Act NOW!
US Activist Detained At Canadian Border -Starhawk
by starhawk - reposted November 14 2001, Wed, 7:07pm (at Ontario IMC)
An activist was detained at the Ottawa border and is now imprisoned. She
choose this option as a political stance. The article is written by her
travelling companion and discusses the issue of open borders and free
trade.
There is also contact information for various government officials to
voice
your dissent.
Global Justice Activist Detained At Canadian Border!
By Starhawk
11/13/01
On Monday, November 12th, Lisa Fithian and I were travelling together to
Ottawa when I was flagged by Immigration for a more extensive screening.
We
had both been invited by OPIRG (The Ontario Public Interest Research
Group)
to offer trainings on activism in preparation for upcoming demonstrations
against the G20, the IMF and the World Bank which are meeting in Ottawa
November 16-19. I was also scheduled to give a lecture at St. Lawrence
University just across the border in the U.S. Ottawa is the nearest
airport.
Lisa
had cleared Immigration but when I went to tell her I might be delayed,
they
tagged her, too. We spent nearly five hours waiting, being questioned,
photographed, fingerprinted, and searched. We were told that I was picked
out
because I had been arrested in Seattle at the WTO protests in November of
9, although I was never convicted of any crime there and my charges
were,
in fact, dropped. At one point, the Immigration Officer said he knew I had
been in Seattle,
and asked if I were "a member of the WTO." We were treated courteously by
the
officers and we remained calm and co-operative throughout. Eventually, I
was
admitted to Canada but my computer was held to be examined by Canadian
Intelligence. Lisa was allowed to sleep overnight in Canada, but was
required
to return this morning, Tuesday, November 13 at 11:00 AM for a further
interview to determine if she could remain.
At that interview, she was told that she was ineligible to enter Canada.
She
was given the choice to leave voluntarily, or be arrested.
Lisa refused to leave and was arrested. She is a courageous woman who made
this choice for the following reasons:
--Only by being arrested could she be entitled to counsel or legal
representation, or have hopes of appealing the decision of Immigration.
--The closing of borders to activists is part of the attempt to stifle
legitimate dissent against the institutions of global corporatization. As
an
act of nonviolent civil disobedience, Lisa
refused to cooperate. She chose to stand in the doorway to prevent the
door
from closing; to protect our right to dissent by exercising
it. Her act is the opposite of terrorism: she risks her own freedom and
physical well-being, not that of others; she stands openly for what she
believes in, and she exemplifies the nonviolence of the world she strives
for.
--In jail, Lisa joins hundreds who have been detained since attacks of
September 11 because of the color of their skin or for some minor
infringement of visa regulations. She is a forerunner of those who would
be
jailed for their beliefs and political principles if two
Canadian ëantiterroristí bills are passed. C36 would allow the authorities
to
detain people for up to seventy two hours for virtually no reason. C35
includes provisions that protect foreign
dignitaries who are terrorists, such as Pinochet, from demonstrations.
--Open borders are one of the things we are fighting for. Corporate
globalization allows corporations to move freely across borders,
without ties or responsibilities to local communities, in search of the
lowest wages and the most lax environmental and safety standards. But
people
are not allowed to cross borders in search of economic opportunities or
better lives. Our border difficulties are mild in comparison with the
immigrants who die of thirst or freeze
to death attempting to come to the U.S. from Mexico. All over the world,
displaced people seek refuge at borders. The borders that guard the
wealthy
countries are increasingly closed to those who seek political asylum or
economic relief. Hundreds of thousands mass on the Afghanistan/Pakistan
border, seeking to escape from the devastation of U.S. bombs. The
possibility
of starvation, rampant disease, and their ongoing suffering haunt us.
The issue is much, much broader than what happens to any individual. The
corporations have laid claim to the resources of the globe, and "free
trade"
demands that any borders which interfere with their profits be dissolved.
We
lay claim to a different freedom. We say that if capital has no borders,
then
people should not be constrained. The institutions of corporate
globalization
are international, overriding local and national laws, offering no legal
way
in which citizens can hold them accountable. Because they are
international,
we must be too. The essence of democracy is the freedom to dissent. No
walls
should bind our freedom to make our voices heard.
Lisa is being held at the Ottawa Carleton Regional Detention Center. One
of
her supporters was arrested at the airport, but has been
released.
Immigration: 1 888 242-2100 (Then dial "0" to talk to a real person)
Contact Prime Minister Jean Chretien
By phone: 613 992-4211
By fax: 613 941 6900
By email:
By Mail: House of Commons, Ottawa, ON, K1A 0A6
Contact Pierre Pettigrew, Minister of International Trade
By phone: 613 995-8872
By fax: 613 995-9926
By email:
By mail: 507 Confederation Building, House of Commons, Ottawa, ON, K1A 0A6
Contact Elinor Caplan, Minister of Citizenship and Immigration
By email:
By phone 613954 1064
By fax 613 992 0887
Contact Anne McLellan
By email:
By phone 613 992 4524
By Fax 613 996 4516