Amy Goodman, APR, detained at Canadian Border

by Karl Gotthardt - albertacowpoke | November 27, 2009 at 04:18 am

1431 views | 103 Recommendations | 26 comments

Is there oversensitivity about bad coverage of the Vancouver 2010 Olympics, or was this just an overzealous border guard? It certainly feeds the perception that free speech has gone in the tank when it comes to the Vancouver games. This story smells of limiting free speech.

Amy Goodman, an award winning journalist with American Public Radio, host of the show Democracy now, was stopped at the Canadian Border crossing at Blaine, WA. This is a major border crossing between WA and B.C.

According to Amy Goodman, she was coming to Canada to promote her book on Health Care and she was going to do some research on Tommy Douglas. Tommy Douglas is hailed as the Father of Canadian Health Care.

The vehicle was stopped around 6:00 pm PST and she was asked what she will be talking about. When Amy Goodman told the officer of the reason for her visit, he kept asking her what she was going to say about the Olympics.

This is an alarming development, especially with the response received so far by the Canadian Border Services Agency.

A spokeswoman with the Canada Border Services Agency said anyone entering Canada may be stopped at the border for questioning.

Faith St. John would not comment on Goodman’s case specifically, citing privacy concerns, but said there are many reasons that a person may be detained while coming into Canada.

“It’s not an accusation of a wrongdoing,” she said.

An outspoken, award-winning U.S. journalist says she and her producers were detained and interrogated for more than an hour Wednesday at a Canadian border crossing because border agents were afraid she was coming into the country to criticize the 2010 Olympic Winter Games.

Amy Goodman, the host of an American public radio show called Democracy Now, said the agents did not believe her when she explained that she was visiting Canada to promote her a new book about health care, global warming, the economic meltdown and the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Amy on her website reports that she was held at the border for over an hour. Armed Border guards banged on her vehicle and scanned their laptops. Amy was scheduled to speak at the Vancouver Public Library for a benefit show of several local radio stations. Coincidence or Standard Operating Procedure?

While traveling to Vancouver, BC, Canada on Weds., Nov. 25th, to speak at the Vancouver Public Library at a benefit for community radio stations, Amy Goodman and her two colleagues were detained by Canadian authorities. Amy was questioned extensively about the speech she intended to give; their car was gone through by armed border guards, and their papers and laptop computers were scoured. They were detained for well over an hour, and were made an hour late for the event at the Vancouver Public Library.

Amy Goodman was eventually permitted to enter Canada and her passport was returned. The passport came with a document though that demanded that she leave Canada within 48 hours. This is highly unusual for an American citizen. One can only scratch his head over that directive.

The border guard kept asking her about the Olympics as well. He seemed preoccupied with it.

Goodman says Canadian Border Services Agency officials ultimately allowed her to enter Canada but returned her passport with a document demanding she leave the country within 48 hours.

After much questioning, Goodman said the officials finally asked if she would be speaking about the 2010 Olympics.

"He made it clear by saying, 'What about the Olympics?'" said Goodman. "And I said, 'You mean when President Obama went to Copenhagen to push for the Olympics in Chicago?'"

"He said, 'No. I am talking about the Olympics here in 2010.' I said, 'Oh I hadn't thought of that,'" said Goodman.

"He said, 'You're saying you're not talking about the Olympics?'"

"He was clearly incredulous that I wasn't going to be talking about the Olympics. He didn't believe me," Goodman said.

3 See all footage | View Slideshow

Share: email story | add to any | | facebook | stumbleupon

recommend Sign In or Join to post comments

Uwe Paschen

at 04:56 on November 27th, 2009

This seems to have become a trend in North America.

It is not an isolated incident nor an oversight.

Karl Gotthardt - albertacowpoke

at 05:00 on November 27th, 2009

It is certainly alarming. I hope they look into it. Good job for the CBC and CTV investigative journals, W5 and the Fifth estate.

Jordan Yerman

at 07:08 on November 27th, 2009

I can't be expected to believe that she wasn't singled out. No way that was random.

Karl Gotthardt - albertacowpoke

at 07:43 on November 27th, 2009

I just hope the Feds were not complicit in this. Nothing surprises me anymore.

The_Cynic

at 07:39 on November 27th, 2009

To be honest I am a bit confused.

What is the problem with the Vancouver games?

Karl Gotthardt - albertacowpoke

at 07:51 on November 27th, 2009

They're worried about bad publicity. Some of the Vancouverites could throw a better light on this. I think there have been some issues with demonstrators as well?

marianmo

at 08:03 on November 27th, 2009

the costs of the games are enormous, programs and services have been cut due to the costs of the games, tickets cant be gotten to the games unless you are rich or business gurus. apparently the restrictions on demonstrations have been loosened....i ve been stiooed ar the us border while a homeland security type banged the car looking for drugs,,,and i m an old lady.....probably an oerzealous border agent

PeaceFrog

at 08:03 on November 27th, 2009

This had to be partly instigated by US authorities. Democracy Now! is one of the few news outlets that reports stories without regard to whose toes they step on. Amy is a veteran reporter and has endured much more dangerous situations investigating abroad. She is one of the best and the few true investigative journalists left.

