Canadian Churches No Longer A Refuge

I rather like the idea of having a Sanctuary. People should be able to feel safe SOMEWHERE. However, it's kind of hard to judge a particular event like this one without knowing the full background.

-KY

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Kory Yamashita

"What lies behind us and what lies ahead of us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us." - Oliver Wendell Holmes
"As for the futur

I think this is outrageous, what next, they'll be entering the confessional or wiretapping it?!

<p>Posters to this site are frequently commenting on the fact that the media give lopsided views of issues; what of this post? There was no mention made to the fact that:</p> <ul> <li>Mohamed Cherfi was not only denied his refugee claim, but numerous appeals to that claim.</li> <li>The police had a valid warrant for his arrest.</li> <li>He violated his condition of release, refusing to report his change of address or show up for deportation.</li> <li>There is no law that protects criminals hiding in churches.</li> </ul> <p>And regarding his wife's comment, saying "he is not a criminal. He only wants protection." Actually, he is a criminal, wanted on a nationwide warrant.</p> <p>I'm not necessarily defending the State on this one, but simply reporting the other side of the story which Susan didn't mention.</p>

I love to see the look on that someone's face that wiretapped my confessional!

geoffb,

If you click on the highlighted wording it would have taken you to the full Globe and Mail article.

4Canada,

I did read the story Susan provided, as well as related articles from other news sites. I was simply providing an alternate point-of-view.

A sovereign nation must have the right to boot someone out with reasonable justification. That being said, we shouldn't have to give a reason.

-This reminds me of the case where a group of 14 Muslims were snooping around the Pickeing, Ontario nuclear plant, ALL 14 IN THE COUNTRY ILLEGALLY, and all people could do was parrot the Canadian Muslim Association (or whatever it's called) and defend the criminals.

Why?!


-Oh yeah, do what I do to avoid being harmed at church......sleep in!

Us teenagers need the beauty sleep.

I agree, a church should not have the right to prevent the police from doing their job.

The separation of church and state do not allow for keeping criminals from being brought to justice. If you think otherwise, then its time for a change.

Churches should not be sanctuaries for criminals.

Ever.



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"Arrogance in Politics is unacceptable"
Jim Callaghan
Minden, Ontario
705-286-1860
www.misterc.ca

I don't think churches should be havens for criminals, but there are other ways to arrest people, he wasn't always in the church.

They did arrest him -- multiple times. He simply refused to abide by the judge's orders.

If he was arrested previously why wasn't he jailed, or deported if that was appropriate? I am so sick of these guys getting arrested and rearrested because of technicalities etc. But I still think they could have waited until he came out of the church, you can't live in a church for ever, and if he was such a bad criminal he shouldn't never have been free.

