Abolish Immigration Detention: Evening with Othman Hamdan
🗓 Thurs, October 30 from 6-8 pm
📍1803 East 1st Avenue. xʷməθkʷəy̓əm, Sḵwx̱wú7mesh & səlilwətaɬ lands
🍕 Pizza served
😷 Masks required
♿ Venue has an accessible entrance at street level
Othman Hamdan is a Palestinian with Jordan citizenship who was accused of supporting “online extremism”, and arrested as part of RCMP’s Project Scollop. He was incarcerated for two years in Canadian prison, after which he was acquitted on all charges.
But then immigration authorities went after him. He was detained in immigration prison in 2017 and his refugee status was revoked. In detention, he built close bonds with fellow detainees. He was released years later but continues to battle against deportation, and his immigration status in Canada is still in limbo.
Othman has written a book about his experiences and the stories of his fellow detainees. He is also suing the CBSA and Ministry of Public Safety for malicious prosecution and for his time in solitary confinement.
As abolitionists, we are organizing this by-invite event not because we endorse what may be Othman’s personal views, but because we must mount a fight back against carceral state violence. Othman will be speaking about immigration detention and his struggles against CBSA racism, surveillance and persecution. His voice is incredibly important in understanding immigration detention, incarceration, and the racist national security apparatus that targets Arab, African, and South Asian Muslims.
We hope this gathering will help build awareness for Othman’s legal challenges, and create space to practice abolitionist solidarity with those facing detention, incarceration, and security state repression in our communities.