**This item contains the complete archive of events during 2003**

INFORMATION PICKET AT DELTA HOTEL

December 21, 2003 at 4pm at Delta Hotels (West Hastings)

Sun Peaks Ski Resort and Delta Hotels are built on Secwepemc territories, known as Skwelkwek’welt, that have never been ceded, released, nor surrendered. The Secwepemc peoples are fighting a $70 million expansion of Sun Peaks Resort which includes development of luxury hotels, tennis courts, ski and skidoo runs, etc. Over the last five years, the Secwepemec attended various “stakeholder” meetings and clearly said “NO” to the expansion of the Resort. Land and Water BC disregarded their “stake”, and in June 2001, obtained a court injunction to forcibly remove the Secwepemc from their homelands. Police/State repression has resulted in 54 arrests of Skwelkwek’welt defenders with charges ranging from criminal contempt and intimidation by blocking a road, to resisting arrest and breach of bail conditions.

It is time for all those oppressed by the Canadian colonial system and coporate globalization to support, through concrete actions of solidarity, the rights of the Secwepemc people fighting state and corporate interests in British Columbia.

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THE WAR AT HOME: OPPOSING FORTRESS NORTH AMERICA

Wednesday November 26 2003 @ 7:30 pm
Lore Krill Housing CO-OP Meeting Room
65.W Cordova Street at Abbott

Recent Canadian immigration policies have served to consolidate Fortress North America, using free trade to open borders to capital, while exploiting the people whose free movement it regulates. The “War on Terrorism” and its racist ramifications such as Bill C-36, C-42, C-11 and the ‘Smart’ BorderAction Plan (including the Safe Third Country Agreement) serve to further colonial agendas while criminalizing immigrant and refugee communities.

SPEAKER JAGGI SINGH: social justice activist and writer based in Montreal. He is a member of the No One Is Illegal campaign and has been active in support work for various immigrant and refugee campaigns.

* This event will serve both as a forum to create ongoing public awareness about the attack on immigrant and refugee communities and also as an informal strategizing meeting to build on the several campaigns around Vancouver and across Canada.

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JUSTICE FOR IMMIGRANTS AND REFUGEES !!!

Sunday, November 23 2003 @7:00 PM
Palestine Community Centre, 1874 Kingsway (near Victoria Dr.)

SPEAKERS AT THIS SESSION:
* Zool Suleman and others TBC: refugee lawyers
* Sunera Thobani: academic and long time activist
* Harsha Walia: community activist

Free forum. Snacks & translation provided. This information session is a forum that seeks to offer information and support to affected refugee and immigrant communities.

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LAND, SOVEREIGNTY & SELF-DETERMINATION

Saturday November 22 2003 @ 7:00 PM
Palestine Community Centre
1874 Kingsway, Vancouver

SPEAKERS:
– Splitting The Sky: indignenous soverignitist
– Hanna Kawas: speaker from Palestinian movement
– Native Youth Movement Representative
– Latin American Representative

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OPEN THE BORDERS RALLY

Saturday, May 3rd 2003 at noon
At the Peace Arch Border Crossing

Speakers from Palestine, Iran, Latin America, Stopwar.ca, and Immigrant communities from Washington State Music: Flying Folk Army, Latino and Arabic bands, World Music DJ, Ethnic Food, Info tables

Free Buses leave:
Grandview Park on Commericial Drive at 10:30
Joyce Skytrain Station at 11:00
King George Skytrain Station in Surrey at 11:30

This event is supported by the Stopwar.ca Coalition.

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NO ONE IS ILLEGAL – VANCOUVER FORUM

Tuesday, April 29 2003 – 7:00pm
Collingwood Neighbourhood House
5288 Joyce Street (near Joyce Skytrain station)

Stop the War on Immigrants and Refugees!
Organize to Fight Back!

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PROTEST BORDER SECURITY SUMMIT

April 5, 2003 at the Peace Arch

In solidarity with the Ontario Coalition Against Poverty and No One Is Illegal Toronto and Montreal, as they protest the Ontario Border Security Summit, No One is Illegal In Vancouver will be organizing a demonstration at the Canadian/U.S. border to oppose the Canadian government’s racist policies and the detention, detainment and deportation of immigrants and refugees.

No One Is Illegal will be providing free transportation to the borders. Busses will leave at 10:00 am, April 5th, from Grandview Park on Commercial Drive at Charles. A Press Conference will be held at 12:00 noon at the Peace Arch.

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NO ONE IS ILLEGAL – VANCOUVER CONFERENCE

SFU Harbour Centre – 515 West Hastings, room 1700
March 16, 2003 12:30-5:30pm

No One Is Illegal -Vancouver is a coalition of groups and individuals committed to fighting for the rights of immigrants and refugees.

