keehah
29th April 2010, 08:35 AM
The Star: British MP barred from Canada because of government’s pro-Israel bias: lawyer (http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/article/801655--british-mp-barred-from-canada-because-of-government-s-pro-israel-bias-lawyer)
Government says George Galloway must be considered a terrorist after he provided “financial and material support†to Hamas
Published On Wed Apr 28 2010 Brendan Kennedy Staff Reporter
Controversial British MP George Galloway was barred from entering Canada last year because the Conservative government has a pro-Israel bias, Galloway’s Canadian lawyers argued in federal court Wednesday.
“We have clearly aligned ourselves with a particular political point of view,†Barbara Jackman told the court in her concluding statements, adding that Immigration Minister Jason Kenney — who Jackman called a “self-described Catholic Zionist†— used the force of Canada’s immigration laws to deliberately prevent Canadians from hearing Galloway’s anti-war message.
“Mr. Kenney has no right to enforce his views on us as Canadians who want to hear George Galloway speak.â€
An outspoken socialist politician in the UK’s left-wing Respect party, Galloway was supposed to visit Canada on a four-city speaking tour in March 2009, but was told he was inadmissible on security grounds after publicly donating vehicles, medical supplies and $35,000 to Hamas while visiting Gaza weeks earlier following the Israeli military offensive.
Canada’s federal court is reviewing the ban.
Government lawyers argued that Kenney was not involved in the decision to ban Galloway, who they say under Canadian law must be considered a member of a terrorist organization because he provided financial and material support to Hamas, considered by Canada and several other countries to be a terrorist group.
“He intentionally chose to give that money and those goods to the elected government in Gaza,†said Marie-Louise Wcislo, a government immigration lawyer.
The veteran politician — who was expelled from Britain’s Labour Party in 2003 for urging British soldiers not to fight in Iraq — was allowed into the U.S. and ended up addressing Canadian audiences from New York City via video link.
Galloway, who denies supporting Hamas, has argued that his envoy mission was purely humanitarian and the only way he could support Palestinians in Gaza was by dealing with its elected government.
Jackman and her colleague Hadayt Nazami, who are also representing a coalition of peace groups that organized Galloway’s speaking tour, argued that senior government officials, including Kenney, directly intervened to prevent Galloway from entering the country.
“This was clearly an exercise in taunting Mr. Galloway by senior levels of government,†Jackman said, adding later that labelling Galloway a terrorist is a misuse of Canada’s anti-terror laws.
“When our parliament passed that legislation it was to protect our country from people who throw bombs, not people who buy incubators,†she said, referring to the medical supplies Galloway’s envoy reportedly delivered to Hamas.
Wcislo said once Galloway handed money to Hamas, he would have no control over how it was used.
But Jackman said the government’s logic implicates itself and several other countries.
“If in fact Mr. Galloway is a terrorist for providing aid to the elected government of Gaza, then our Prime Minister is as well,†she said, noting Canada also sent humanitarian aid to the region.
Jackman and Nazami, Galloway's lawyers, said Galloway is not paying their bills. They said they have been paid by the group of orgs appealing the ban.
Wcislo said the court should not even be hearing the case because there is no decision to review. She said although Galloway was warned by government officials that he would not be admitted to the country, those warnings were courtesies based on a “preliminary assessment†of his admissibility, and he was never formally deemed inadmissible because he never tried to enter Canada.
“It was Mr. Galloway’s decision to stay in New York City and participate [in the speaking event] the way he did,†she said, adding that since Galloway is a British citizen he did not need a visa to enter Canada and therefore could only be deemed inadmissible by a Canadian border officer. “Who knows what decision would be made at the border?â€
Galloway’s lawyers referenced a “web of correspondence†from key government officials, including Kenney’s director of communications, which indicated senior levels of government were intervening in the case.
“Who in his right mind would come to the border after that?†Jackman said, adding that Galloway would risk being detained.
Jackman also referred to negative comments made by Kenney and his spokesman to the media about Galloway that “tainted†the possibility of fair treatment by immigration officials.
Government lawyers admitted Kenney’s comments were “ill-advised and “unfortunate expressions of opinion,†but “that doesn’t necessarily mean the process of the civil servants was biased by those statements.â€
Galloway told CBC News Wednesday that he has never supported Hamas, and that he delivered ambulances, baby milk, medicine and food to humanitarian organizations and charities when he visited Gaza last year.
“They may not agree with it, but the idea that a mature parliamentary democracy like Canada should use the immigration laws, abuse the immigration laws to stop their people hearing someone’s argument is clearly something that should be worrying Canada, and I think probably is,†he said.
