update on the George Galloway fiasco

Federal appeals court judge, Justice Luc Martineau, said he will issue a ruling on whether or not Galloway should be allowed into Canada by 2:00 pm Monday. Martineau oversaw the hearing held in Toronto from his Ottawa office via video conference. Until then if Galloway were to show up and try to enter, the judge warned “it would be an automatic detention.”

In a letter given to him on March 20th, Ottawa accused Galloway of being a member of a terrorist organization, Hamas, despite the fact they represented the people of Gaza, because he handed them some 1.5 million pounds of humanitarian aid.

The outspoken MP's lawyer argued just that.

“Gaza was under siege, they were very much in need of aid,” Jackman told the judge. And she noted that Israeli officials had let the MP into Gaza.

Stephen Gold, the lawyer representing Canada, argued the judge shouldn't put out any ruling because Galloway has not yet been barred. Sure, no one has physically blocked him from entering, and perhaps the conservative government is looking for such a confrontation, it would produce a great photo-op and no doubt please their friends.

The judge doesn't seem to be buying Gold's argument.

“I am relying on pure hearsay evidence” that Galloway in fact brought aid to Gaza. “I have no firsthand affidavit evidence on the allegations that have been levelled,” he said.

“Has there been any evidence or ruling or determination of the nature . . . which make it a concluding finding of fact that the applicant has been engaged in terrorism?” he asked Gold. “All the evidence that I have, including yours, is mostly hearsay.”

Even convicted felon, Conrad Black, has come out in favour of letting Galloway speak in Canada. Of course, he does it while accusing him of being just shy of the anti-christ, but hey, I would probably be a miserable asshole too if I were sitting in some jail. And you would think Connie would have learned from his past smear attempt.