Canada rejects request from George Galloway to enter country

by mudricky | March 20, 2009 at 04:49 am

746 views | 68 Recommendations | 17 comments

Canada will not allow the outspoken MP George Galloway to enter the country.

The Scotsman says he will fight to be allowed to attent a really speach in Toronto on 30th March.

The reasons border officials won't allow him in is because of this views on Afghanistan and the presence of Canadian troops there.

Canadian rules say he will be allowed in only if he has a special permit from immigration minister Jason Kenney but if he attempts to pass border control will be refused to continue.

Normally Brits do not need a visa to visit Canada.

A spokeperson for Mr Kenney to the Sun newspaper said: “George Galloway is not getting a permit — end of story. He defends the very terrorists trying to kill Canadian forces in Afghanistan.”

Outspoken anti-war MP George Galloway will vigorously resist any attempts to ban him from Canada, a spokesman said.

He pledged to use "all means at our disposal" to fight a ban following a newspaper report that the Respect party MP will be turned away if he attempts to enter the country, where he is due to give a speech in Toronto on March 30.

The Sun said border security officials had declared Mr Galloway, 54, "inadmissible" because of his views on Afghanistan and the presence of Canadian troops there.

The paper said the Canadian High Commission was contacting Mr Galloway's office on Thursday night, but the spokesman said no calls or messages had been received.

Mr Galloway's staff are now awaiting "formal contact" from the Canadian authorities, he added, having left messages to try to clarify the situation.

The spokesman said: "We imagine there is at least something to the story because the political editor of The Sun does not write these things without there being something behind them, but for now there is no truth in this.

"We will resist it vigorously by all means at our disposal because this is refusing access to an elected politician on the grounds of their views."

Mr Galloway, MP for Bethnal Green and Bow, is due to speak at a public forum entitled Resisting war from Gaza to Kandahar, hosted by Toronto Coalition to Stop the War later this month. He is also due to speak at a second public forum in Mississauga, just south of Toronto, on March 31.

His proposed visit prompted the Jewish Defence League of Canada to write an open letter to the country's government urging it to do "everything possible to keep this hater away".

In 2006, Mr Galloway was refused entry to Egypt on the grounds of national security after he travelled to the country to give evidence at a "mock trial" of former prime minister Tony Blair and ex-US president George W Bush.

Another source is the Sun newspaper

1 See all footage | View Slideshow

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

recommend This comment thread is now closed

sara star

at 05:55 on March 20th, 2009

Is he well received in the UK? Well he has guts, give him that much.

I was going to add a brief bio on him here, but that is impossible, it goes on for pages.... a lot of controversial causes, from Saddam Huisen, to Bush, hoisted out of being talk show host, to oil for food...list goes on. First I heard of him though.

mudricky

at 06:08 on March 20th, 2009

His views can be a bit extreme and a lot of people don't think a lot of him.

He was became well known mostly in Scotland as a Labour MP for the Glasgow area of Scotland.

After a couple of visits Iraq and meeting Saddam Hussein he became known all around the UK because of visiting Saddam again in 2003 during the America invasion.

Labour suspended his later then year because of his personal views.

amyjudd

at 07:30 on March 20th, 2009

Canada is really stepping up to the plate here, they ususally don't do this kind of thing, but that is such a touchy subject here so I'm sure that they won't back down on it.

James Wilkes (not verified)

at 07:38 on March 20th, 2009

911 was a hoax. You better do your home work.....get over it....Canada has no business in Afganistan other than to help secure the poppy fields.

hussain

at 08:21 on March 20th, 2009

Has Mr Galloway no human rights?

Mamnur Rahman (not verified)

at 11:45 on March 20th, 2009

Dont be a hypocrite. When Feert Wilders was banned from entering UK, u shouted 'freedom of expression'. Freedom of speech and so forth. Does that not apply to G. Galloway?

Wilders is openly an Islamophobe; wanting to ban Quran and Muslims from entering western countries. He should be allowed 'freedom of expression' and not Galloway. Galloway does not give hate speech fyi, try to listen to his interviews. He has guts and he speaks the truth.

Barbara McPherson

at 17:58 on March 20th, 2009

I don't know this person either, but as long as he isn't preaching hate against any groups then he should be allowed his opinion no matter how strongly we may disagree.

djsblack

at 18:57 on March 20th, 2009

What's good for the goose should be good for the gander, no?

From the article:

"In 2006, Mr Galloway was refused entry to Egypt on the grounds of national security after he travelled to the country to give evidence at a "mock trial" of former prime minister Tony Blair and ex-US president George W Bush."

Barry Artiste

at 08:00 on March 21st, 2009

Whackjobs are everywhere

albertacowpoke

at 09:59 on March 21st, 2009

Lol you need some of them too to make the world go round.

albertacowpoke

at 09:30 on March 21st, 2009

moonwolfe although I agree with your issue on freedom and speech, I don.t think the hate smear against our Government is appropriate. Not all of us prescribe to the far left agenda of the NDP.

thinktank

at 13:33 on March 23rd, 2009

Speak the truth Mr. Galloway... sooner or later the truth always rises to the surface.. We support you, and free speech.

one of many

Joe Mama (not verified)

at 13:14 on March 24th, 2009

He wasn't banned for his views. He's spoken here many times. He was banned for giving material aid, like this wad of cash, to Hamassholes:

http://littlegreenfootballs.com/weblog/pictures/20090310GallowayHamasMoney-sm.jpg

If it weren't for this sort of thing, I'd be right behind you screaming at my goverment. But...a picture is worth a thousand mortars.

Joe Mama (not verified)

at 09:32 on March 25th, 2009

Here is Galloway's quote from that picture I linked above:

“I personally am about to break the sanctions on the elected government of <?xml:namespace prefix = st1 />Palestine….This is not charity. This is politics.”

yuls.source

at 11:39 on March 30th, 2009

UPDATE -- March 30th, 2009

Controversial British MP George Galloway has been denied entry into Canada by a federal court judge.

Justice Luc Martineau ruled today the Canada Border Service Agency did not err in its decision to prevent Galloway, who the federal government accuses of being a terrorist sympathizer, from engaging in a four-city speaking tour. The decision means Galloway will not be appearing in person to give an anti-war speech this evening in Toronto.

ectomorfo

at 04:13 on April 30th, 2009

This nonsensical decision backfired very badly on the neo-cons, generating the kind of public interest in the Viva Palestina campaign that could previously only have been dreamt about.

Thanks to the Harper government, plans are now afoot for further humanitarian aid convoys to Gaza.

Mrsmission4

at 04:30 on April 30th, 2009

Mr Galloway is hilarious.....he has the amazing ability to make lots of people squirm! Whether one agrees or disagrees with him denying him the right to speak is just foolish and actually highlights him.