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Philippines-Canada Task Force on Human Rights
Press Release
11 July 2007
CANADIANS MOBILIZE FOR HUMAN RIGHTS IN THE PHILIPPINES, CALL FOR THE SCRAPPING OF THE NEW ANTI-TERROR LAW
July 11, 2007
On July 6, 2007 in a groundswell of support in three major cities across Canada, Filipinos and Canadians took to the streets and communities to call for an end to gross human rights violations in the Philippines.
As part of the National Day of Action for Human Rights in the Philippines, over 100 people across the country supported the call to stop state-sponsored terrorism in the Philippines and an end to Philippine President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s “dirty war” against opposition to her regime. Protesters also called on the Canadian government to stop aid to the Arroyo regime and to instead re-direct its aid to human rights organizations striving to promote human rights and democracy in the Philippines.
The actions took a particular focus on the pending anti-terror law, the Human Security Act (HSA), which will take effect in the Philippines on July 15. Progressive organizations and individuals in the Philippines are warning that such a repressive piece of legislation will legitimize the mechanisms of state-sponsored terrorism.
Since Arroyo came to power in 2001, Karapatan (Alliance for the Advancement of People’s Rights) has documented 869 extra-judicial killings, 180 enforced disappearances and thousands more forcibly displaced by increasing militarization of communities. This campaign of state terror is under the framework of the U.S.-led imperialist “war on terror” and the Arroyo regime’s counter-insurgency program, Oplan Bantay Laya (Operation Freedom Watch).
In Toronto, people handed out information leaflets in neighborhoods with high concentrations of Filipinos to raise awareness about the problematic HSA and the need for support from Filipinos and people in Canada.
In Montreal, protesters distributed leaflets in the heart of a well-known Filipino and immigrant neighborhood, encouraging the Filipino community to participate in the campaign for genuine human rights in the Philippines. The Montreal action also drew attention to the historic verdict of the Permanent Peoples’ Tribunal: Second Session on the Philippines (PPT) which found both Arroyo and U.S. President George W. Bush, Jr. and their respective governments responsible for gross and systematic violations of human rights, economic plunder and transgression of the Filipino people’s sovereignty.
In Vancouver, protesters rallied outside the downtown offices of the Philippine Consul General. The action featured speakers from the Filipino community and organizations such as the Hospital Employees Union, Bus Riders’ Union, and the Association of Chinese Canadians for Equality and Solidarity Society who came out to support the action. A street theatre piece highlighting the potential threat Arroyo's new HSA will have on human rights drew attention and support from passers-by and onlookers who stopped to sign petition letters addressed to the Canadian government. Protesters distributed 200 copies of the national statement. Early in the day, a delegation from the Philippines-Canada Task Force on Human Rights hand delivered a letter to the Philippine Consul General urging the office to meet with concerned Filipinos and Canadians about the deteriorating state of human rights and democracy in the Philippines.
The successful Canadian National Day of Action for Human Rights in the Philippines was part of the continuing efforts of overseas Filipino and Canadians to answer the Filipino people’s urgent call for support and solidarity.
The Philippines-Canada Task Force on Human Rights plans to mark September in the Fall of 2007 as a “Month of Solidarity with the Filipino People”. The national formation is planning various activities, actions, and lobbying efforts throughout the month.
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For photos of the July 6 Canadian National Day of Action for Human Rights in the Philippines, see attached.
For more photos of the action in Vancouver, please visit: http://kalayaancentre.net/assets/images/photos/2007/vancouver_natlday_july6_07.htm
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