Galloway blocked from entering Canada?

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It's a minor point which caught me as (to borrow a phrase written about an entirely more dastardly character than he) "not being entirely based on fact."

There was an article on the CBC website today (link). The comments were quite polarized with (I thought) the majority being in favour of allowing GG entry on the grounds of Free Speech. If it's good enough for Canada-hating Ann Coulter, it's certainly good enough for George.

The article seems to emphasize Kenny's denial of any involvement in the decision to bar GG, which seems especially odd as it's completely contradicted by the e-mails they previously released to GG's own legal team (some inadvertently). I don't know how the gov't can come away from this without looking like a cabal of spin hucksters hell-bent on micro-managing every aspect of the departments under their control. (When it suits their purpose, of course.)

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Interview with George Galloway
By Am Johal
rabble.ca
April 27, 2010

Q - How is the UK election shaping up? What do you make of the choice between Labor and the Conservatives?
Well it was a choice between Tweedledum and Tweedledee until the first election debate between the party leaders - the first in British history incidentally - and the Liberal Democrat Nick Clegg stormed through the middle. So now there's a third dog in the fight, Tweddledummer! According to the latest opinion polls Labour is now third, behind the Lib Dems and Tories.

The final debate is on Thursday (April 29) so it could well decide the outcome. But really it had all been based on style, rather than substance, all three are promising savage cuts although to the credit of the Lib Dems they want to scrap Trident and provide an amnesty for illegal immigrants. My campaign in Poplar and Limehouse has been roaring along, principally from the top of an old, red, open-topped London bus. The reception has been fantastic, better at this stage than it was at the same point five years ago.

Q - Who do you think will be the future leader of the Labor party?
Well, do they play safe and traditional, in which case it will be Alan Johnson, the home secretary, who is close to the unions. He's a former postman. Or will it be one of the Miliband brothers, David or Ed. Dave is the foreign secretary and his wee brother Ed is in charge of energy. The former was close to Blair, the latter to Gordon Brown, although I bet neither want anything to do with them now. I think it will depend on how badly Labour do in the election as to how radical they want a shift in leader to be.

Q - Jason Kenney seems to be using the CBSA's evaluation system as an excuse not to intervene in your situation. As a sitting Member of Parliament, Canada just might be one of the only countries in the world that would deny you entry - as if they can't draw out the distinction between an activist and a terrorist. What do you make of this mode of logic that the right seems to be obsessed with?
That is just a gigantic smokescreen, as the case papers will show. The ban was orchestrated from Kenney's office, through his lickspittle Alykhan Velshi, who actually phoned up the British tabloids to tip them off before even contacting me or my office. It was more than eight hours after the Sun published the story that I was contacted officially. The emails and letters we have obtained through the disclosure process demonstrate the great lie vividly, as Rabble.ca has brilliantly uncovered. The latest batch of papers show that even your security services were against the ban. I guess we shouldn't be surprised that Kenney - who has described himself as a 'Catholic Zionist - and the rabidly pro-Israeli Velshi should have come up with this while allowing Ann Coulter into Canada, the woman who advocates carpet-bombing Muslim countries.

Q - When do you hope to make your next visit to Canada?
As soon as we win our case we'll set up a tour - the 'As I was about to say before I was illegally interrupted' tour. So I would hope to be there late summer or early autumn. I'm looking forward to it keenly.

Q - What would you like to communicate to the Canadian public?
I've been to Canada many times and I've always found the public open and fair-minded. I don't believe they share the dangerous, hysterical reasoning of Kenney and Velshi. Canada used to be a by-word for honour and dignity in the world, not narrow-mindedness and bigotry, your soldiers have been vital to peacekeeping in many countries, and I am sure that these days will return. I'm grateful to Canadians right across the political spectrum who have communicated their support to me. I value that greatly.

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[modern]

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Looks like Karl from Plaistow making a cameo in the picture above!

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Here's a 16 minute interview with Cathryn Atkinson in which she describes the details of the case.