PeaceFrog

at 08:09 on November 27th, 2009

There is more to the story. Read today's Democracynow.org Homepage. Their car was searched and so were several computers. This is a severe overreaction to a speech related issue and should be of concern to the NowPublic community. Please update the story.

Karl Gotthardt - albertacowpoke

at 08:10 on November 27th, 2009

Thanks for your comments and contribution marianmo and Peacefrog.

a211423

at 08:14 on November 27th, 2009

She has a news show Demoracy Now on Link TV which is a member supported network every week day and a website, so she will probably be talking about this on Monday. I agree with PeaceFrog, she is not afraid to question and confront the mainstream which she has done many times.

http://www.democracynow.org/

Karl Gotthardt - albertacowpoke

at 08:31 on November 27th, 2009

Thanks for your comments and link a211423.

Karl Gotthardt - albertacowpoke

at 08:33 on November 27th, 2009

Interesting that they even scanned her computer.

While traveling to Vancouver, BC, Canada on Weds., Nov. 25th, to speak at the Vancouver Public Library at a benefit for community radio stations, Amy Goodman and her two colleagues were detained by Canadian authorities. Amy was questioned extensively about the speech she intended to give; their car was gone through by armed border guards, and their papers and laptop computers were scoured. They were detained for well over an hour, and were made an hour late for the event at the Vancouver Public Library.

Amy Judd

at 08:47 on November 27th, 2009

There's definietely a heightened sensitivity to the Olympics here in Vancouver, Beijing had the same issue with pre-coverage to the games. I personally am not surprised that they have some kind of a list of people they are watching, clearly Ms. Goodman was on it.

There hasn't been too many demonstrations though, some by PETA, and some against the games themselves, but none big enough that I have seen or heard about to cause any real alarm.

Karl Gotthardt - albertacowpoke

at 08:56 on November 27th, 2009

Thank you Amy for your comments, it puts it in perspective.

a211423

at 09:07 on November 27th, 2009

At the risk of bringing up conspiracy theories that I know suffer from credibility because of their ubiquity. But it is not ouside the realm of possibility that she and her staff have been followed and eavesdropped on using various methods to determine where she is going and her agenda in the Pacific Northwest.

Apparently, Canadian authorities were informed by someone that she was going there and suggested possible scenarios for her visit.

She will be traveling to Cophenhagen in two weeks, so her talk could be focused on issues in Canada like the Alberta oil sands or any number of environmental topics. Neomie Klein also is an outspoken environmentalist who spoke of this last week in a special on Democracy Now last week.

Karl Gotthardt - albertacowpoke

at 09:18 on November 27th, 2009

The Canadian Border Services Agency will have to explain itself.

Barbara McPherson

at 09:40 on November 27th, 2009

This makes me think that B.C. stands for "Backward Country". If their aim was to get bad publicity for the Olympics they couldn't have picked a better target.

Karl Gotthardt - albertacowpoke

at 09:51 on November 27th, 2009

Yep, they will be getting lots of publicity now. Question Period may be interesting to day as well lol

merlingraycat

at 12:23 on November 27th, 2009

Didn't know Canada/B.C. had anything to hide. Seems like they do, if they won't allow a journalist from Public Radio into their country to speak at a library. They really must have something to hide.

utilaeastwind

at 13:05 on November 27th, 2009

It appears that Amy is or has been in trouble with the law.

She was arrested last year at the Republican National Congress with her crew for conspiracy to riot. Here is the link to a video of her arrest from YouTube .

Guilty or not, it seems pretty reasonable for Border Control to be asking questions based on this information.

Karl Gotthardt - albertacowpoke

at 13:07 on November 27th, 2009

That could be a reason. If she was charged and found guilty it would explain the 48 hour restriction in the country. In any case no one is talking here, including the border service.

WorldView (not verified)

at 23:03 on December 9th, 2009

Quotes from utilaeastwind -

"It appears that Amy is or has been in trouble with the law.

She was arrested last year at the Republican National Congress with her crew for conspiracy to riot. Here is the link to a video of her arrest from YouTube .

Guilty or not, it seems pretty reasonable for Border Control to be asking questions based on this information."

Trumped up charges in all regards, that anyone with intelligence would see for what they are.

She was there, but in the eyes of the "red squads" she was guilty, convicted by her presence, period.

Barry ORegan

at 16:07 on November 27th, 2009

I am sure there was more to the story than deriding the Olympics. Guaranteed there was, I am sure Canada got a message from the US on her, hence stopping Ms. Information in her tracks.