Friday, January 25th was a national day of support for US G.I. Resisters. Events were held at Canadian Consulates, people were encouraged to sign "Dear Canada" letters, to plan house partiesto screen the film "Breaking Ranks," and show their solidarity in other ways. Vigils and delegations took place in Washington, DC; New York City; Dallas; Los Angeles; Minneapolis; Seattle; and San Francisco List of events. In San Francisco, three dozen people gathered outside of the Canadian Consulate (580 California Street) for a 12pm vigil and press conference leading up to a 1pm delegation. The Raging Grannies sang songs about GI resistance, and participants gave leaflets to passersby. Photos: 1 | 2 | Video: 1 | 2

The January 25th events were meant to underscore that many Americans hope that the Canadian Parliament votes (possibly within a few weeks) in favor of a provision to allow US war resisters to remain in Canada. With most legal appeals exhausted, a political solution would now be necessary in order to avoid deportation of the resisters. In December, Courage to Resist organizers Jeff Paterson and Lori Hurlebaus attended a meeting of the Standing Committee on Citizenship and Immigration of the House of Commons in Ottawa that adopted a motion that was a critical victory for Iraq War resisters seeking sanctuary. It’s now possible that the full House of Commons may soon vote on this resolution.

The War Resisters Support Campaign (Canada) has called for a Canada-wide mobilization for Saturday, January 26th to ensure that deportation proceedings against U.S. war resisters cease immediately, and to support a sanctuary provision. Courage to Resist says, "U.S. servicemembers... are taking a stand against the Iraq war. They should not be deported to face prosecution for following their conscience and upholding international law."

Courage to Resist | Courage to Resist's Canada Campaign