George Galloway banned from Canada

[Swagman]

Source: The Guardian

George Galloway banned from Canada
• Anti-war MP banned on grounds of national security
• 'This idiotic ban shames Canada,' says Galloway

Anti-war MP George Galloway has been banned from Canada, it emerged today.

A Canadian spokesman confirmed that the Respect MP had been deemed inadmissible on national security grounds and would not be allowed into the country.

Galloway today branded the ban "idiotic" and vowed to fight the ruling with "all means" at his disposal. He is due to give a speech in Toronto on 30 March.

Earlier today the Sun said border security officials had declared Galloway, 54, "inadmissible" because of his views on Afghanistan and the presence of Canadian troops there and would be turned away if he attempted to enter the country.

A spokesman for Citizenship and Immigration Canada said the decision had been taken by border security officials "based on a number of factors" in accordance with section 34(1) of the country's immigration act



Read more: http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2009/mar/20/george-galloway-banned-canada

[ixion]

1. But the ultra-idiot war criminal thug Bush was allowed in?

:wtf:

[Sandrine for you]

69. USA is not compose only of DU people, imagine what will happen

if we refuse Bush to come....

[HeresyLives]

2. We currently have idiots in office.

What can I say? :eyes:

[Dreamer Tatum]

10. Would Canada let Ahmadinejad in? nt

[Bjorn Against]

33. They let Bush in so it appears they welcome some criminals.

[aquart]

15. Been there. Feel your pain.

Just imagine the relief when they're gone.

[gula]

20. Idiots is putting it mildly

Sneaky Canadian-hating SOBs is more like it.

I can't wait for this bunch to be thrown out. Maybe then I can start to use my Canadian passport again.

[barbtries]

31. kinda like we did

until very recently?

refusing to allow someone into the country because of his political views is - i don't know - wrong, yes, but also, erring on the side of fascism, no? very fucked up.

[Octafish]

3. So now even members of the UK government are considered 'terrorists'?

What ever happened to democracy, anyway?

BTW: I know Canada and the United Kingdom are two different nations, but they are members of the British Commonwealth.

[T_i_B]

49. George Galloway is NOT a member of the British government

The ruling Labour party kicked him out a few years ago and he's been a opposition MP ever since. He is not a member of the governing party, let alone the government.

[Peace Patriot]

55. Parliament is not part of the British government? It surely is.

But I think we have a Brit English/Amer English terminology problem here. In the UK, the phrase "the government" means the executive branch (the Prime Minister, his cabinet, etc.). But here we have three equal branches and they together constitute "the government." So we can have a Republican president, for instance, and a Democratic Congress. Both are the government. They are equal (in theory, anyway). When we say "the government," we don't necessarily mean Obama. We mean "the Feds"--which includes Congress and its laws, the President and federal agencies, and the Supreme Court. When Brits say "the government," they mean Gordon Brown, specifically.

Senator Orin Hatch, here, is part of "the government." If he were to be banned from entering Canada, it would be an insult to the U.S. government--even if he's an asshole opposed to everything Obama and the Democrats in Congress are trying to do. (They might chuckle behind their hands, but officially they would have to object.) He is not part of the executive branch, but he is part of the government, in his legislative and committee powers.

So, in this sense, I certainly consider George Galloway a "part of the British government." He is an elected representative of his constituents, with national legislative powers. He may be in opposition; that doesn't make him some sort of unofficial, private civilian person. He is not a "civilian." MPs are commonly recognized ambassadors for the UK "without portfolio"--just as any U.S. Congress member is, when visiting a foreign country.

What if, say, Orrin Hatch were banned from visiting Puerto Rico, a U.S. territory? That is comparable to what Canada just did.

To me, it is therefore utterly shocking that Canada--which isn't exactly a foreign country, as a member of the Commonwealth--would dare to ban a British MP from visiting Canada. I have never heard of such a thing! It is an action just short of throwing out the British ambassador. It has war fumes about it. It is a no-no. It is a very big blunder. And it doesn't matter what Galloway's views are. That is not the point. If a British MP does not have free speech rights in the British Commonwealth, who does? If a British MP cannot travel freely within the British Commonwealth, who can? This is an assault on the rights of all British Commonwealth citizens, as well as a gauntlet thrown down by Canada against the British government.