CLICK

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George Galloway loses bid to quash Canada’s ban on him
Joseph Brean
National Post
September 27, 2010

A year and a half after he was barred from Canada over his defiance of Israel’s blockade of Gaza and his alleged support for the terrorist group Hamas, rabble-rousing British MP George Galloway yesterday lost his appeal of the government’s controversial ban.

A coalition of leftist protesters brought the appeal with Mr. Galloway to Federal Court, arguing that he was unfairly banned because of his political views about Palestine, Afghanistan and Iraq. 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.

That letter was based on a preliminary assessment by the Canada Border Services Agency ordered at the last minute by Citizenship and Immigration Minister Jason Kenney. It came at a time of particular strife between Mr. Kenney’s office and pro-Palestinian activists, and followed Mr. Galloway’s high profile “Viva Palestina” aid convoy, an aid shipment on 109 trucks, plus a cash donation of $45,000, that entered Gaza through Egypt in defiance of the Israeli blockade.

“Mr. Galloway chose not to present himself at the border for examination and did not seek the exercise of ministerial discretion in the form of an exemption or a temporary residence permit,” the judgment reads. “As such, no final decision was made regarding his admissibility. There is, therefore, no decision which this Court can review.”

Mr. Justice Mosley had harsh words for Mr. Kenney, whose office hastily assumed Mr. Galloway was inadmissible based on “scant” evidence.

“The result, in my view, was a flawed and overreaching interpretation of the standards under Canadian law for labelling someone as engaging in terrorism or being a member of a terrorist organization,” the judgment reads. “It is clear that the efforts to keep Mr. Galloway out of the country had more to do with antipathy to his political views than with any real concern that he had engaged in terrorism or was a member of a terrorist organization.”

It is the second time the pro-Galloway group has failed at Federal Court in their efforts to bring Mr. Galloway’s speaking tour to Canada. A judge refused to grant a last-minute injunction overturning the ban last year, so he gave a webcast lecture from New York instead

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So there's no case to answer because GG wasn't actually banned?

[major.tom]

It's a very strange argument indeed. He wasn't denied because he never tried to enter [because he was told he would be denied]. Therefore, no harm, no foul.

Here's another article minus the subjective slant on the same decision.

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Judge tosses Galloway appeal but rebukes Tories
ctv.ca
Sep. 27, 2010

OTTAWA — A senior aide to Immigration Minister Jason Kenney contributed to a premature, politically motivated decision that ultimately kept controversial former British MP George Galloway out of Canada, a Federal Court judge said Monday.

But Justice Richard Mosley dismissed an appeal by supporters of Galloway, ruling the court could not grant their request for judicial review of a government decision that barred the outspoken pro-Palestinian politician from giving a series of speeches in Canada last year. That's because Galloway never tested the government by actually trying to enter the country after political staffers denounced him as a terrorist and the Canada Border Services Agency said he wouldn't be allowed into Canada.

"In the absence of such evidence, I find that there was no legally reviewable decision to bar Mr. Galloway from Canada and that this application must be dismissed."

Galloway, a noted rabble-rouser, was told he would not be allowed to enter Canada because he had provided financial support to Hamas. Canada has listed Hamas as a terrorist organization. The Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) cited his involvement in an aid convoy that delivered clothing, medical items, relief money and vehicles to the elected Hamas government.

Mosley closely examined the conduct of political staffers in Kenney's office, particularly his director of communications, Alykhan Velshi, and the response by bureaucrats. The judge said he agreed with Galloway's Canadian supporters that "that the main reason why the respondents (the government) sought to prevent Mr. Galloway from entering Canada was that they disagreed with his political views."

The judge concluded the government fell short of the standard required to label someone a terrorist. "It is clear that the efforts to keep Mr. Galloway out of the country had more to do with antipathy to his political views than with any real concern that he had engaged in terrorism or was a member of a terrorist organization," the judge stated.

Opponents of Galloway's visit said they felt vindicated by the dismissal. "We are pleased with the decision to dismiss the application for judicial review," Velshi said Monday in a e-mailed statement.

