[van-discuss] justice for self-organized refugees in montreal!

[harsha at resist.ca]

PLEASE POST WIDELY TO CONTACTS-

[While the e-mail below is addressed to Toronto-area social justice
groups -- since the new immigration minister is based in Toronto -- we are
actively seeking endorsements from all over Canada. Please take the time
to read and reply.]

-- Endorse the demands of self-organized refugee groups in Montreal ...

-- A special appeal to Toronto-area social justice organizations ...

-- Please post and forward widely!


February 5, 2004
MONTREAL

Dear Toronto-area friends and allies:

As many of you know, several refugee groups have been actively organizing
in the Montreal-area. Three of these groups -- The Pakistani Action
Committee Against Racial Profiling, the Coalition to Stop the Deportation
of Palestinian Refugees and the Action Committee of Non-Status Algerians
-- are self-organized groups of directly affected refugees, all with
active campaigns for basic justice and dignity.

With the appointment of Toronto-area MP Judy Sgro as Minister of
Citizenship and Immigration, all three committees feel it is important to
have the endorsement of as many Toronto-area social justice organizations
as possible, as a means to pressure the Minister in the coming weeks and
months. To date, we have over one hundred endorsements for each group, but
mainly from the Montreal-area.

On behalf of the No One Is Illegal Campaign in Montreal, which is actively
supporting each committee, we are writing to ask for your endorsement of
the basic demands of each committee (included below, with contact info).
Please, forward this e-mail to any possible cultural/religious group,
union, community centre, activist group or other organization that might
consider endorsing the demands. As much as possible, please do follow up
to ensure that at least an endorsement is considered. Members of each of
the refugee committees are very willing to come to Toronto to make
presentations about their cases if necessary.

The members of each refugee committee live with the threat of deportation
in the coming days and weeks. In each committee, members have already been
removed from Canada against their will. Still, with consistent organizing
efforts and public pressure, there have also been victories.

Please do consider endorsing the demands of the Action Committee of
Non-Status Algerians, the Coalition to Stop the Deportation of Palestinian
Refugees and the Pakistani Action Committee Against Racial Profiling. It's
essential that Judy Sgro realize that a broad array of Toronto social
justice organizations support the struggle of Montreal's self-organized
refugee committees.

If you can help as a point-person in Toronto to actively seek
endorsements, please get in touch! We need your help.

In solidarity,
-- Rabie Masri, Jaggi Singh and Harsha Walia (No One Is Illegal-Montreal)


DEMANDS OF THE REFUGEE COMMITTEES:

-- The Pakistani Action Committee Against Racial Profiling
1) Regularization of the status of Pakistani refugee claimants.
2) An end to deportations and detentions of Pakistani refugees.

Contact info: The support contact with the Pakistani Action Committee is
Harsha (harsha at resist.ca or 514-812-0858).


-- The Coalition Against the Deportation of Palestinian Refugees
1) Stop the deportation of all Palestinian refugees.
2) Accept Palestinian refugee claims to regularize their status.

Contact info: The support contact with the Coalition Against the
Deportation of Palestinian Refugees is Rabie (refugees at riseup.net or
514-591-5171).


-- The Action Committee of Non-Status Algerians:
1) An immediate end to all deportations.
2) A return to the moratorium on removals to Algeria.
3) The regularization of non-status Algerian residents in Canada.

Contact info: The support contact with the Action Committee of Non-Status
Algerians is Jaggi (jaggi at tao.ca or 514-728-5650).


---> If your group endorses all three campaigns, please let us know by
e-mail at nooneisillegal at tao.ca or by phone at 514-859-9023.