I don't mind "gauntlets" being thrown down in a good cause. For instance, it would have been great if the Canadian government had thrown such a "gauntlet" at Tony Blair, for colluding with the Bushwhacks on heinously unjust, genocidal war against Iraqis for the purpose of stealing their oil. That would have been good to see. But this is just petty shit to silence dissent. It is unworthy, insulting and possibly unlawful. The Canadian government acting officially to protest--and to try to prevent--the Commonwealth becoming engaged in unjust war would have been a noble cause (and a wonder to behold--don't we wish!). This isn't.

[T_i_B]

63. Bad definition

An opposition MP is not a member of the government pretty much by definition and no amount of semantics can change the fact that an opposition MP such as Galloway opposes the governing Labour party and the governing Labour party in turn oppose Galloway as a turncoat who opposes their policies.

A democratic system of government has plenty of room for both of course, but ultimately it's the majority party who make up the government and not the opposition.

[Peace Patriot]

66. Well, I don't agree. I think you're quibbling. This is UNPRECEDENTED interference

with the rights of a member of Parliament, who IS part of the government--has an official, elected position, with a duty and an obligation to help determine government policy, through his votes, his committee work, his introduction of legislation, his speeches in Parliament and outside of Parliament, and his fact-finding and consultation with the public, in any venue, within the UK, the Commonwealth or a foreign country. It is an interference with his work as a member of Parliament. He is not a private citizen.

"The government" is not just the ruling party. Common usage in the UK may give the phrase that meaning. But IN FACT, he is an official, elected member of the government of the UK. He is an official person, not an unofficial citizen. It would be bad enough if Canada banned a private citizen of the Commonwealth from entering Canada merely to speak and consult. This is a member of Parliament!

[T_i_B]

76. Actually there is a VERY recent UK precedent

The British Government only last month banned an anti-Islamic Dutch politician from entering the UK.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/7885918.stm

A Dutch MP who called the Koran a "fascist book" has been sent back to the Netherlands after attempting to defy a ban on entering the UK.

Freedom Party MP Geert Wilders had been invited to show his controversial film - which links the Islamic holy book to terrorism - in the UK's House of Lords.

But Mr Wilders, who faces trial in his own country for inciting hatred, has been denied entry by the Home Office.

[dave_p]

79. Brits wouldn't feel the same grievance, but it's still wrong

I think we have a Brit English/Amer English terminology problem here. In the UK, the phrase "the government" means the executive branch (the Prime Minister, his cabinet, etc.).

I can vouch for that: you can add to that the civil service, but to Brits the legislature and judiciary (and local government) aren't "the government" or anything entitled to special recognition abroad (or at home!). I'm not sure which level Scots and Welsh folks deride as the government with their devolved executives, but Galloway would be the first to declare that he's not a part of the government.

It's a shocker anyway. I wouldn't object if Galloway was a hatemongering extremist, but for all his verbosity and bon-viveur pretensions he's a perfectly lawful, constitutional politician and an opponent of hate, unlike the piece of Dutch pseudo-liberal crypto-nazi trash the Brown government recently barred.

[Ken Burch]

77. He's a member of Parliament, not a member of the British Government

Galloway sits as the sole MP for the Respect Party, the party that defends all the progressive, universalist, humane and democratic values that the Labour Party permanently abandoned when Tony Blair took over(even though Labour was already assured of victory in the next election and the great betrayal was thus completely unnecessary).

If Labour was still Labour, Galloway would still BE a Labour MP. Instead, it's just a younger slightly hipper band of Thatcherites.

[No Elephants]

4. An MP banned from Canada for his VIEWS? Wowza! And we've been worrying about our SOUTHERN border!

[Sandrine for you]

70. He pesonnally give money to Hamas, personnaly, not like a official from a country.

[wtmusic]

5. Gotta keep an eye on dangerous terrorists like Galloway and Cat Stevens. nt

[fascisthunter]

6. Canadian Government: War Criminals Welcome

anti-war activists, not....

[PDJane]

7. This country is becoming as idiotic as the bush administration

And just as secretive. This is totally assinine, and I can see I shall be spending today writing letters.

[Taverner]

13. Yes didn't Harper effectively establish a Coup d'etat earlier?

By not letting Parliament convene and have a vote of no confidence?

[RedSock]

16. No, he did not. Not even close.

He was a coward who ran from a confidence vote that would have removed him from power, but the Governor General could have told him to pound sand. Sadly, she did not.

I disagreed strongly, and supported the coalition, but it was all above board.

[quakerboy]

48. Whatever happened to that

I thought they were going to come back to in in late February?

