This article, by Liam Lahey, was published in The Parkdale-Liberty Villager, July 15, 2008
With news U.S. Army deserter Robin Long would be deported to the U.S. to face a court martial on July 15, some of the Parkdale-based American war resisters expressed equal amounts of fear and anger at the Federal Court of Canada's precedent-setting decision.
Long, 23, was told recently by the court he would be deported to face a military court martial in the U.S. for refusing to fight in the Iraq War. That decision has raised fears Canada has set a precedent that would likely pave the way for other war resisters - nine of whom currently reside in Parkdale - to also be deported.
Dale Landry is wanted by the U.S. Air Force for refusing to fight in Iraq after serving in Afghanistan. Landry spent the night of July 14 in full uniform outside the U.S. Consulate on University Avenue in support of Long. The Parkdale resident, who turned 23 this past week, lives with two other American military personnel in a small apartment.
"We're shocked after all the work that's gone into the campaign, the opinion polls, the people signing our petitions and all of the overwhelming public support, and still (Long's) going to be deported," he said. "It's really underhanded stuff that's going on."
Lee Zaslofski, co-ordinator of the Toronto-based War Resisters Support Campaign, said he's spoken with the 20 known war resisters based in this city and added there is much concern for Long.
"We're very disappointed and somewhat angry," he said. "It seems the Harper government is determined to act as an enforcement arm for the U.S. Pentagon. Robin Long is the first score they've had. The Canadian Border Services Agency will (deport) him when they feel like it and they may have already done it but we don't know. They're likely to do it in such a way as to avoid publicity."
As for Corey Glass, the 25-year-old Parkdale resident and U.S. Army deserter that had received the lion's share of attention after being granted a temporary reprieve by the Federal Court from deportation on July 10, he too expressed deep regret.
Glass spent a morning calling Simcoe North Conservative MP Bruce Stanton who's allegedly supportive of the war resisters' plight in an effort to halt Long's deportation.
"He (Stanton) said he couldn't issue a statement but he's the most supportive Conservative I've seen," he said. "Maybe (the federal government) doesn't understand why we're here and why we're not in our own country fighting this thing. It's because we can't. It's a biased system that's over there and we'd be put in front of a military court not a civilian court."
Glass said he'd continue to push for Parliament to do more than sit atop the June 3 resolution it passed in support of the resisters that Stephen Harper's government is not legally bound to honour.
Meanwhile, Zaslofski vowed the fight would go on. A public rally was planned in front of the Federal Court on Queen Street West and Simcoe Street at noon on July 15.
"We will continue to try to mobilize Canadians," said Zaslofski, "and try to have an impact on this minority government of theirs which is not interested in serving Canadians' wishes and interests but more concerned with serving the interests of another government."
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