This is a video of a Polish man, a new immigrant to Canada

This is a video of a Polish man, a new immigrant to Canada, being murdered in Vancouver International Airport, witha Taser, by the RCMP, after he was distraight, because he couldn't find his mother, who was supposed to wait for him at the airport, but was sent home, after officials told her, her son never arrived. He spend almost 10 hours at the airport, at which point he became distraught, and started acting up, threw a computer from a table. That is when the police officer approached him and asked him to calm down, in English. Dziekanski couldn't respond, as he didn't speak English. So they police tasered him, not once, but twice, the second time while whaling on him as he was already on the ground. As a result, this man is now dead, a victim of senseless police brutality. The Polish, Ukrainian, and Russian-Candaian communities are very concerned about this. It is viewed as a racist crime by police, as one of the officers yelled: "He only speaks Russian!", before the second taser jolt". I will say no more, just watch the video.

Her airport customs experience was also 'very stressing'

Her airport customs experience was also 'very stressing'

Noush Eslaamy, 28, came to Canada via the Vancouver airport in 2005. Her wait to clear customs after a 24-hour trip from Iran was so long, her uncle feared she had been kidnapped.
Gerry Kahrmann, The Province
Worried uncle waited hours in same area as victim's mother
Susan Lazaruk, The Province
Published: Sunday, November 18, 2007
A young woman who immigrated to Canada said she experienced the same frustrating delays and misinformation at the Vancouver airport as Polish immigrant Robert Dziekanski.

Noush Eslaamy, 28, immigrated from Iran in September 2004. With limited English skills, Eslaamy said she was confused by the process of clearing customs. But besides three or four customs inspections agents, there were no employees available to help.

"When I came there, the number [being served] was 28 and my number was 800-something," she said from Langley, where she lives with her uncle.


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Noush Eslaamy, 28, came to Canada via the Vancouver airport in 2005. Her wait to clear customs after a 24-hour trip from Iran was so long, her uncle feared she had been kidnapped.
Gerry Kahrmann, The Province

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Font:****Her trip from Tehran had taken almost 24 hours, and there are no restaurants in customs.

"I was sleepy, I was so hungry and I was cold and I was thirsty," she said.

"It was a different country, a different language, everything was so different and it was very stressing."

Meanwhile, her uncle, Maj Wahage, was waiting patiently in the international arrivals lounge, the same public area where Dziekanski's mother, Zofia Cisow-ski, waited and worried for hours.

Wahage said the only information he could get about his niece was by a telephone hotline near the immigration office, which was closed that day, a Sunday.

He said the operator, whose tone he described as aggressive and unhelpful, told him it typically takes two to four hours to clear customs.

"She was very aggressive, really, really unhelpful, not polite, and she gave me misleading information."

Wahage eventually reported his niece missing to a customs office, worrying she had been kidnapped.

An officer offered to check the waiting room, where he found Eslaamy still waiting for her turn, a small act of kindness for which Wahage remains grateful.

"He was a great guy, a great man, very helpful," he said. "I told him I would never forget him."

Finally, more than seven hours after Eslaamy arrived, she left with her uncle.

The Canadian Border Services Agency has not explained why it took Dziekanski 10 hours to clear customs.

slazaruk@png.canwest.com

Iran censures Canada on human rights

Iran censures Canada on human rights
Sun, 18 Nov 2007 01:58:00


Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Mohammad Ali Hosseini
Foreign Ministry spokesman Mohammad Ali Hosseini has condemned the violation of human rights against immigrants by the Canadian police.

Hosseini condemned heinous acts of terror pointing to the murders of Iranian expatriate Keyvan Tabesh and the Polish immigrant Robert Dziekanski.

He said this behaviour was an indication of organized actions by Canadian government bodies against immigrants, and were aimed at the spread of racism and xenophobia.

The foreign ministry spokesman called on the Canadian government for further investigation into the hostile conduct of the Canadian police urging it to adopt a transparent policy toward the issue of human rights.

The murder of Robert Dziekanski raised questions in Canada about the safety of Taser guns, which immobilize people with a 50,000-volt electrical charge.

Sixteen Canadians are reported to have died in the past five years in Taser incidents.

Piotr Ogrodzinski, Poland's ambassador to Canada, said the video had deeply upset him

Death prompts Canada Taser review

Robert Dziekanski had flown to
Canada to live with his mother [EPA]


Canada has ordered an inquiry into the use of Tasers after footage emerged showing police using the stun gun on an unarmed man who died shortly afterwards.

A video broadcast on local and US television showed Robert Dziekanski shouting in pain after he was hit by 50,000 volt blasts at Vancouver airport a month ago.

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) said officers fired Taser shots at Dziekanski, a Polish immigrant, after he became abusive.


Rob Reynolds reports on the Taser incident

"I've asked for a review relating to the use of Tasers. ... This is a tragic and grievous incident. We want to find out answers that can prevent these things from happening in the future," Stockwell Day, the public security minister, told the Canadian parliament.