[DCKit]

8. Oh, Canada : (

Yeah, yeah, too obvious/easy. But DAMN, that's just so wrong.

Cheney must be smirking from jowl to jowl and bouncing off the walls of his crypt.

[antimatter98]

9. Amazing. Yet, Canada welcomes Bush the war criminal.

Galloway has a radio show in the UK, and comes on at 6pm US EST time until
the UK time change on 30 March, and then he comes on at 5pm US EST. He's on
for three hours on Friday and Saturday at the time I mentioned.

Link to the radio station's listen live audio in the UK is:

http://new.talksport.net/mediaplayer/media_player.asp?sListenLive=yes&c=&t=

Note: Galloway is in North America in March on a speaking tour, so I don't know
if he will be doing his show during this time. See http://www.georgegalloway.com/
for details of his tour.

[B Whale]

11. Galloway is an elected member of the british parliament and he

has been banned on security grounds? The canadians just look silly now.

There are a lot more British troops in afghanistan and galloway is british. I don't get their logic

[Lost in CT]

12. Strange move by Canada but not unprecedented. nt

[stillcool]

14. Maybe he can sneak into..

British Columbia?

[defendandprotect]

17. Bush's Canada . . . ? Remember that Bush had Ted Kennedy on the "no fly" list -- !!!

[Blue_Tires]

18. so which of these 'rules' did he break??

"A permanent resident or a foreign national is inadmissible on security grounds for:

(a) engaging in an act of espionage or an act of subversion against a democratic government, institution or process as they are understood in Canada;

(b) engaging in or instigating the subversion by force of any government;

(c) engaging in terrorism;

(d) being a danger to the security of Canada;

(e) engaging in acts of violence that would or might endanger the lives or safety of persons in Canada; or

(f) being a member of an organisation that there are reasonable grounds to believe engages, has engaged or will engage in acts referred to in paragraph (a), (b) or (c)."

[T_i_B]

50. (c) engaging in terrorism

The Canadian hovernment considers his support of Hamas to be tantamount to "terrorism".

[LeftishBrit]

58. Yes, well, so is Harper's - and Blair's - support of Bush

Not that I can stand Hamas either, but Bush has killed considerably more people.

Galloway is a twit (sorry, I know that only UK-ers will agree with me on that), but banning him is like using a sledgehammer to crack a nut. Come to think of it, Galloway *is* a nut in many respects!

[T_i_B]

64. I'm not condoning the Canadian government

Far from it. I'm just trying to clarify why they are taking such a daft course of action.

As far as Galloway's status on DU goes, I do think that it has gone down a little bit since he blasted Norm Coleman in the Senate (Celebrity Big Brother didn't help) but the current row could change his status on here all over again.

[vinylsolution]

19. I suspect the order to ban Galloway....

... probably came from Washington.

After he roasted the US Senate stooges over the Iraq War and 9/11 Commission cover-up, there was no way they'd allow him to speak truth to power on North American soil.

"In everything I said about Iraq, I turned out to be right, and in everything you said about Iraq, you turned out to be wrong."

Of course, The Senate had no answer to that.

[polly7]

21. Oh my God this is embarrassing.

We have such stupid puppets in our gov't at present.:banghead:

[Fozzledick]

22. British MP Galloway barred from Canada over 'supporting Hamas'

According to the Press Association Friday, a spokesman for Canada's immigration minister, Jason Kenney, has made clear that the decision will not be overturned.

Galloway had been deemed "inadmissible" to Canada under section 34(1) of the country's immigration act.

Kenney's spokesman, Alykhan Velshi said the act was designed to protect Canadians from people who fund, support or engage in terrorism."

"We're going to uphold the law, not give special treatment to this ... street-corner Cromwell who actually brags about giving 'financial support' to Hamas, a terrorist organization banned in Canada," Velshi was quoted as saying by the British Press Association.

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1072688.html

Yeah, looks like he violated that little "fund or support terrorism" clause.
Picky, picky, picky!
:eyes:

[DebbieCDC]

23. So they let the chimperator in but not Galloway?

How much $$ did Bushco have to pay Harper to let the chimp in? Guess Galloway doesn't have the same $$. Well, no more trips to Victoria for me. Stupid asses.

[navarth]

24. I love Don Cherry but

he shouldn't be running the country.

[corpseratemedia]

25. I wish leaders around the world would stop emulating the most incompetent leader

in modern history: *.


I think they'll call our present time The Incompetence Era.

