense of responsibility - acknowledging that South Asian
communities should not be alone on the forefront to respond to current
climate of increasing racist backlash.

Parts from the original callout are included below for more background
information on Laibar Singh's case and the campaign to support him.

For more information please call 604.780.8463 or email
andrea_pinochet at hotmail.com.

>       >       >       >       >

>From original call-out:

Since December 10th, when the Canadian Border Services Agency's
attempted deportation of Mr. Laibar Singh was prevented by the
incredible demonstration of community support, an overwhleming and
increasing racist backlash has resulted. This negative backlash has been
fostered specifically by racism and misinformation regarding Laibar's case
in mainstream media outlets and online discussion forums.

Some comments on online forums include "America has Al Qaeda. Canada has
Sikhs"; "They weren't Canadians, only White people are Canadians"; and
"What bothers me is that the millitary was not brought in." South Asian
community members mostly closely working with Laibar have received
personal hate-based emails and phone calls. Several South Asian youth have
reported an escalation of racially-motivated comments in their schools,
all of which has a devastating impact on the South Asian community and
immigrant/racialized communities as awhole who are constantly reminded of
their subordinate position especially during moments of resistance and
defiance to the Canadian state.

An Emergency Community Meeting is being called to organize
anti-racist responses to this current backlash. The goal is to
coordinate various public expressions of support for Laibar Singh's case
in Vancouver and in opposition to the racism that is intended to have a
silencing impact on the resistance developing within the South Asian
community.

This call is particularly for allies in the community, acknowledging the
need to disrupt the media's characterization that support for Laibar Singh
comes only from South Asian communities. This call is also being made out
of a sense of responsibility - acknowledging that South Asian communities
should not be alone on the forefront to respond to current climate of
increasing racist backlash.

*** For more information please read the following
linked article on the  Laibar Singh's case and get the correct facts not
disclosed in mainstream media outlets: http://noii-van.resist.ca/?p=604