dan kellar's blog

by: Rachel Avery and Dan Kellar

"No one is illegal, Canada is illegal!"
-No One Is Illegal - Vancouver/Coast Salish

As the Harper government continues to hold 492 Tamil refugees in detention on unfounded, racially-based suspicions, Public Safety Minister Vic Toews continues to make clear the racist, anti-immigrant motivations of his department and this Conservative administration. Over the past week, four men have been arrested and three of them charged as part of a 2-year investigation entitled "Project Samosa". Because of their ethnicity they have been demonised in government rhetoric, and presented as guilty before they have been able to face trial. This troubling discourse has been supported and furthered by mainstream media and public commentary. We must continue to counter such narratives and challenge the xenophobia they encourage.

August 19th 2010 - Xenophobia and racism in Canada as Tamil migrants arrive seeking refuge. Statements and information from No One Is Illegal and a response from AW@L's Rachel Avery. We also read new G20 stories and reflections on patriarchy, police and the G20.

The music on this week's show which is played does not match up with what is claimed to be played as this show was put together in a tent with a computer with a more limited music selection than was first thought, but it all still rocks!

http://www.peaceculture.org/drupal/radio/aw@lradio-2010-08-19-g20tamil.mp3

Monday, August 23rd
6:00pm
Toronto Police Headquarters
40 College Street (at Bay Street)

Rally in solidarity with G20 Defendants

Speakers: TBA

Most of our bruises have faded, but we haven’t. It was two months ago when many were beaten on the streets of Toronto and in their homes, with rubber bullets and tear gas fired into crowds of people of all ages, from toddlers to seniors. Two months ago, the police conducted the largest mass arrest in Canadian history with 1100 people arrested. Two months ago, the police force conducted their vicious snatch squads to kidnap (and sometimes arrest) our community organizers and others simply in the wrong place at the wrong time.

by: Rachel Avery and Dan Kellar

Once again, the approach of a ship carrying refugees has been met by racist hostility and unfounded accusations of terrorism. The arrival of the MV Sun Sea to the shores of Vancouver Island has seen an outpouring of explicitly racist, anti-immigrant discourse throughout Canada. In a country which would like to consider itself a champion of humanitarianism, it should be shocking that the government’s racist treatment of these refugees has been largely met with support and further racism rather than with disgust and protest. The actions of Public Safety Minister Vic Toews and the Canada Border Services Agency in response to this situation are abhorrent; these policies must be challenged along with the racism that supports them.

Hello folks,
Here is a brief, excellent write-up about the 490 Tamil refugees, put out by No One Is Illegal - Vancouver that we encourage you to read. The text is below, and it can also be read at http://noii-van.resist.ca/?p=2167
Stay tuned for more on this issue.

Myths and Realities about 490 Tamil Refugees on MV Sun Sea

Myth 1: They are illegals who are jumping the queue.

There is no ‘queue’ for refugee claimants. 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.

Solidarity Greetings from South Korea!

We, the Peoples G20 Response Preparation Committee of South Korea, extend our warmest embrace to the movements of Canada. We stand in solidarity with you as part of this broader international movement for justice, the planet, and all people. As we prepare for the November G20 in Seoul, we take this moment to remember your struggles and your sacrifices in the Toronto G20. We have heard of the police repression and inhumane detention conditions that protestors experienced. We particularly stand ready to support those 17 activists that are still being persecuted under criminal charges by the police.

Friday, August 13, 2010

Indian Affairs imposes new Chief and Council on Barriere Lake on the basis of a half-dozen nomination ballots: “This looks like tyranny,” say community spokespeople 

Kitiganik, Rapid Lake, Algonquin Territory / - The Department of Indian Affairs has announced that a new Indian Act Chief and Council have been elected by acclamation in the community of Barriere Lake, after between 6 and 10 nomination mail-in ballots were received by a government electoral officer.

But even the acclaimed Chief, Casey Ratt, has announced he will not take the position, refusing to break ranks with the community’s broad opposition to the Indian Act band elections that the Department of Indian Affairs has been trying to impose on Barriere Lake.