Justice Richard Mosley did not provide a timeline of when he would deliver his decision.
Government says George Galloway must be considered a terrorist after he provided “financial and material support†to Hamas
Published On Wed Apr 28 2010 Brendan Kennedy Staff Reporter
Controversial British MP George Galloway was barred from entering Canada last year because the Conservative government has a pro-Israel bias, Galloway’s Canadian lawyers argued in federal court Wednesday.
“We have clearly aligned ourselves with a particular political point of view,†Barbara Jackman told the court in her concluding statements, adding that Immigration Minister Jason Kenney — who Jackman called a “self-described Catholic Zionist†— used the force of Canada’s immigration laws to deliberately prevent Canadians from hearing Galloway’s anti-war message.
“Mr. Kenney has no right to enforce his views on us as Canadians who want to hear George Galloway speak.â€
An outspoken socialist politician in the UK’s left-wing Respect party, Galloway was supposed to visit Canada on a four-city speaking tour in March 2009, but was told he was inadmissible on security grounds after publicly donating vehicles, medical supplies and $35,000 to Hamas while visiting Gaza weeks earlier following the Israeli military offensive.
Canada’s federal court is reviewing the ban.
Government lawyers argued that Kenney was not involved in the decision to ban Galloway, who they say under Canadian law must be considered a member of a terrorist organization because he provided financial and material support to Hamas, considered by Canada and several other countries to be a terrorist group.
“He intentionally chose to give that money and those goods to the elected government in Gaza,†said Marie-Louise Wcislo, a government immigration lawyer.
The veteran politician — who was expelled from Britain’s Labour Party in 2003 for urging British soldiers not to fight in Iraq — was allowed into the U.S. and ended up addressing Canadian audiences from New York City via video link.
Galloway, who denies supporting Hamas, has argued that his envoy mission was purely humanitarian and the only way he could support Palestinians in Gaza was by dealing with its elected government.
Jackman and her colleague Hadayt Nazami, who are also representing a coalition of peace groups that organized Galloway’s speaking tour, argued that senior government officials, including Kenney, directly intervened to prevent Galloway from entering the country.
“This was clearly an exercise in taunting Mr. Galloway by senior levels of government,†Jackman said, adding later that labelling Galloway a terrorist is a misuse of Canada’s anti-terror laws.
“When our parliament passed that legislation it was to protect our country from people who throw bombs, not people who buy incubators,†she said, referring to the medical supplies Galloway’s envoy reportedly delivered to Hamas.
Wcislo said once Galloway handed money to Hamas, he would have no control over how it was used.
But Jackman said the government’s logic implicates itself and several other countries.
“If in fact Mr. Galloway is a terrorist for providing aid to the elected government of Gaza, then our Prime Minister is as well,†she said, noting Canada also sent humanitarian aid to the region.
Jackman and Nazami, Galloway's lawyers, said Galloway is not paying their bills. They said they have been paid by the group of orgs appealing the ban.
Wcislo said the court should not even be hearing the case because there is no decision to review. She said although Galloway was warned by government officials that he would not be admitted to the country, those warnings were courtesies based on a “preliminary assessment†of his admissibility, and he was never formally deemed inadmissible because he never tried to enter Canada.
“It was Mr. Galloway’s decision to stay in New York City and participate [in the speaking event] the way he did,†she said, adding that since Galloway is a British citizen he did not need a visa to enter Canada and therefore could only be deemed inadmissible by a Canadian border officer. “Who knows what decision would be made at the border?â€
Galloway’s lawyers referenced a “web of correspondence†from key government officials, including Kenney’s director of communications, which indicated senior levels of government were intervening in the case.
“Who in his right mind would come to the border after that?†Jackman said, adding that Galloway would risk being detained.
Jackman also referred to negative comments made by Kenney and his spokesman to the media about Galloway that “tainted†the possibility of fair treatment by immigration officials.
Government lawyers admitted Kenney’s comments were “ill-advised and “unfortunate expressions of opinion,†but “that doesn’t necessarily mean the process of the civil servants was biased by those statements.â€
Galloway told CBC News Wednesday that he has never supported Hamas, and that he delivered ambulances, baby milk, medicine and food to humanitarian organizations and charities when he visited Gaza last year.
“They may not agree with it, but the idea that a mature parliamentary democracy like Canada should use the immigration laws, abuse the immigration laws to stop their people hearing someone’s argument is clearly something that should be worrying Canada, and I think probably is,†he said.
Justice Richard Mosley did not provide a timeline of when he would deliver his decision.