[van-announce] Sat Nov 27: Vancouver March to Scrap Bill C49! Release Detained Refugees!]

[Harsha W.]

3 Months Too Long: Free Detained Tamil Refugees!
Let them Stay! Scrap Bill C49!

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Saturday November 27th @ 1pm
Vancouver Public Library (Corner of Georgia and Homer)
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Join No One is Illegal in a rally and march to call for the immediate
release of detained Tamil asylum seekers, and an end to racist and
restrictive refugee policies, including the recently tabled Bill C-49.

Surviving a dangerous journey, 492 Tamil refugees, including women and
children, arrived in BC after fleeing war and persecution in Sri Lanka.
Three months later, the vast majority of the refugees remain in jails,
facing endless hearings that have revealed the clear incompetency,
deliberate negligence, and racism of the system.

Canadian government officials and media outlets continue to perpetuate
false and dehumanizing stereotypes of 'illegals', 'terrorists', and
so-called queue-jumpers. This fear-mongering is just another tactic used
to disguise the racist policies that define Canada’s immigration and
refugee system.

Public Safety Minister Vic Toews and Minister of Censorship and
Deportation Jason Kenney, have recently introduced Bill C49 under the
banner of combating “human smuggling” and deterring the arrival of future
boats.

Bill C49 would give the Minister the power to single out for special
punishment refugees who are suspected of having fled their country by
means of smugglers. These punishments are harsh and inhumane. Asylum
seekers suspected of using a smuggler will be subject to mandatory
detention for the first year after arrival, with no chance of review,
including for children. They also will not have the right to appeal a
negative refugee decision.  In addition, they will be prohibited from
obtaining permanent residency for a period of five years after obtaining
refugee status. This means these refugees will be held in limbo, not be
allowed to leave the country nor sponsor their family members, effectively
separating them from their families for a period of time well
beyond those five years.

This is a shameful piece of legislation. Refugees are forced from their
homes in emergency situations due to human rights abuses committed during
wars, military occupations, or persecution against a minority group. We
cannot expect refugees to wait for Canada to select them from overseas. We
must understand that they undertake long and dangerous journeys to protect
their lives and the lives of their families. According to the 1951 UN
Convention on Refugees, to which Canada is a party, there are no penalties
on  refugees who arrive without pre-authorization and irregularly.

No One is Illegal-Vancouver asserts the basic human right to safety,
mobility, and protection. It is well known that Tamils in Sri Lanka are
fleeing military atrocities and mass displacement. The only crime the
migrants have committed is transgressing this imposed settler-colonial
border. We encourage you to join us in rejecting repressive, racist, and
exclusionary ideologies and policies, and instead encourage compassion,
solidarity, respect for life, and justice for all refugees.

Release Detained Asylum-Seekers!
Justice, Freedom, and Status for All!
Right to Stay, Freedom to Move, Right to Return!

www.nooneisillegal.org