August 6th 2010 - Police and State continue agression against community organizers and war resisters. Fight the G20 updates and recent examples of non-complaince - Tarnac 9 or necessary insurrections. With music and news on this episode of AW@L radio.

http://www.peaceculture.org/drupal/radio/aw@lradio-aug62010-cut.mp3

G20 defendant marks six weeks in jail, Last detainee awaits bail appeal hearing

August 4, Toronto – Community organizer and G20 activist Erik Lankin continues to remain in detention since his arrest early on June 26th. Along with others, he is facing politically-motivated charges in relation to the Toronto G8/G20 protests. He is the last detainee on conspiracy charges who remains behind bars, and is awaiting a bail appeal after almost six weeks in detention.

The Waterloo Region Peoples’ Investigation (WRPI) is collecting statements, interviews, photos, and videos from those citizens from Waterloo Region who were in Toronto during the G20 from 21-27 June 2010. We will be using these experiences to document and provide:

1. police accountability for their actions at the G20 and justice for those impacted by police misconduct.
2. build a community of citizens committed to justice and community healing.
3. an avenue for participatory and direct democracy.
4. a history of events and experiences of the G20.

We will be holding our first interview:
Date: Saturday, 14 August 2010
Time: 2:00pm to 5:00pm

**update**
Aug 13
Ryan was denied bail and now awaits a bail appeal Apparently his sureties were too female/indigenous/young/without-sufficient-assets to be released from violent incarceration to our peaceful KW community.

**
Aug 10
Ryan Rainville's list of charges has grown and it appears the state is treating the case just as politically as other G20 related judicial farces.

Ryan will be held in jail and will re-appear in court at 2201 Finch Ave W on Monday August 9th at 10am. Supporters will be appreciated but are kindly requested not to create much of a ruckus.

**
Aug 5 2010, Waterloo

Just received this:

-----

August 1st 2010 -

Many of you already know Kelly Rose Pflug-Back, a friend, ally, poet and Guelph activist who was arrested and released on bail during the G20.

After returning home to Peterborough, she again turned herself in less than an hour after police gave a press conference stating that Kelly was wanted for six counts of mischief over $5000 in connection with damages related to the G20.

"Rather then allowing the trial to take place in the court, Toronto Police instead chose to have a trial-by-media sensationalizing her case through words such as "ringleader" and "most wanted". Previous arrested people have had publication bans on their bail hearings specifically to stop the media from ruining their chances at a fair trial. With her

The Following is an article from the Waterloo Chronicle

-Free Erik Lankin!

Local G20 protester still in jail

By Charlotte Prong Parkhill, Chronicle Staff
http://www.waterloochronicle.ca/news/article/215923

Jul 28, 2010

A member of local activist group AW@L is still in jail more than a month after he was arrested in an early morning raid at a Toronto home on June 26.

In this music heavy show, Dan Discusses G20 violence, plays a CRIME on France, and re-broadcasts an Abousfian Abdelrazik Interview from rabble.ca, all this among other updates...

from 1 hour in until the end, we play a soundtrack for critical mass including a bunch of songs from the Pedal Pushers debut album "The Iron Horse Trail."

http://www.peaceculture.org/drupal/radio/aw@lradio-july302010-criticalmass.mp3

Statement from the Toronto Community Mobilization Network

July 27, 2010, Toronto -
One month after the G20 Convergence.

Since September 2009, we’ve worked to challenge, disrupt and abolish the G8/G20. We used the fleeting moment of the G8/G20 summit to further organize Toronto’s community struggles against the impact of colonial, capitalist policies that seek to weaken us everyday.

And we succeeded.

From June 21 to 27, 2010, nearly 40,000 people took to the streets, gathered in discussion, watched movies, set up a tent city, danced and fought. This in itself is a victory.

For the first time, an economic summit saw a march of thousands against colonization and for Indigenous sovereignty (on June 24). This in itself is a victory.