Friday, 23 May 2008, from 12 to 7pm
Parc de la place de la gare Jean Talon
corner Jean Talon & Parc (Parc metro)

12 to 1:30 Info-presentations, know your rights workshops, videos
1:30 to 2:30 Rally
3:00 to 6pm Info-presentations, know your rights workshops, videos
6:00 Solidarity across Borders Picnic

Download flyers here.

The Coalition Justice for Adil Charkaoui presents the "People's Camp", which will take place on Friday, 23 May in the working class, immigrant neighbourhood of Parc Extension. The half-day, multi-media info-fair is organized in solidarity with the five security certificate detainees - Hassan Almrei (coming up to seven years in prison), Adil Charkaoui, Mohamed Harkat, Mahmoud Jaballah, Mohammad Mahjoub - and their families. Consisting of art displays, info-tables, videos, a mini-workshop series and a speak-out, the People's Camp will arm people with knowledge about immigration 'security' measures, racial profiling and how to fight them.

Building on the precedent of the People's Commission, the aim of the People's Camp is to BREAK THE FEAR AND ISOLATION surrounding those labelled by profiling measures like the "security certificate" and to encourage SOLIDARITY AND SELF-ORGANIZING against Islamophobia and racism.

This will be the first in a series of People's Camps taking place in different Montreal neighbourhoods throughout the summer.

PROGRAMME

OUTSIDE
*Mini-workshops move to Tent 2 in case of rain; rally remains outside in all cases.

12:00 Basic intro: what is a security certificate
12:15 "New" law and special advocate
12:30 Collective punishment? Impact on the family
12:45 Surveillance, house arrest and indefinite detention
1:00 Canadian complicity in torture

1:30 RALLY: No to C-3. BREAK THE SILENCE/END THE FEAR

3:00  Basic intro: what is a security certificate
3:15 "New" law and special advocate
3:30 Surveillance, house arrest and indefinite detention
3:45 Collective punishment? Impact on the family
4:00 Beyond security certificates: case of Ivan Sancho (Ion Etxebarria, Freedom for Ivan Committee)
4:15 Canadian complicity in torture
4:30 Beyond security certificates: "security delayed" (Mostafa Henaway)
5:00 Context: A brief history of Canadian immigration policies (Accommodate this!) (TBC)
5:30 Political context: Bill C-50 (Roderick Carreon, SIKLAB-Canada, national chairperson)

6:00 PICNIC (organized by Solidarity Across Borders)

TENT 1: Organize!

Workshops
- Working with media
- Building a campaign
- Organizing ourselves (discussion facilitated by Sarwat Viqar)

TENT 2: (in)Security certificates & Immigration "Security" Measures

Interactive play: Kafka or Canada

Videos (continuous loop):
- Secret Canada, by Lillian Boctor
- Selections from People's Commission testimonies
- Sécurité pour l'un, Torture pour l'autre, by Elsa Lambert

TENT 3: Racial profiling and Islamophobia

Workshops (schedule tba):
-Know your rights (CAIR-CAN)
-Global apartheid slideshow (No one is illegal))

Videos (continous loop):
- Outlawed: Extraordinary Rendition, Torture and Disappearances in the War on Terror, by Rebecca Lichtenfeld
-Threadbare, by Arshad Khan

GET INVOLVED

Please consider contributing to the People's Camp through visual displays, presentations, theatre, music or other creative means. Get in touch with us at justiceforadil@riseup.net or 514 848 7583 with your proposals.

Please also inform your networks about this public education project and encourage them to come out to the People's Camp or volunteer: pass this message on to your contacts; post it on your websites; distribute flyers and posters (available from us or download here).

SUPPORT THE PEOPLE'S CAMP

• Endorse. If your organization would like to endorse the People's Camp, please send the name of your group to justiceforadil@riseup.net. This will be very helpful in building support for the project.

• Material support. If you have tents, televisions, tables, chairs and other supplies, please consider lending them for the day. We will also need the use of a van for transportation. Call 514 222 0205 if you can help out with any of this.

• Donations of money and food. Though we will try to borrow many materials from other community members, there will certainly be costs and donations will be hugely appreciated: checks can be made to "Coalition Justice pour Adil" and sent to 1984 Le Ber, Montreal QC, H3K 2A7. Food donations are also very welcome: please get in touch with solidaritesansfrontieres@gmail.com or 514 848 7583.