Canada has been, all of their anti-war rhetoric aside, a very loyal friend of the U.S. regime during our illegal occupation of Iraq. Many thanks to our brethren in the Great White North!
The Canadian government has refused to offer sanctuary to U.S. soldiers who are conscientious objectors. They have also worked diligently to extradite everyone who has applied for status up to this point. They have made it very clear that they will send back all "draft dodgers". They have even issued statements to the effect that this is "not the same as Vietnam". Apparently not!
There is also the case of "extraordinary rendition" involving Canadian citizen, Maher Arar. He is an Ottawa native who was kidnapped by U.S. and Canadian authorities working in conjunction. He was kidnapped and sent to Syria, detained, tortured for almost a year and then released. While the Canadian government has apologized to the innocent man, they have not condemned the U.S.'s part in the "rendition" nor have they changed their own policies which allowed this to happen again in the future.
The Canadian government have been somewhat reticent about fighting for the return of an Iranian citizen and his 10 year old Canadian son who have been detained in a holding facility in Texas without charge or trial. The boy has never been to Iran and is, by every legal definition, a Canadian citizen. Why are the Canadians not "having a bird" about this? Because they don't want to piss off their fascist neighbors to the south, that's why!
When countries outright lie, torture, kill and spy, that's bad (of course). That's a form of OVERT fascism.
To me, the far more frightening and dangerous component of fascism lies in the COVERT actions we are very unlikely to see. These covert actions often include media control, loss of free speech and the muzzling of dissent. The act below, taken by the "Switzerland of North America", belies a co-operation with our own morally-bankrupt, imperialist government that is both dangerous and frightening.
The Canadian government is now clearly shifting to a more COVERT support of U.S. actions in Iraq by refusing to allow dissent and free speech. Specifically, they are refusing Black Panther Party founder, Bobby Seale, from entering Canada to speak at Ottawa University. While Seale was long ago classified a "criminal" due to legal issues resulting from his long struggle against the murderous, criminal forces of COINTELPRO and their ilk, that was never once cause for disallowing him entry into Canada to speak. Never. Not once. Things have changed!
Below, is a story from the Ottawa Citizen.
Black Panther Founder Denied Entry to Canada: Bobby Seale was to speak at U. of Ottawa
Ottawa Citizen Maria Kubacki Friday March 23
The Canadian government is refusing Bobby Seale entry to Canada and denying students an opportunity to hear a legendary civil rights activist, according to a University of Ottawa group that invited the former Black Panther Party chairman to speak at an event this weekend.
The University of Ottawa branch of the Ontario Public Interest Research Group -- a student group dedicated to social, economic and environmental justice -- invited Mr. Seale to give the keynote address on racism and oppression at their "Public Interest School" workshops on the U of O campus this Saturday. But they found out last week he would not be allowed to enter the country, according to research group board member and University of Ottawa student Michael Cheevers.
"We decided Bobby Seale would be awesome for this because he's not only an iconic figure of the civil rights movement, but he also has some great messages against racism and oppression," said Mr. Cheevers.
In a letter to Public Safety Minister Stockwell Day protesting the decision to deny Mr. Seale permission to come to Ottawa, Mr. Cheevers wrote, "There are no valid reasons to prevent him from speaking in Canada now, considering he has been allowed to speak multiple times in this country since the 1960s."
The Canada Border Services Agency would not comment on the case. However, the agency's website lists reasons why someone could be denied entry into the country, including security concerns or reasonable grounds to believe the person has committed a serious crime.
The person does not necessarily have to have been convicted of the crime, said border services agency spokesman Chris Kealey.
Mr. Seale, 71, was the chairman and co-founder, along with Huey Newton, of the Black Panther Party, an organization formed in 1966 to combat police brutality in black neighbourhoods, but which evolved into a militant Marxist revolutionary group.
He was also one of the Chicago Eight charged with conspiracy during the 1968 Democratic National Convention, but charges against him were eventually dropped.
In 1970-1971, he was tried for the torture and murder of former Black Panther Alex Rackley, who was suspected of being a police informant. However, that trial ended in a hung jury.
Mr. Seale, who lives in Oakland, California, left the Panthers in 1974, but has continued to give talks and workshops on racism and civil rights.
"I would have been fascinated by the opportunity to meet him and I think the students would have found it energizing and thought-provoking," said University of Ottawa law professor Joanne St. Lewis, who will be speaking at the event. "What we remember are images of the Black Panthers with the weapons and all of the propaganda that suggested they were profoundly racist against white people," she said.
But many of the issues the group raised remain valid, she said.
"We're still, as African-Canadians in various parts of this country, living with inequality and challenging some of the same issues that he was talking about in the sixties."
Mr. Seale was not available for comment.
