National Days of Action Against Islamophobia & Deportations

We are tired.

The war waged against Muslims and refugees worldwide has reached its boiling point with Trump’s Presidency.  These xenophobic, anti-Black, Islamophobic, anti-refugee racist, sexist, homophobic and transphobic policies have come to fruition. Walls and bans against Muslims and Refugees on stolen Indigenous lands. We affirm our solidarity with Indigenous nations whose lands we reside on.  

Somalia, Sudan, Syria, Iraq, Iran, Libya and Yemen.  The geographies of our birth place that put targets on our heads. Families separated, refugees, asylum seekers and immigrants deported and detained,  trapped in between borders or taken back - our communities are being terrorized by white supremacist violence and domination.  Our movement is confronted by racist white nationalism, our lives are devastated in constant fear. We flee war, persecution, mass poverty in search for life – instead we get a fatal sentence for our faith.

Enough is Enough.

On January 29th, in Quebec City  a group of Muslims were praying in a  mosque at the Quebec Islamic Cultural Centre when one gunmen came in and rang shots throughout this place of worship. Six have died, even more are injured. We mourn their lives.

Last summer during the holy month of Ramadan, a pig’s head was left at the doorstep. The president of the cultural centre hoped the event was an isolated incident, and responded with nothing but love and respect to the Centre’s neighbours.

Colonial borders are imaginary constructs.

The white supremacist hatred of Muslims and refugees from all intersections world wide is the colonizing force that fuels the identity and economy of America just as much as Canada. Trump’s power is extended to Trudeau’s. The institutional and systemic Islamophobic, anti-Black and racist policies  that are killing us at the border, in the streets, in our homes, at work and in our mosques are one.  

We are under attack on all fronts, especially those of us who live in the intersections of Blackness and Muslimness and are Refugees who are the first to be silenced, ignored or forgotten.

Not another life. Not another mass murder.

Our resistance does not stop here. Now more than ever we must organize. This is a national call to action to plan demonstrations in your cities, Canada wide.  Join us, as we rise up!

NATIONAL ACTION DETAILS

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1awOa4tymbc-ZxNmv5AfknvR9KQl44Fty0ixFZ3XZqSk/edit

OUR DEMANDS:

1) The Canadian government must make an immediate public condemnation of the executive order by President Trump that bans Muslim visa-holders from seven countries and also bans all refugees from entering the US.

2) Canada must immediately open the Canada-USA border and grant permanent, not temporary, status.

This includes revocation of the Safe Third Country Agreement which bars most refugee claimants entering from the United States over land to claim asylum in Canada. The Designated Country of Origin list, which makes it almost impossible for US citizens and citizens of forty other countries to claim asylum in Canada, must be eliminated.

3) Canada must end racist, anti-refugee, anti-Black, Islamophobic exclusion of migrants and refugees within this colonial border.

This includes ending the system of indefinite immigration detention. The federal government must create a regularization program so that all undocumented residents can live here with their families rather than fear mass deportation. Migrant workers in Canada must also be given permanent status and open work permits. We want real, not symbolic, Sanctuaries that guarantee access to services and refuse collaboration with Canadian and American border agents.

4) Canada must rescind all federal legislation that attacks racialized Black and Brown Muslims and refugees, including the Zero Tolerance for Barbaric Cultural Practices Act as well as anti-terror legislation such as Security Certificates and Bill C51.

Statement Issued By:

Statement initiated by Black Lives Matter - Toronto with the support of:

Anti-Fascist Action Calgary

Black Lives Matter -Vancouver

Coalition Against Bigotry - Pacific

Idle No More

Justicia for Migrant Workers

Kashmir Solidarity Group - Toronto

No One Is Illegal - London, Ontario

No One Is Illegal - Toronto

No One Is Illegal -Vancouver Coast Salish territories

People for Peace - London, Ontario

Refugees Welcome - Victoria/Lekwungen territory

Salaam -Vancouver: Queer Muslim Community

Siraat Muslim Collective - Vancouver

Tamil Freedom Coalition

Trikone - Vancouver

Additional Endorsing Organizations:

Actions for Palestine

Afghans United for Justice

Africa Great Lakes Networking Foundation

Amnesty International at York (AIY)

