Anti-war British Parliament Member denied admission to Canada
2009-03-21 06:37:07
OTTAWA, March 20 (Xinhua) -- British Parliament Member George Galloway, well-known for his anti-war stance, has been denied admission to Canada to speak at a Toronto anti-war conference, local media reported Friday.
Galloway was to speak at a March 30 conference called Resisting War from Gaza to Kandahar, an event being put on by the Toronto Coalition to Stop the War. He was then to go on an American tour.
A spokesman for Canada's Immigration Minister Jason Kenney said Canada does not welcome Galloway.
Galloway issued a statement saying "this idiotic ban shames Canada." He called it "a very sad day for the Canada we have known and loved.
"All right-thinking Canadians, whether they agree with me over the wisdom of sending troops to Afghanistan or not, will oppose this outrageous decision," he said. "On a personal note, for a Scotsman to be barred from Canada is like being told to stay away from the family home."
Galloway has been an outspoken opponent of the U.S. invasion and occupation of Iraq. He was expelled by the British Labor party in 2003 for his stance, but he won re-election in 2005 under his Respect party banner.
He also helped lead an aid convoy into the Gaza Strip after Israel's incursion there earlier this winter to take on Hamas fighters who had been launching rockets into Israel.
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