The ruling allowed Canadian groups on both sides of the Middle East divide to claim victory. "Had he been really serious, he certainly would have attempted to come to Canada, and do the job he wanted to do. His real job was to actuate a PR stunt, which he was successful at," said Bernie Farber, the chief executive of the Canadian Jewish Congress.

But James Clarke, of the Toronto Coalition to Stop the War, said Mosley's deeper dissection of government conduct vindicates Galloway's supporters. "There was political interference at the highest levels of government, which represents an attack on the free speech rights of Canadians," said Clarke, who along with his group, were among the unsuccessful applicants in the case.

The Harper government has faced repeated accusations that it has unfairly tilted Canada's Middle East policy towards Israel while turning a blind eye to the suffering of Palestinians in Gaza. Galloway had planned a speaking tour to discuss topics such as the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

In his ruling, Mosley outlined a chain of events that started on March 16, 2009 with Velshi doing some on-line research of open sources about Galloway's activities. Velshi "expressed the view that Mr. Galloway was inadmissable" in e-mails that circulated through the Immigration Department in the next few hours.

"Apart from the open sources cited by Mr. Velshi in his e-mails, it does not appear from the record what, if any, additional research was conducted. When consulted, CSIS advised CBSA that they had no concerns with Mr. Galloway's visit from a security perspective," Mosley said in the ruling.

Government officials reached a decision that was not reasonable and erred in its application of the law, but the judge noted the "novel" circumstances they faced with their political masters. "Moreover, they were being asked to provide a rapid assessment in circumstances where Ministers' offices were actively engaged and where political staff and senior officials had already staked out a position . . . the assessment was written after political staff and senior officials had prematurely reached the conclusion that Galloway was inadmissable." The judge said it was not surprising that bureaucrats reached the same conclusion "albeit in more cautious language."

Galloway's supporters are already making plans to try to bring him to Canada in the coming weeks, Clarke said.

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You can almost taste the difference in political slant between this and the previous article. Still, calling GG a rabble-rouser while not labelling any of the government officials is more than a bit cheap.

edit: I meant the article above Major's... timing got in the way.

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U.K. rabble-rousing politician George Galloway coming to Canada this weekend
September 29th, 2010
The Canadian Press

TORONTO - Former British MP George Galloway is expecting to arrive in Canada this Saturday. The aim is to continue a speaking tour he was forced to put on hold last year.

The rabble-rousing politician was told in March 2009 he would be denied entry into Canada on the basis he supported terrorism. A recent court decision concluded the federal government interfered in the case for political reasons. Supporters of the anti-war activist say they are looking forward to hearing the politician speak. They say they hope the government will no longer attempt to ban critics of its foreign policy.

Galloway had provided financial support to Hamas — a group that Canada has listed as a terrorist organization. The Canada Border Services Agency cited his involvement in an aid convoy that delivered clothing, medical items, relief money and vehicles to the elected Hamas government.

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'Rabble-rousing' seems to be the cliche du jour...

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rabble.ca livestreams George Galloway's Toronto Talk Following Court Ruling Criticizing His Ban

TORONTO, Oct 1 /CNW/ - On Sunday, October 3rd, British politician George Galloway will be finally coming to Canada and rabble.ca will be exclusively livestreaming his long-awaited talk. Galloway will appear at Trinity-St. Paul's United Church in Toronto (427 Bloor Street West) at 3 p.m., where he will speak about the fight to overturn his ban and the struggle to end war and occupation in Palestine, Afghanistan and around the world.

"God willing and the willingness of the government to accept defeat I will see you on Saturday afternoon," said Galloway via videoconference from London, England.

A recent Federal Court ruling that strongly criticized the federal government for attempting to ban the former MP on a speaking tour in spring 2009 has paved the way for this visit. According to the ruling judge, Richard Mosley, "The main reason why the respondents [the federal government] sought to prevent Mr. Galloway from entering Canada was that they disagreed with his political views."

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hehe

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the speech starts in about 90 minutes

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well that was excellent - it'll be available for download in the archive section soon