VANCOUVER - Rally and march organized by No One is Illegal calling for the immediate release of detained Tamil asylum seekers and an end to racist and restrictive Canadian immigration policies. Similar events were held in Victoria and other communities across the country.

From the No One is Illegal press release:

Surviving a dangerous journey, 500 Tamil refugees, including women and
children, arrived in  BC after fleeing war and persecution in Sri Lanka.
When the ship first neared Esquimault, territories of the Songhees First
Nation, it was immediately boarded by the Armed Forces, Border Services,
and RCMP. Families are now being separated, with many children being taken
by the Ministry of Child and Family Development. The refugees now face the
threat of incarceration and eventual deportation.

Canadian government officials and media outlets are perpetuating false and
dehumanizing stereotypes of 'illegals', 'terrorists', and so-called
queue-jumpers. The earlier arrival of 76 Tamil migrants on Ocean Lady was
similarly sensationalized. This deliberately created hysteria appeals to
prejudices of refugees as undesirable. Well-known neo-Nazis, like Paul
Fromm and the Aryan Guard, also known as the Canada First Immigration
Reform Committee, are openly organizing rallies for the ship to be sent
back.

This fear-mongering is just another tactic used to disguise the racist
policies that define Canada's immigration and refugee system. The Canadian
government was recently forced to apologize for its "keep Canada white"
measures, such as the Komagata Maru incident. Yet Minister of Censorship
and Deportation Jason Kenney continues to increase detentions and
deportation of refugees and undocumented migrants, while bringing in more
temporary exploitable migrant labour. Public Safety Minister Vic Toews
recently declared that Cabinet is drafting new policies to clamp down on
migrants and "make this country less welcoming for future shipments of
human cargo."

No One is Illegal-Vancouver asserts the basic human right to safety,
mobility, and protection. It is well known that Tamils in Sri Lanka are
fleeing military atrocities and mass displacement. The only crime the
migrants have committed is transgressing this imposed settler-colonial
border.  We encourage you to join us in rejecting repressive, racist, and
exclusionary ideologies and policies, and instead encourage compassion,
solidarity, respect for life, and justice for all refugees. Release
Detained Asylum-Seekers! Let the Boat Stay! Status for All!