PFEX: URGENT appeal: Help CAF beat Jason Kenney in federal court!

[Mary-Jo Nadeau]

Hi, everyone.

I'm sure you're all familiar with the CAF case against Jason Kenney. It's a very strong case and an extremely important one for the entire Palestine solidarity movement. If you can afford to make any donation at all, please do - especially if you're part of a trade union, student union, community group, etc. Thanks for any help you can offer.

In solidarity,

James Clark

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Please forward widely.

Help CAF beat Jason Kenney in federal court!

An urgent appeal for support. Please make a donation today.

Dear friends,

Over two years ago Minister of Citizenship and Immigration Jason Kenney unilaterally cut funding to the Canadian Arab Federation (CAF) – the national, non-partisan, non-profit organization representing Canadian Arabs – in response to its criticism of the Conservative government's support for the war on Gaza. This is a clear attempt to undermine support for Palestine solidarity, and to punish anyone who expresses it.

It is also part of a broader pattern of attacks by the Conservative government on the Palestine solidarity movement in Canada, which includes the attempt to ban former British MP George Galloway from Canada, funding cuts to KAIROS and Rights and Democracy, the removal of aid for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (which administers health and social programs for Palestinians in nine refugee camps), and the targeting of campus-based Palestine solidarity activity from the Pathways to Peace conference at York University to Israeli Apartheid Week.

CAF is currently fighting a legal battle against Kenney in the federal court, and its case is a strong one. But it urgently needs your financial support to make a victory possible. CAF's legal team is not billing for its work (and hasn't been billing since it took the case), but it currently faces thousands of dollars in unavoidable court costs and associated expenses, which it must pay as soon as they arise. By contrast, the government has countless resources to fight its case – a fleet of full-time lawyers and unlimited access to the mainstream media – whereas CAF must rely on donations from individual supporters.

Please consider making a donation to the CAF case. The George Galloway case – which made legal history in 2010 – owes its success to the generosity of individuals who made donations to support it (read highlights of the case here: http://bit.ly/GallowayRuling). That victory has since made it easier to demonstrate political and financial support for the Palestine solidarity movement. It also represents a victory for free speech in Canada.

We hope to achieve the same results with the CAF case. The government of Canada must never be allowed to use the power of the state to penalize any individual or group that criticizes government policy.

No donation is too big or too small. Please make cheques or money orders payable to Peace and Justice Committee and mail them to:

CAF support

427 Bloor Street West, Box 13

Toronto, Ontario

M5S 1X7

You can also make an online donation to CAF via PayPal: http://bit.ly/SupportCAF. Please indicate in the space provided on PayPal that the donation is for CAF's legal costs.

We are grateful for your ongoing support, and hope that you can respond to our appeal as soon as possible. Thank you for your generosity and solidarity. Together, we can win another victory for Palestine solidarity and free speech in Canada.

Peace and solidarity,

Defend Free Speech Campaign

Web: http://www.defendfreespeech.ca/

Email: defendfreespeech.ca@gmail.com