Galloway case: Victory for free speech and sanity
The Federal Court has, thankfully, taken a stand backing free speech in Canada by solidly slamming Citizen and Immigration Minister Jason Kenney for having one of his flunkies play the key role in preventing former British MP George Galloway from entering the country last year.
The feds claimed that Galloway had given money to the Palestinian group Hamas, which the Conservatives have labeled a terrorist group. They wanted Galloway barred from coming to Canada for “national security reasons.” At the time, the BBC gave Harper’s crew a bit of a black eye:
Judge upholds Galloway Canada ban (March 2009)
Some mainstream media carried heavily biased reports claiming that Galloway and his Canadian supporters “lost” the Court decision. The right-wing National Post had their usual blinkers on and saw it this way:
George Galloway loses bid to quash Canada’s ban on him
The Post’s headline is technically correct but generally wrong. Somehow the reporters missed the real story: The judge found that that Kenney and his politicos had, in effect, prevented Galloway from taking part in a speaking tour in Canada because they objected to his so-called left-wing political views.
In Canada, not even self-important Cabinet Ministers are supposed to bar people from entering the country because the visitors may have different ideas and opinions.
Perhaps to offset the misleading reports in the Post and much of the rest of the mainstream press, we’re going to give the last word to the Toronto Coalition to Stop the War, the group defending Galloway:
Federal Court slams government interference in Galloway ban
James Clark, a member of the Coalition and an applicant in the case.
The feds claimed that Galloway had given money to the Palestinian group Hamas, which the Conservatives have labeled a terrorist group. They wanted Galloway barred from coming to Canada for “national security reasons.” At the time, the BBC gave Harper’s crew a bit of a black eye:
Judge upholds Galloway Canada ban (March 2009)
Some mainstream media carried heavily biased reports claiming that Galloway and his Canadian supporters “lost” the Court decision. The right-wing National Post had their usual blinkers on and saw it this way:
George Galloway loses bid to quash Canada’s ban on him
The Post’s headline is technically correct but generally wrong. Somehow the reporters missed the real story: The judge found that that Kenney and his politicos had, in effect, prevented Galloway from taking part in a speaking tour in Canada because they objected to his so-called left-wing political views.
Mr. Justice Richard Mosley agreed up to a point, accusing the government of failing the meet the proper standards for labelling someone a terrorist supporter. But he ruled the government did not officially exclude him, and it was Mr. Galloway himself who made the decision not to enter Canada, based on a letter from the Canadian High Commission that, if he were to try, he might be judged inadmissible.
In Canada, not even self-important Cabinet Ministers are supposed to bar people from entering the country because the visitors may have different ideas and opinions.
Perhaps to offset the misleading reports in the Post and much of the rest of the mainstream press, we’re going to give the last word to the Toronto Coalition to Stop the War, the group defending Galloway:
Federal Court slams government interference in Galloway ban
James Clark, a member of the Coalition and an applicant in the case.
"This kind of behaviour is completely unacceptable in a democratic society, and represents a serious attack on Canadians' free speech rights. We are pleased that the Court agrees with us."
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