Migrant Justice Organizer Urgently Needs Support

Dear friends,

In the fallout from the G20 protests, the police and the courts havemade chilling moves to further criminalize dissent and curtail civil rights. The situationof Toronto community activist and migrant justice organizer Syed Hussan is anurgent case in point. Not only must Hussan endure punitive bail conditions,including house arrest, as a result of criminal charges related to theprotests. To make matters considerably worse, he is also dealing with a series ofimmigration-related problems: his application for a renewal of his work permit hasbeen denied, as has his request to briefly enter the U.S. in order toapply for a student visa in Canada so that he might take up an offer of admissionto an M.A. program. As a result, Hussan confronts the real threat of beingsubject to a deportation order while he awaits trial for the next year and a half ormore. Were this to happen, he would be deprived of the right to work, toattend university, and to earn an income, all the while knowing that, even shouldhe be acquitted, he will be deported from Canada.

For those of us resisting the criminalization of dissent, all of the G20 accused deserveour support, including our financial contributions. But Hussan?s case is uniqueand especially urgent, as he must fight complex legal battles involving boththe criminal justice and immigration systems. We are appealing to allsocial justice supporters to help prevent these two levels of government fromdepriving a dedicated community organizer of basic human rights. It isimperative that we do not allow precarious status in Canada to be used as ameans of political punishment. Not only would this be a blow to Hussan; itwould also send an ominous message to all activists without status. For thesereasons Hussan and his supporters are committed to ensuring he gets top-notchlegal representation. But none of this comes cheap. Before all the dustsettles, Hussan?s legal costs could eclipse $60,000.

That is where people like us come in. One of the indispensable things we can doright now is to support crucial fundraising efforts on behalf of Hussan and theother community organizers facing G20 related charges.

Yours in solidarity,
David McNally