US Anti-Globalization Activist
Arrested At Canadian Border

US Activist Detained At Canadian Border
by starhawk

An activist was detained at the Ottawa border and is now imprisoned.
She choose this option as a political stance. The article is written by
her travelling companion and discusses the issue of open borders and
free trade.There is also contact information for various government
officials to voice your dissent.

Global Justice Activist Detained At Canadian Border!
By Starhawk
11/13/01

On Monday, November 12th, Lisa Fithian and I were travelling together
to Ottawa when I was flagged by Immigration for a more extensive
screening.

We had both been invited by OPIRG (The Ontario Public Interest Research
Group) to offer trainings on activism in preparation for upcoming
demonstrations against the G20, the IMF and the World Bank which are
meeting in Ottawa November 16-19. I was also scheduled to give a
lecture at St. Lawrence University just across the border in the U.S.
Ottawa is the nearest airport.

Lisa had cleared Immigration but when I went to tell her I might be
delayed, they tagged her, too. We spent nearly five hours waiting,
being questioned, photographed, fingerprinted, and searched. We were
told that I was picked out because I had been arrested in Seattle at
the WTO protests in November of 99, although I was never convicted of
any crime there and my charges were, in fact, dropped. At one point,
the Immigration Officer said he knew I had been in Seattle, and asked
if I were "a member of the WTO." We were treated courteously by the
officers and we remained calm and co-operative throughout. Eventually,
I was admitted to Canada but my computer was held to be examined by
Canadian Intelligence. Lisa was allowed to sleep overnight in Canada,
but was required to return this morning, Tuesday, November 13 at 11:00
AM for a further interview to determine if she could remain.

At that interview, she was told that she was ineligible to enter
Canada.

She was given the choice to leave voluntarily, or be arrested.

Lisa refused to leave and was arrested. She is a courageous woman who
made this choice for the following reasons:

--Only by being arrested could she be entitled to counsel or legal
representation, or have hopes of appealing the decision of Immigration.

--The closing of borders to activists is part of the attempt to stifle
legitimate dissent against the institutions of global corporatization.
As an act of nonviolent civil disobedience, Lisa refused to cooperate.
She chose to stand in the doorway to prevent the door from closing; to
protect our right to dissent by exercising it. Her act is the opposite
of terrorism: she risks her own freedom and physical well-being, not
that of others; she stands openly for what she believes in, and she
exemplifies the nonviolence of the world she strives for.

--In jail, Lisa joins hundreds who have been detained since attacks of
September 11 because of the color of their skin or for some minor
infringement of visa regulations. She is a forerunner of those who
would be jailed for their beliefs and political principles if two
Canadian "antiterrorist" bills are passed. C36 would allow the
authorities to detain people for up to seventy two hours for virtually
no reason. C35 includes provisions that protect foreign dignitaries who
are terrorists, such as Pinochet, from demonstrations.

--Open borders are one of the things we are fighting for. Corporate
globalization allows corporations to move freely across borders,
without ties or responsibilities to local communities, in search of the
lowest wages and the most lax environmental and safety standards. But
people are not allowed to cross borders in search of economic
opportunities or better lives. Our border difficulties are mild in
comparison with the immigrants who die of thirst or freeze to death
attempting to come to the U.S. from Mexico. All over the world,
displaced people seek refuge at borders. The borders that guard the
wealthy countries are increasingly closed to those who seek political
asylum or economic relief. Hundreds of thousands mass on the
Afghanistan/Pakistan border, seeking to escape from the devastation of
U.S. bombs. The possibility of starvation, rampant disease, and their
ongoing suffering haunt us.

The issue is much, much broader than what happens to any individual.
The corporations have laid claim to the resources of the globe, and
"free trade"demands that any borders which interfere with their profits
be dissolved. We lay claim to a different freedom. We say that if
capital has no borders, then people should not be constrained. The
institutions of corporate globalization are international, overriding
local and national laws, offering no legal way in which citizens can
hold them accountable. Because they are international, we must be too.
The essence of democracy is the freedom to dissent. No walls should
bind our freedom to make our voices heard.

Lisa is being held at the Ottawa Carleton Regional Detention Center.
One of her supporters was arrested at the airport, but has been
released.

Immigration: 1 888 242-2100 (Then dial "0" to talk to a real person)

Contact Prime Minister Jean Chretien
By phone: 613 992-4211
By fax: 613 941 6900
By email: PM@PM.gc.ca
By Mail: House of Commons, Ottawa, ON, K1A 0A6

Contact Pierre Pettigrew, Minister of International Trade
By phone: 613 995-8872
By fax: 613 995-9926
By email: Pettigrew.P@parl.gc.ca
By mail: 507 Confederation Building, House of Commons, Ottawa, ON, K1A
0A6

Contact Elinor Caplan, Minister of Citizenship and Immigration
By email: CaplaE@parl.gc.ca
By phone 613954 1064
By fax 613 992 0887

Contact Anne McLellan
By email: MclelA@parl.gc.ca
By phone 613 992 4524
By Fax 613 996 4516