The Vancouver conference will include speakers, discussion and a report back from the National No One Is Illegal Conference in Montreal.

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DEPORTATION AND ESCAPE OF KOBRA AND HASSAN

Iranian Refugee Escapes Deportation at Vancouver Airport

Corporate News Report, January 22, 2003

Three anti-poverty protesters were arrested at Vancouver airport yesterday after allegedly aiding the escape of an Iranian woman about to be deported.

Kobra Natghi, her wrists bound in plastic cuffs, bolted out of the airport after a crowd of about 30 people protesting her deportation swarmed an immigration officer as he escorted her through the airport lobby. Natghi scrambled into a vehicle which then crashed into another vehicle. The occupants fled on foot, and Richmond RCMP believe they were picked up by another protest vehicle.

Natghi, a single mother who fled an abusive marriage in Iran five years ago, was in hiding last night. She lost her refugee claim and she and her son Hassan Esmat, 21, were arrested Friday night.

Members of the International Federation of Iranian Refugees and the Anti-Poverty Committee, who staged the protest, claimed not to know her whereabouts last night.

Natghi, her son and one other unidentified Iranian national had earlier boarded the Air Canada flight, said Richmond RCMP. But at about 1:30 p.m. the pilot ordered them off the plane after one of the deportees became extremely agitated, police said. They were on their way back through the airport when they stumbled on the protesters, who had planned a peaceful demonstration to oppose a recent wave of deportations to Iran, said “Joey,” a member of the Anti-Poverty Committee.

“She [Natghi] was seen by the Iranian people who became very visibly upset and got in the way of the guard. And then everyone kind of joined in.”

Refugee advocates had been writing letters and calling politicians in hopes of a last-minute reprieve for Natghi.

“This is not going to help her in any way,” said Esmail Afshari, who employed Natghi’s son. He said he was appalled to learn that after five years in Canada, Natghi and her son were given no opportunity to pack their belongings or settle their affairs.

Poverty activists said they got involved in the case to show their disapproval for deportations to Iran.

“Canada says it is safe to go back to Iran and we’ve got lots of evidence to prove otherwise,” said Joey, who was arrested at the protest, questioned by police and later released. “What she stands to lose at the hands of the Iranian state compared to what we stand to lose as white activists at the hands of the Canadian state are very, very different.”

Iranian refugee advocate Davood Ghavami said there has been a spike in deportations to Iran. Refugee claim-ants, who were once given 30 days’ notice before deportation, are now being arrested and jailed with no notice.

Update:

2 demonstrators are still in jail as of Thursday, January 23. Kobra has a court appearance at 2:00pm on Thursday, January 23 at the detention centre at 300 W. Georgia in Library Square, Downtown Vancouver.

BACKGROUND

Iranian refugee activists occupied the Immigration Enforcement office in Vancouver on Monday afternoon, January 20, 2003, to fight the deportation of an woman and her son back to Iran. About a hundred of supporters came out in solidarity with the occupation and a demonstration at the same office later that evening.

On Friday, January 17th, Kobra Natghi and her 21 year old son, Hassan Esmat were called into an Immigration Canada office in Vancouver BC for a routine interview. The letter they recieved demanding this meeting said, “You are reminded that failure to report may result in the issuance of a warrant for your arrest and detention.” At this “interview” they were arrested: legs chained and handcuffed and taken to jail. Kobra and Hassan came to Canada four years ago as political refugees from Iran where their rights were severely restricted and their lives were in grave danger. This danger has not lessened; if they are allowed to be forced back to Iran by immigration Canada they will almost certainly be imprisoned, tortured and killed.

Kobra and Hassan are scheduled to be deported on Tuesday January 21st at 4pm. Kobra is being held at the detention center at Richmond International Airport and Hassan has just been transferred from Vancouver Pretrial on Main St to Fraserview Corrections. Neither one of them is being allowed to see their lawyer. Hassan will not be allowed to see visitors until 24 hours after his prison transfer is complete, by that time he will have already been deported to Iran. Kobra has not eaten in the three days since she was arrested and she has a severe anxiety disorder, Hassan has epilepsy; their health is in jeopardy even in their present situation. We must come together NOW to stop this deportation, there is no time to waste. Immigration Canada met with the Campaign to stop deportations only to say to the people who occupied their office earlier today, “We are deporting Kobra and Hassan, there is nothing you can do.” The only crime of Kobra and Hassan is that they are from Iran. We can stop the deportation by exposing Immigration Canada; deportations are racist and they rely on the indifference of the public to carry them out in secret.