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STATELESS & DEPORTED! Demonstration Against Deportation of Palestinians from Canada
=>=>=>=>=>=>=>=>=>=>=>=>=>=>=>=>=>=> SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 18th, 2004 Gathering Point: 2PM Corner Atwater & St. Catherine {metro Atwater} =>=>=>=>=>=>=>=>=>=>=>=>=>=>=>=>=>=>
From the Refugee Camps of Lebanon & Palestine to the Streets of Montreal! For more than one year Palestinian refugees in Montreal and throughout Canada have been struggling against deportation and fighting for their status. On September 18th, the Coalition Against the Deportation of Palestinian Refugees and their supporters are calling for your participation in a large-scale demonstration on the streets of Montreal.
It is a critical time to show your solidarity with the Palestinian refugees, as many of the deportations are set to take place in the coming weeks and months. In Montreal, Palestinian refugees have already been forced by Immigration Canada to live underground or take sanctuary, such as Khalil Ayoub, 67 Nabih Ayoub, 69 and Therese Boulos Haddad, 62 who have been refugees all their lives, fleeing Palestine in 1948 to the refugee camps of Lebanon, and ultimately to Canada. The Ayoub family, confined to the basement of Notre-Dame de Grace Church, were forced to take sanctuary over 7 months ago to escape deportation.
The September 18th demonstration in Montreal will also commemorate the thousands of Palestinian refugees who lost their lives in the 1982 massacre of Sabra and Chatila, during the Israeli invasion of Beirut. The Palestinian refugees facing deportation are the sons and daughters of the very same refugee camps, which suffered throughout the 15-year long Lebanese civil-war. They are the sons and daughters of Sabra & Chatila, Tel El Zaatar and Bourj El Barajneh, stateless refugees representing a history of displacement, which began in 1948. As we remember the massacre of Sabra & Chatila - one of the deepest wounds in the Palestinian consciousness - we will demonstrate in solidarity with the struggle of Palestinians here in Canada!
We will march on the streets of Montreal within the context of a political campaign that has been waged throughout Canada during the past year in support of the Palestinian refugees facing deportation. Thousands of people throughout the country have participated in street demonstrations, and thousands more have pressured Citizenship & Immigration Canada in support of the refugees. Wide sections of society are standing in solidarity with the struggle against Palestinian deportations, including the Arab and Muslim community, self-organized immigrants and refugees, major labour unions, countless community groups, major political parties, faith based organizations and thousands of individuals from throughout the world. With this strong backing, we intend to intensify the struggle against Palestinian deportations this September.
We must stand united in the struggle against the deportation of Palestinian refugees! Join us on the streets of Montreal on September 18th and throughout the month of September for a popular mobilization against the deportation of Palestinian refugees. Your support, solidarity and action is needed now! For more information or to get involved contact:
The Coalition Against the Deportation of Palestinian Refugees in Montreal Phone: 514 591 3171 | refugees@riseup.net |