[CHIMO]

26. Canada blocks outspoken British MP

OTTAWA — Canadian officials have denied outspoken anti-war British MP George Galloway entry into Canada on grounds he poses a threat to national security.

Alykhan Velshi, a spokesperson for Immigration Minister Jason Kenney, said today Galloway has openly supported Hamas, classified as a terrorist group in Canada, as well as other terrorists.

And for that reason, Velshi said the minister is refusing to override the decision by Canada Border Security Agency officials under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act.

Canadian Jewish Congress lauded the decision to refuse Galloway entry.
"We applaud the Canadian government for keeping George Galloway, a man who thrives on his support of terrorists, out of Canada," said CJC Co-President Sylvain Abitbol.
http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/article/605682

George. I hope you run them through the mud in the court.

[ConcernedCanuk]

27. Our Friggen Harper - he's our shame, put him in the same boat as Dim-Son

.
.
.





yeah

[CHIMO]

28. Like Your Image

Although the horns are missing.

Should change the "word" to represent the neo-cons and their allies now.

[New Dawn]

29. Only 37.6% of Canadians voted for the Conservatives in 2008.

61.3% of Canadians voted for parties to the left of the Conservatives (Liberals, New Democrats, Greens, Bloc Québécois, Marxist-Leninists, and Communists). Source: http://enr.elections.ca/National_e.aspx

I think it is pretty clear that most Canadians think that Harper is a scumbag and puppet of Bush.

[JohnyCanuck]

30. Looks like JDL pressured Canadian gov't to ban Galloway (Video)

Here is a video of an interview on British TV with Galloway and Canadian JDL (Jewish Defense League) member.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fAm7rfHKSyY

[BrklynLiberal]

32. That is so un-Canadian!!!!

[Billy Burnett]

34. Canada, a wholly owned subsidiary of the USA.

[Mika]

35. LOL!

[afredus]

36. I am personally ashamed.

Thanks for pointing this out. Time to start writing some letters.

[RollWithIt]

37. I don't agree with the bar, but he does support Hamas, which is clearly a terrorist group

And under current Canadian law he is ineligible to enter the country under that statute. I'm sure he'll eventually be allowed to enter though.

[Matilda]

40. Hamas was democratically elected to represent the Palestinian people.

This is the Canadian government bowing to pressure from the Jewish lobby.

Sad.

[Bjorn Against]

41. Please, it is the Israeli lobby not the Jewish lobby.

I am working to end the occupation of Palestine and language like that does not help our cause. Jews are not monolith and there is no such thing as a Jewish Lobby, there is an Israeli lobby which represents only Israeli government and military policy it does not represent the Jewish people.

[Behind the Aegis]

47. There is also NO Israeli Lobby.

There is a pro-Israel lobby, which is also concerned with the US. Her remark is worse than yours, but just as factually lacking.

Of course, I love how this is now laid at the feet of AIPAC. G-ddamn they really are all-powerful! They control the US and Canada. :eyes: It all sounds so familiar.

[Bjorn Against]

52. In my opinion the people who are pro-Israel are those who march in the streets for peace...

Those who harm Israel's reputation by occupying Palestine and killing children are not pro-Israel in my view, it is the people who are working for peace that are pro-Israel and AIPAC does not work for peace. And I never said that AIPAC controls the US and Canada, but they do have way more influence than they should to have.

[Behind the Aegis]

59. Whatever. It doesn't make AIPAC an "Israeli Lobby."

I can see you are really "pro-Israel". :eyes:

[Bjorn Against]

62. I am pro-peace for Israel, I am not in favor of Israeli government policy.

Supporting Israeli government policy is no more "pro-Israel" than supporting Bush policy was "pro-American". Maybe we should be more specific and call AIPAC the Israeli Government Lobby, that is an accurate statement but in my view calling it "pro-Israel" is not accurate.

[Nihil]

75. Please, in this case it was the Jewish lobby ...

... specifically the (Canadian) Jewish Defense League.
No "Israel" or "Israeli" in their name is there?

Looks like both "sides" like to blur the lines when convenient.
:shrug:

[mitchum]

80. That blurring for convenience is downright...Talmudic, isn't it?

Yes, it is.

