Canadian visa comes too late for Palestinian activist
March 22 2010 by Liam Clifford
A Palestinian activist who had arranged a three-city speaking tour about Middle East politics has been granted a Canadian visa – but the decision has come too late for him to follow the planned itinerary.
"It is clear I cannot make
it," Mustafa Barghouti said from Ramallah on Friday, having learned of the
decision to grant him a Canadian visa when it was already too late for him to
arrive in time to speak at two of the three events.
Dr. Barghouti is a
physician, independent MP and former presidential candidate for the Palestinian
Authority. He was recently nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize, and was
scheduled to speak on Palestinian politics and peace in the Middle East while in
Toronto, Montreal and Ottawa. His talk at the University of Toronto had sold
out.
Announcing the cancellation of the tour, Canadians for Justice and
Peace in the Middle East, which was to host Dr. Barghouti, was heavily critical
of the delay: "The Harper government's obstruction of Dr. Barghouti's visa is
part of a broader strategy to muzzle or obstruct any voice critical of the
policies of the Israeli government," said a spokesperson.
Dr. Barghouti
declined to criticize the Canadian government, but confirmed that in the past he
was issued a Canada visa within two to three days. In this case, he did
not receive a decision for 14 days.
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