Canada denies British MP entry as threat to national security

Canada's Conservative government has denied British MP, George Galloway, entry to Canada on the grounds he is a threat to national security.

Galloway is a passionate voice for the counter-narrative. He likes to tell the other side of the story about the Middle East.The powers that be in Israel along with that country's backers elsewhere, hate him for it and have even tried to trump up charges, using faked documents purporting to show he was taking oil money from Saddam Hussein.

Lately, Galloway has been defending the people of Gaza and highlighting what he claims are the war crimes of the Israelis. The media and other have labelled him loon, of course. Their case is a bit weaker now that Israeli soldiers have now said they were ordered to shoot civilians as part of God's plan for Israel's manifest destiny.

Jason Kenney is the Canadian immigration minister in. As background, Wikipaedia describes Kenney as "one of the leading supporters in the Canadian House of Commons of the 2003 invasion of Iraq". Clearly not a deep thinker or one who pays much attention to evidence.

Like so many conservatives in recent years, Kenney apparently doesn't really understand democracy, debate, freedom of speech and most of the other critical parts of modern democracy. They are among the first things to get the heave-ho when this sort of conservative wants to impose their views on everyone else.

Galloway is no threat to Canada's national security. But Mr Galloway is very much disliked by Canada's powerful pro-Israel lobby, who also have very deep pockets. Together, the Conservatives and the pro-Israel lobby have shot themselves in the foot yet again by being heavy-handed and resorting to tactics that will endear them to no one who actually understands freedom and democracy.

Canada's government is having a tough time justifying keeping Canadian troops in Afghanistan and I suppose they were afraid Mr. Galloway's forthright views on that subject might erode public support further. That's a political matter. It's not a reason to be banning people who disagree with you and go about it in a peaceful and democratic way.

Canadians used to be outraged by the Americans when they banned prominent Canadian anti-nuke writers like Farley Mowatt from attending conferences in the US. Now it's the Canadian government's turn to be unbelievably stupid.

I've signed this petition in support of allowing George Galloway to come to Canada and engage in the debate about the Middle East.