[ButterflyBlood]

81. "Jewish lobby"? Welcome to my ignore list. n/t

[concerned canadian]

38. George Galloway was here in Canada before Stephen Harper came to power

He attended the weekly vigil of Women in Black (a group who meets weekly to oppose violence around the world and to seek justice for the oppressed) and he spoke at the University of Victoria. He was, as is well known, an outspoken critic of the Iraq war and the Bush administration. Stephen Harper has his head so far up Bush's ass, still, that he also opposes returning the then child soldier, Omar Kadhr, back to Canada on humanitarian grounds, from Guantanamo. Yes, how shameful for our country.

[Orrex]

39. And I hear that he was planning to open a Brazilian waxing salon

So I guess that he's banned from New Jersey, too.

[mackerel]

42. Rumour has it that Harper is a Bush-clone, developed

in a lab somewhere in Virginia.

[Orrex]

43. There was a problem with the Bush-cloning process, though

The clone turned out to be completely mindless, and they were afraid that people would confuse it with the original.

[cooolandrew]

44. I don't know why they'd take it that personal he feels the same on British troops in Afghanistan.>

No desenting voices a tried and tested forumla that epicly failed.

[earcandle]

45. This is definitely NOT FRENCH! Canadian expletive cowards!

Take This!

Running Up a Tab on the Universe

[arikara]

46. There's millions of Canadians that feel the same way

are they going to throw us out of the country next? What an embarrassment our neo-con government is, and unfortunately the neo-liberals are cut from the same cloth and back the pricks.

[David__77]

51. George Galloway should be Prime Minister of Britain.

That would be wonderful.

[LeftishBrit]

57. No thanks

I'd prefer a PM who did his job instead of appearing on Celebrity Big Brother, and hadn't applauded Musharraf's rise to power, to give just one of his peculiar opinions.

Yes, he's against the war and that's good. So are plenty of others, who would make much better PMs.

I do think that Canada banning him was way over-the-top.

[T_i_B]

65. And then there's his attendance record in the Commons

And what on earth has happened to the RESPECT coalition by the way?

[4dsc]

53. Heck, I cannot get into Canada either

To bad a criminal record from decades ago prevents me from going to Canada now that they have computers.. So fuck off Canada..

[ConcernedCanuk]

56. "So fuck off Canada" ?? - well that's a fine how do ya do neighbour -

.
.
.

wow

[Arrowhead2k1]

61. As a Canadian, I don't blame him one bit. Canada sucks right now.

[livefreest]

54. oh boy. who will rid us of our George Bush?

:eyes: x( :cry: :banghead:

[Arrowhead2k1]

60. Wow, I'm so ashamed of Canada right now. It used to be better than this.

[Sandrine for you]

67. Well Galloway give money and cars to the Hamas. For our law, Hamas is a terrorist organisation, they

just follow the law.

[EFerrari]

68. Right. And what do you call a government that kidnaps people and

sends them to be tortured? I call them war criminals. So, there you go.

[Sandrine for you]

71. Galloway personnaly give money, he is not an official of a government

Bush mayby sign some memo, but it's your govenrment who do it, it's not a personnally involment. You have to make your onw laundry, till you do it, then maybe your ex-president will be un-welcome around the world. You have to realise that not all the USA is compose of people from DU, imagine what will happen if Canada put an ex-president of his first and predominent partner in custody ?

haVE A goverment who give a real and clear case against Bush, and so prosecute, and then you can talk about your little cousin for applying his law.

[EFerrari]

72. Maher Arar.

[Sandrine for you]

73. Yes I know, I'm not really proud of this government, but, hey,

he will officially be persecute under the Obama administration...

[EFerrari]

74. We don't know that. Add that to your list along with Gallway and Hamas.

[Spazito]

78. This isn't over yet, supporters are taking the case to the courts and...

if that fails, they will try to escort him over the border. Our government is despicable and I am glad to see Canadians fighting this all the way.

Supporters ramp up efforts to bring British anti-war MP

Supporters of British MP George Galloway are challenging the government's decision to ban him from Canada over his controversial views on Hamas and the war in Afghanistan.

snip

James Clark, spokesperson for the Toronto Coalition to Stop the War, said the group is "incredulous" that Citizenship and Immigration Canada has banned Galloway, and plans to launch a legal challenge in Ontario provincial court on Tuesday.

"All week we're going to be campaigning and lobbying the federal government to defend freedom of speech and reverse the ban," Clark, whose group is helping organize Galloway's tour, told CTV.ca.

If the government doesn't change its position, a group of Galloway's supporters plan to try and personally escort him across the border on March 30, Clark said.

more

http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20090322/Galloway_protest_090323/20090323?hub=TopStories