The Huffington Post 28/07/2016 - It is not a secret that there have been many incidents in Ottawa and Ontario in the past years related to the issue of race and profiling. In our strong desire to be seen as culturally different and more sensitive than the United States, we can't hastily say that race is not an issue in Canada, and particularly in Ottawa. Last year, the Canadian Civil Liberties Association summarized the history of racial profiling and policing. Police accountability has never been a strength on the federal, provincial and local levels. We are still lacking independent civilian bodies that would investigate the actions of law enforcement when such tragic incidents happen. Despite the existence of some institutions like the Ontario Ombudsman, there is a lot to be achieved in that direction to entrench accountability in our system, especially in police forces. Even when race isn't involved, investigations about police forces are still shrouded in secrecy and the public isn't always provided with a full picture. Accountability goes beyond the case of Mr. Abdi. Accountability is the glue that holds together a diverse society with democratic institutions.

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CLC wants Canadian mayors to address use of lethal force and systemic racism in policing

The Ottawa Citizen 25/07/2016 - Champion human rights. National security reform in Canada has never intentionally set out to ensure full compliance with our domestic and international human rights obligations, including the Charter. National security and human rights are mutually reinforcing, not contradictory, goals. Right past wrongs. Many people have experienced serious human rights violations, including torture, in the context of national security cases involving Canadian officials. Canadian responsibility has been confirmed by court rulings and judicial inquiries. Most of the individuals affected remain trapped in protracted court cases seeking redress. The reform process must clean up the past. Take a wide scope. While there has been much focus on C-51, and rightly so, the consultations and eventual reforms must go further. There are numerous other laws, regulations and policies that need attention. Commit to meaningful timing. Will consultations be limited to reacting to a pre-formulated reform proposal? Limited to commenting on a draft bill? If so, the consultations will inevitably take on the character of political debate rather than constructive exchange. Consult widely. One galling dimension of the C-51 debate was that opportunities for input from experts, community groups and even parliamentary officers were curtailed. The government should make it clear that this time the opportunities to take part, particularly for communities most directly affected by counter-terrorism measures, will be wide and meaningful. Ensure transparency. Governments regularly default to holding back information when national security comes up. Canada has an infamous tendency for excessive secrecy around national security, beyond most of our allies. Consultations should begin with a clear commitment to ensuring maximum possible access to information for the public. Be evidence-based. Problems with previous national security reform exercises have been compounded by failing to properly evaluate existing laws and resources to assemble reliable evidence of gaps and needs. The public has been left to trust that proposed measures, some of which infringe human rights, are necessary. Evidence-based policy must be on display in this process of national security reform. It is time to get national security reform underway. The changes needed to address human rights concerns cannot be kept on hold. And the first step this time lies in getting consultations right.

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Trudeau's deafening silence on C-51

New Democrat MP Randall Garrison will table bill to repeal Bill C-51

Ricochet 25/07/2016 - Finalement, après avoir pris connaissance des faits, plutôt que de faire acte de contrition et de reconnaître son erreur, Richard Martineau a utilisé un subtil déflecteur : «La gauche est toute contente que les attentats de Munich ne soient pas le fait d'islamistes! Ils se font des High-five! (sic) Tout juste s'ils ne célèbrent pas! "Yeah, c'est un fou d'extrême droite! Party!"» Le comble. D'une part, la gauche se réjouirait d'une attaque ayant fait 9 morts, dont 3 Kosovars et 3 Turcs? Vraiment, Richard? Et où a-t-on distribué les high-five, question que j'aille distribuer quelques claques en retour? Et, tiens donc, l'homme en question s'abreuvait d'un discours d'extrême droite sauce norvégienne qui identifie l'Islam et le «marxisme culturel» comme des «ennemis». Ça ne vous rappelle pas les propos de ce même Monsieur Martineau? Poussons un peu plus loin : et si Richard tentait ici de braquer le projecteur sur «la gauche» pour éviter que l'on remarque qu'il participe lui-même à la surenchère de droite identitaire qui motive nombre de gestes violents (de l'insulte au massacre) dans nos sociétés? [...] En tout cas, on ne pourra reprocher à Éric Duhaime de ne pas maintenir une certaine cohérence. Lui qui a déjà affirmé, le plus sérieusement du monde, qu'«une information fausse est mieux que pas d'information du tout», il a nous a offert une belle démonstration. Et il y a un nom pour cela, cette attitude à sauter aux conclusions sans avoir d'information, sans même prendre la peine d'attendre qu'elle arrive, pour associer le geste d'un individu à son origine ethnique ou religieuse en entier : le racisme.

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The Independent 24/07/2016 - When first we heard that three armed men had gone on a "shooting spree" in Munich, the German cops and the lads and lassies of the BBC, CNN and Fox News fingered the "terror" lever. The Munich constabulary, we were informed, feared this was a "terrorist act".  The local police, the BBC told us, were engaged in an "anti-terror manhunt". And we knew what that meant: the three men were believed to be Muslims and therefore "terrorists", and thus suspected of being members of (or at least inspired by) ISIS. Then it turned out that the three men were in fact only one man - a man who was obsessed with mass killing. He was born in Germany (albeit partly Iranian in origin). And all of a sudden, in every British media and on CNN, the "anti-terror manhunt" became a hunt for a lone "shooter". One UK newspaper used the word "shooter" 14 times in a few paragraphs.  Somehow, "shooter" doesn't sound as dangerous as "terrorist", though the effect of his actions was most assuredly the same. "Shooter" is a code word. It meant: this particular mass killer is not a Muslim. [...] The large number of Muslims killed in Nice was noticed, but scarcely headlined. The identity of Muslims in Europe is therefore fudged if they are victims but of vital political importance if they are killers.

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Condemning Islamophobia Promotes Human Values

Post Brexit Racism Update by the UK Institute of Race Relations

Al Jazeera 27/07/2016 - Once again in recent weeks, the world has witnessed what has become a sad recurring phenomenon: Arab and foreign countries meet to discuss how to increase their cooperation to defeat Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, also known as ISIS) and al-Qaeda, while simultaneously those and other groups only expand their attacks across much of the world. At what point does the world - especially Arab and Western countries at the core of this problem - recognise that the current strategy to defeat terrorism is not working, but in fact is expanding the networks of individuals and groups that are prepared to die for their criminal cause? In the last week, defence ministers from 38 countries led by the United States and Arab foreign ministers met separately and continued this charade. They vowed to enhance their battle against ISIL and al-Qaeda, but obviously remain blind to the fact that their strategies are ineffective and also probably counterproductive.

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Petit manuel pour lutter contre les pensées simplistes après les attentats