ALBA Movements Canada

Anakbayan Toronto

Anti-Oppression group at Emmanuel College University of Toronto

Anti-Colonial Committee of the Law Union of Ontario

Anti-Racist Organizing Committee Saskatoon

Asian Canadian Labour Alliance

BDS Action Calgary

Bosnian North American Women’s Association

Brock University Students' Union Advocacy Department

Canadian Arab Federation

Canadian Federation of Students

Canadian Friends of Kurdistan

Canadian Journalists for Free Expression

Canadian Union of Postal Workers - Syndicat des travailleurs et travailleuses

Canadian Unitarians for Social Justice

Central Toronto Youth Services

Centre for Women’s Studies in Education (OISE)

Children Space Theatre

Chinatown Action Group

Chinese Canadian National Council Toronto Chapter

Church of St Stephen-in-the-Fields

Coalition Against Israel Apartheid

Colour Connected Against Racism (UBC)

Common Frontiers

Communist Party of Canada

Communist Party of Canada - Parkdale Club

Cooper Institute - PEI

Council of Canadians

Critical Muslim Voices

CUPE - Ontario

CUPE 1281

CUPE 3902 Flying Squad

CUPE 3902 Racialized Members Caucus

CUPE 3903 First Nations Solidarity Working Group

CUPE 3903 Flying Squad

CUPE 5167 Outside Working Group

Dalla Lana School of Public Health Students' Association

Decolonize Now

Degenerettes Toronto

Diversity Solutions

Divest MTA

Downtown Legal Services

East Enders Against Racism (Toronto)

East Toronto Families for Syria

Elementary Teachers' Federation of Ontario

Gays Against Gentrification (GAG) - Vancouver

Greenpeace Canada

Harvest Noon Co-op

Health Providers Against Poverty - Toronto

hua foundation

International Anti-Zionist Network-Canada

Independent Jewish Voices - Canada

Independent Jewish Voices - Toronto

Independent Jewish Voices - Vancouver

International Socialists

Intersex Nonbinary and Transgender Action Coalition of Toronto

Islamic Society of York Region

Fightback

Fight for $15 and Fairness

Fossil Free Guelph

Friends of Kashmir, Canada

Friendzone Collective

Khalsa Aid

Latin American and Caribbean Solidarity Network

Laurier OPIRG

Leadnow

OHIP for All

Organization for World Peace, York University Division

Ontario Council of Hospital Unions

Ontario Federation of Labour

Ontario Humanist Society

OPIRG Toronto

OPSEU 551

OPSEU Local 586

PhD of Environmental Studies Students Association, York University

Pro-Kurds United

Project World Recovery

Put Food in the Budget! Campaign

Mining Injustice Solidarity Network

Mujer

Muslim Women’s Collective - Brampton

NDP Socialist Caucus

Network of Women with Disabilities

No More Silence

Radical Access Mapping Project

Rainbow Refugee

Renters Action Movement - RAM - Calgary

Revolutionary Student Movement - Toronto

Revolutionary Student Movement - York University

Rising Tide Toronto

Rhythms of Resistance

Samidoun: Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network

Sanctuary Health - Vancouver

Saskatchewan Coalition Against Racism

School of Labour at George Brown College

School of Social Play

Sher Vancouver: LGBTQ South Asians and Friends

Showing up for Racial Justice (SURJ) - Toronto

SlutWalk Toronto

Springtide Resources

Socialist Action

Social Justice Centre at Kwantlen Polytechnic University

Solidarity Ottawa

Spring Tide Resources

Stop C-51: Toronto

Stop Demovictions Burnaby

Stop the JNF-Canada

Studio Jaywall

Taggart Law

Tamil Archive Project

Tamil Studies York

The Leap

Toronto Anarchist Reading Group

Toronto and York Region Labour Council

Toronto Feminist Collective

Toronto New Socialists

Toronto Seed Library

Toronto Street Medics

Toronto Students for Justice in Palestine

Toronto Women’s City Alliance

Unifor National

United Jewish People's Order - Toronto

University of British Columbia Tandem Language Learning Program

University of Toronto Feminist Law Students Association

University of Toronto Mississauga Students' Union

Upping the Anti: a journal of theory and action

V-Day Guelph

VOICES - Calgary Coalition of POC’s

Women's Human Rights Education Institute

Women Together Ending Poverty - Calgary

World University Service Center of Canada- York Keele

Workers' Action Centre

York Graduate Program in Political Science Student's Association

York Federation of Students

York University Faculty Association

Youth Communist League