Login / RegisterVancouver city council offers Dick Cheney “safe haven”, lawyer says
Through the lens of peace, lawyer Gail Davidson sees unambiguously how much Vancouver city council has changed.
The cofounder of the international group Lawyers Against the War recalled that only eight years ago, in January 2003, Vancouver became the first city in Canada to oppose the war on Iraq. The city took this position due to the passing of a resolution by council, then dominated by the Coalition of Progressive Electors.
The U.S. government, whose leaders at that time were president George W. Bush and vice president Dick Cheney, commenced the invasion of Iraq in March 2003.
Now, according to Davidson, municipal politicians don’t seem interested in maintaining Vancouver’s proud tradition as a “city of peace”.
“The Vision-dominated council appears to be saying that Vancouver is now a safe haven for accused war criminals,” Davidson told the Straight in a phone interview on September 21. “That we will give them a warm welcome, and will actually act to ensure that the law isn’t enforced.”
On September 20, Davidson wrote to Vision Vancouver mayor Gregor Robertson and all the councillors belonging to his party, COPE, and the Non-Partisan Association about her concerns over the scheduled September 26 visit of Cheney to the city.
She asked Robertson and each councillor to make public statements that Cheney, being “a person accused on reasonable grounds of torture and other war crimes and crimes against humanity”, is not welcome in Vancouver.
Davidson also wanted them to acknowledge that Canada is duty-bound not to protect Cheney from prosecution. She likewise suggested that Robertson direct the police to arrest Cheney.
As of the morning of September 21, Davidson had yet to hear from Robertson and any of the councillors.
“When our politicians at the municipal level and up to the federal level are saying, ‘Oh, we’re not going to bother even answering your request, we’re going to shield these people from accountability,’ that’s alarming because it signals a very fundamental breakdown of the system that we rely on,” Davidson said.
Robertson’s assistant Kevin Quinlan informed the Straight on September 20 that the mayor isn’t going to ask police chief Jim Chu to arrest Cheney.
Neither the mayor or a single member of council has responded to date.
I urge everyone to protest this visit Monday Sept. 26th at the 'Vancouver Club' 915 W. Hastings. And let's flood the police switchboard - if our mayor and council won't call the police to uphold the law, I will.
First things first. In between backyard chicken coops, and front yard wheat fields, how about Mayor Moonbeam put a few (a few hundred would do nice) rioters in jail first? He is Chair of the Police Board, after all.
Only then could he think about Cheney.
Opposing a war is one thing. Saying Dick Cheney's a "war criminal" when he's never been tried is a whole 'nother.
I loathe the guy and yet I see it as unreasonable to have tossed about the idea of arresting him.
Welcome to the western dichotomy, man.
And who's behind Davidson and her attempts? One person does not a movement make. Nice try.
That arrest warrant you're lookin' for is in aisle 7, next to pipe-dreams and unicorns. Good luck with that.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CWh077_Ed3w
Cheney belongs in the Hague, Vancouver will be tarnished by his visit. And we need to remember is that there is no such thing as selective justice, or partial dignity. If we don't have them in completeness, then we don't have them at all! and that's one more thing that should be changed.
"First things first. In between backyard chicken coops, and front yard wheat fields, how about Mayor Moonbeam put a few (a few hundred would do nice) rioters in jail first? He is Chair of the Police Board, after all."
Can you please learn the roles and responsibilities of government officials before making it up as you go along ?
The Chair of the PB has no police powers (anymore than any other citizen).
You want charges ? Talk to the Crown. That is, if you know what the Crown is, and what it does.
You make as much sense as Premier Clark going on about swift justice - other than fund the provincial court system properly, she cant make charges appear either.
Welcome to the Fatherland! Oops, I meant Homeland!