Green Party urges Canada to drop border-crossing charges against US peace activist Alison Bodine
GREEN PARTY OF THE UNITED STATES
http://www.gp.org
For Immediate Release:
Friday, October 19, 2007
Contacts:
Scott McLarty, Media Coordinator, 202-518-5624, mclarty@greens.org
Starlene Rankin, Media Coordinator, 916-995-3805, starlene@gp.org
WASHINGTON, DC -- The Green Party of the United States has urged the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) to drop all charges against US citizen Alison Bodine, who was arrested on September 13 for attempting to cross the US-Canada border while carrying antiwar (including Green Party) literature.
Ms. Bodine was charged with "misrepresentation" and faces a possible two-year ban from Canada. The adjudicator in the case will announce a final decision on October 31.
The Green Party's national Steering Committee sent a letter to the CBSA on October 16. The text of the letter is appended below.
Green leaders called Alison Bodine's treatment part of an extremely disturbing pattern of politically motivated detention and obstruction at border crossings targeting those who have spoken out peacefully against the Iraq War. On October 3, CODEPINK and Global Exchange cofounder Medea Benjamin and retired Colonel and diplomat Ann Wright, on their way to a peace conference in Toronto, were denied entry into Canada http://www.commondreams.org/news2007/1003-15.htm.
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For updates on the case, including public rallies and news from the Alison Bodine Defense Committee, visit http://alisonbodine.blogspot.com.
Date: October 16, 2007
To: Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) From: Green Party of the United States
We are writing to express our concern about the detainment of US citizen Alison Bodine. Ms. Bodine is a peace activist who has worked with a number of North American peace organizations, including the Vancouver Mobilization Against War and Occupation, the University of British Columbia's Coalition Against War on the People of Iraq and Internationally and the University of British Columbia Social Justice Center.
Ms. Bodine was unjustly arrested at the U.S.-Canadian border on Thursday, September 13, 2007, by the Canada Border Services Agency and detained by the RCMP when anti-war and Green Party literature was found among her belongings during a border search. She is being charged with "Misrepresentation." The admissibility hearing resulted in weak evidence from the prosecution; however, the final decision will not be known until October 31, 2007.
It is our understanding that she has not done anything illegal and has crossed the border many times without incident. We believe that this is a politically motivated case against Alison Bodine.
We urge that the Canada Border Services Agency drop any and all charges against Alison Bodine, return to her any and all items seized by the CBSA, and reinstate her right to freely travel between the US and Canada.
Sincerely,
Steering Committee of the Green Party of the
United States
Liz Arnone
Jim Coplen
BUdd Dickinson
Jody Grage
Holly Hart
Phil Huckelberry
Jason Nabewaniec
Sarah "echo" Steiner
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CASE UPDATE #20 - ALISON BODINE DEFENCE COMMITTEE
Thursday November 1, 2007
http://alisonbodine.blogspot.com |
defendalisonbodine@hotmail.com
778.891.1470 | 604.339.7103 | 778.882.5223
POLITICALLY TARGETED ANTIWAR ACTIVIST ALISON BODINE
ORDERED BANNED FROM CANADA FOR 2 YEARS!
ALISON BODINE DEFENCE COMMITTEE CONTINUES CAMPAIGN TO
DEFEND ALISON AND ALL ANTIWAR AND SOCIAL JUSTICE
ACTIVISTS UNDER ATTACK!
** ALISON BODINE DEFENCE COMMITTEE MEETING
Thursday November 1st
6:30pm
Large North Hall of Joe’s Café (corner of William St &
Commercial Dr
After 7 weeks of campaigning to have all Canada Border
Services Agency (CBSA) charges against her dropped, US
antiwar activist Alison Bodine received the
Immigration & Refugee Board decision on her case Wed
Oct 31st. Currently Alison Bodine is Co-chair,
executive committee member and spokesperson of
Mobilization Against War and Occupation (MAWO) in
Vancouver, BC. The day started out very strong with
more than 100 supporters rallying outside the
Citizenship & Immigration Canada building downtown
before the decision was released. Major news media,
including radio, television stations and newspapers
also attended to hear Alison speak at the press
conference as she unveiled the more than 3,000
petition signatures demanding that all charges against
her be dropped. Dozens of supporters as well as media
representatives accompanied Alison upstairs to the
hearing room. Once it was filled to capacity,
supporters began to fill the overspill room to watch
the announcement by video link.
After reviewing the case, the adjudicator from the
Immigration & Refugee Board (IRB) announced that he
would uphold the CBSA charge of 'misrepresentation'
against Alison and issued an 'exclusion order' against
her. The 'exclusion order', the order that she must
leave Canada, will take effect on Saturday November
17, 2007 and states that she cannot return for two
years. This unjust ruling is clearly the CBSA’s next
step in escalation of the attack on Alison and the
campaign of attacks on the democratic and human rights
of antiwar and social justice activists and all
non-status people in Canada.
The political harassment and targeting of Alison
Bodine began with intimidation and harassment by CBSA
agents when she was searched at the US-Canada border
on September 10th and has continued over 7 weeks of
legal delays and processes up to this point. Now this
attack on a representative of all antiwar and social
justice organizers has been taken to the next level
with the IRB decision. The ruling attempts to keep
Alison from traveling to Canada to work with antiwar
organizers here in Canada, much like when two CODEPINK
Women for Peace organizers were denied entry in to
Canada several weeks ago. They were on their way to
attend a meeting with the Toronto Coalition to Stop
the War. The CBSA is partaking in the attempt by the
governments of Canada and the US to keep antiwar
organizers from both sides of the border from uniting
and working together.
Supporters of Alison’s case rallied, chanted and
cheered after hearing the news of the decision, vowing
to organize against the unjust decision and not to
take this setback as a defeat. The Alison Bodine
Defence Committee (ABDC) will explore all possible
legal avenues while continuing the political campaign
against the attack on Alison and against attacks on
all antiwar and social justice activists. The ABDC
will hold a meeting Thursday November 1st and invites
all those interested in the defence of human and
democratic rights to join us!
*******************************
ALISON BODINE DEFENCE COMMITTEE MEETING
Thursday November 1st
6:30pm
Large North Hall of Joe’s Café (corner of William St &
Commercial Dr
***************************
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