THE CANADIAN REFUGEE CAMP. The resistance within Fortress North America

Saturday, February 5th
Noon-5pm. Rally 1pm
Vancouver Art Gallery. Georgia & Howe

Shattering the myth of Canadian multiculturalism and humanitarianism…

No One is Illegal is coordinating a “Canadian Refugee Camp” on Feb. 5, 2005. The camp will involve the participation from various community groups and organizations involved in historical and present struggle against Immigration Canada and racist border and immigration policies, while making the links to Canadian policies of corporate globalization and imperialism that result in mass displacement from lands in the Third World.

The construction of the camp is not merely a public display or purely symbolic, but involves a crucial multi-racial, community-based sharing of histories and resistance that portrays an alternative history of Canada. Rather than continuously being relegated to ‘model minority’ status, immigrant and refugee communities and organizations have organized this camp as a public testament to the struggles for justice and self-determination.

Canada’s immigration history includes well-known policies such as the Chinese Head Tax, the internment of Japanese-Canadians, the “None is too Many” policy for Jewish refugees, and the exclusion of South Asian migrants on the Komagata Maru. This vicious history is repeating itself as the “War on Terrorism” terrorizes the lives of Muslim and Arab migrants through interrogation, detention and secret trials. The most draconian immigration measure yet is the Safe Third Country Agreement (2004) which will exclude upto 40% of refugees from entering into Canada. While making links to corporate globalization that result in displacement and poverty in the Third World, we will resist the creation of Fortress North America.

Displays will highlight well known historical events such as the Japanese internment, the Chinese headtax, the Komagatamaru, the Red Raids and political deportations, and the Draft Dodgers; with current parrallels of the Secret Trials of the Secret Trial 5 and Leonard Peltier, exclusion of Fujianese women, War Resisters, and the Safe Third Country Agreement, and much more…

Music, dance, poetry, images…Bring banners & flags of resistance… Honouring our historic & current struggles.