galloway takes kenney to court; will donate damages to canadian peace movement

Go, George, Go!
Outspoken former British MP George Galloway has made good on his threat to sue Canada's immigration minister.

A statement of claim served on Jason Kenney and his assistant Alykhan Velshi alleges they abused their official powers by banning Galloway from Canada in 2009.

The document, which asks for $1.5 million in damages, also claims that Kenney and Velshi defamed Galloway in British newspapers.

Galloway, an outspoken supporter of the Palestinian people, had been planning to stage a cross-country speaking tour about the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Kenney barred him from the country for his alleged financial support to the Palestinian group Hamas, which Ottawa considers a terrorist organization.

A lawyer representing Galloway says the former MP will argue that the allegations of terrorism lost him his long-held seat in the British House of Commons.

This Canadian Press story doesn't say that Galloway has repeatedly pledged to donate any judgment from this suit to the anti-war movement in Canada. Seems like that's an important detail to omit.

I attended the court hearing challenging Galloway's inadmission to Canada; my notes on it are here: part 1, part 2, part 3, and court documents.

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