I received this via email.<P> ------- <p> In addition to our March 20 callout, we need to send you an additional message this week to alert you about one (and quite likely two) upcoming actions around the case of Mohamed Cherfi. <p> We ask that you please read to the end of this message because the implications of his case go far beyond that of an unfortunate individual being deported from Canada. <P> BACKGROUND: Mohamed Cherfi is an activist with the Action Committee for Action Committee for Non-Status Algerians in Montreal, who has recently been deported to the US by Canadian immigration officials, where he awaits deportation to Algeria. Cherfi very reasonably fears for his life at the hands of Algerian authorities, having been outspokenly critical of both the Canadian and Algerian governments while in Canada. <p> Due in large parts to the tireless volunteer work of Mohamed, hundreds of non-status Algerians were regularized in Quebec as immigrants when the ban on deportations to Algeria from Canada was lifted. The ban was in place because of the war in Algeria, however, on April 4th, 2002, the Prime Minister of Canada left on an official trip to Algeria and on the same day, the Minister of Immigration, Denis Coderre, announced the lifting of the moratorium on removals to Algeria. <p> Mohamed's arrest while seeking sanctuary in a church breaks a longstanding secular tradition of right to sanctuary -- the first time such an outrage has occurred in Canada. <p> Cherfi is clearly being targeted for his troublemaking in the Canadian immigration system, as his arrest is based on a summary failure to notify about change of address. <P> Cherfi¹s case brings together many issues antiwar activists have been critical of: Canada¹s racist immigration policies, public security, civil liberties, border issues, the violation of church sanctuary, racial and political profiling, and the influence of ³free trade² / globalization / neoliberalism on social policy. <P> *** For more (very concise) background please visit: *** <p> <a href="http://www.zmag.org/content/showarticle.cfm?SectionID=30&ItemID=5143">http://www.zmag.org/content/showarticle.cfm?SectionID=30&ItemID=5143</a> <p> And the March 14 update:<br> <a href="http://www.ocap.ca/immigration/bringback.html">http://www.ocap.ca/immigration/bringback.html</a> <p> * Background information on Mohamed's case is available, in English and French, at <a href="http://clac.taktic.org">http://clac.taktic.org</a> (click on "No One Is Illegal" on the left). <p> * The Solidarity Committee for Mohamed Cherfi maintains an updated website, mainly in French, at: <a href="http://www.mohamed.levillage.org">http://www.mohamed.levillage.org</a> <P> ACTIONS FOR WHICH WE SEEK YOUR SUPPORT:<br> -----------<br> ONE:<br> Call-in / fax / email wave to the office of Anne McLellan (Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness), especially Tuesday (today) & Wednesday, and throughout the week. -----------<br> <P> We are asking Anne McLellan to intervene directly in his case since she (as Public Safety Minister) has been involved at the highest level in sending Mohamed to the US. <P> Cherfi¹s case is being heard in the US for the first time on Wednesday March 17, for which a national day of action across Canada has been called. We ask that this week you email the following authorities the sample letters found on OCAP's website, here: <a href="http://www.ocap.ca/immigration/bringback.html">http://www.ocap.ca/immigration/bringback.html</a> <P> -----------<br> TWO:<br> *Possible* mass mobilization around the office on Anne McLellan (nonviolent of course) to draw attention to the case of Mohamed Cherfi.<br> ----------- <P> The U of A Coalition Against War and Racism is having a planning meeting on Thursday, March 18, 2004 (at 5 pm, at the U of A, Humanities Room 1-7) to undertake plans to further pressure McLellan's office. This may take the form of a public mobilization around McLellan's office. <p> The campaign in Montreal has stressed that they would appreciate Edmonton's support, since McLellan is in our territory. It is not expected that you make it to our planning meeting (though you are welcome to) but it would be great if you could be prepared to take part in an action for a few hours next week. <p> We will alert you to developments over wage-peace-announce regarding any upcoming mass action like this. <p> More information: peace@wage-peace.org <p> **** Remember to phone and email in today and Wednesday!!! **** <p> With warm regards and thanks, <p> Robert E. Butz<br> U of A Coalition Against War and Racism<br> Apartment 2, 10548 83rd Avenue<br> Edmonton, AB T5K 1A1<br> phone: (780) 432-0913<br> email: <a href="mailto:peace@wage-peace.org">peace@wage-peace.org</a><br> <a href="http://www.ecawar.org/ucawar.php">http://www.ecawar.org/ucawar.php</a>

And PS may I say he was arrested in the first place for protesting peacefully. And in this case because he didn't change his address. Some criminal.

First, geoff, you can't accuse me of being one-sided for summarizing the facts as they were presented in the article in order to introduce the article. If you're unhappy with the coverage then take it up with the writer or discuss it here fairly. <P> Second, this man is a "criminal" because he didn't want to be conscripted into the army in Algeria, and because he fought for immigrants rights (including in a peaceful protest), and because he then didn't change his address (even though his mailing address remained the same). And that was a condition of his release on charges that weren't, IMHO, reasonable in the first place--it shouldn't be criminal to exercise your right to protest. <P> If he was such a criminal, why was he immediately released and all charges dropped? Its obvious it the "arrest" was just used to get him into US hands, since that's who he was "released" to. <P> So I don't feel the church was harbouring a "criminal" but as a a group concerned with social issues, trying to prevent a wrong.