Many Canadians were shocked by the images of Dziekanski writhing on the floor moments before he died.

Some people complained to radio and TV shows that police acted too quickly to stun a man who did not appear to be threatening them.

Dale Carr, a spokesman for the RCMP, urged the public to withhold their judgment of what they see on the video until the police can explain their conduct while testifying under oath at a coroner's inquest.

He said an investigation by a homicide team will take another 30 to 45 days.

"The inquest will be the venue in which the contents of the video and the actions of police will be scrutinised," he said in a statement.

Penny Priddy, a politician from the opposition New Democratic Party said, "The screams of a dying man echo throughout the country" and that Canadians wanted answers before more lives were lost.

"Is it standard operating procedure for the RCMP to use Tasers when there is no obvious physical threat?" she asked Day in parliament.

'Unsuitable reaction'

Piotr Ogrodzinski, Poland's ambassador to Canada, said the video had deeply upset him and said Warsaw wanted to learn all it could about an investigation into the case.

"The reaction of the RCMP officers was unsuitable to the situation. What I've seen was that Mr. Dziekanski [was] a person who was agitated, frustrated, I think terrified, but not aggressive. He was not making a gesture that he intended to fight anybody," Ogrodzinski told Reuters.

"He didn't know what to to do. In fact, he was in search [of] help. That is why it is a really very sad and deeply moving film to watch."

Dziekanski flew to Canada to live with his mother in the western Canadian city of Kamloops in British Columbia. She had told him to wait for her at the baggage area.

But this meant he never passed through the customs section to enter the main part of Vancouver's airport, where she was waiting.

death of Robert Dziekanski.

Aftermath of Dziekanski tragedy has touched raw nerve in public
Alan Ferguson , The Province
Published: Tuesday, November 20, 2007
It's a long time since I've known so many people so genuinely angry as they are over the death of Robert Dziekanski.

I'm talking about people who aren't normally in the habit of whipping themselves into a fever pitch over a perceived injustice.

This goes deeper. It touches a raw nerve in the collective consciousness. And it has left many folks wondering about the people they appoint to act on their behalf.


Sure, plenty of tears have been shed. Understandably so.

The Polish immigrant's very public death at Vancouver airport can't be watched without gut-wrenching pain.

And even though Paul Pritchard's amateur video is only part of the story, it hasn't stopped some people from deciding who are the villains.

What we're hearing about now -- police cruisers pelted with eggs, officers afraid for their safety -- does us no credit. But the rare, deep-seated anger is aimed, not at particular individuals, but at a sequence of events ordinary people find incomprehensible.

They're not interested in a witchhunt based on hysterical assumptions about trigger-happy cops. They'll wait for the facts, provided they are not too long coming.

But what they do want is to be told that the fatal flaws in the "system" that failed Dziekanski are being dealt with in an immediate, meaningful way. And, quite frankly, they're seeing precious little evidence of that.

As the weeks roll by, what they're mostly witnessing is a mind-boggling lack of initiative.

It's worse. People in positions of power scurry into hiding, seeking either to divert attention from themselves, or else to clam up, further feeding public unease.

Police pile one investigation on top of another, as if adding manpower alone will confirm their good intentions. Someone should tell them no one is fooled any more by the charade of police investigating police.

But the real problem -- what's at the root of the growing anguish in the community -- is the absence of authoritative leadership.

A prime example is Stockwell Day, federal minister of public safety. Hasn't it dawned on him that the Dziekanski affair is a humiliating embarrassment for Canada? Yet all he's done is waffle on about Tasers.

Liberal Leader Stephane Dion hadn't even bothered to watch the video the rest of the world is talking about.

Hundreds of people were involved in this tragedy in one way or another -- RCMP, customs agents, immigration officials, security guards and others.

They should be made to stand up and be counted. Instead, we're watching them duck for cover.

It's the continuing official indifference to the damaging global consequences of those fatal hours at Vancouver airport that Canadians everywhere find so profoundly disturbing.

And it's why they're angry at the shuffling hesitancy to explain them.

alan.f@telus.net
© The Vancouver Province 2007

Polish immigrant killed after he was hit with a Taser by RCMP at Vancouver

. launches public inquiry into Dziekanski death
CanWest News Service
Published: Monday, November 19, 2007
On the same day the premier of British Columbia apologized to the family and friends of a Polish immigrant killed after he was hit with a Taser by RCMP at Vancouver International Airport, the provincial government also promised a full public inquiry into the death of Robert Dziekanski and the policy governing the use of stun guns by police in that province.

"There are a number of processes that have been launched to date, and we are confident they will be thorough. But it is equally important that we establish an open and integrative review," B.C. Solicitor General John Les said Monday. "Public safety and confidence demands a comprehensive and independent look at all of these issues. If B.C. and Canada are to welcome the world to our doorstep, we need to learn from this tragedy and do better."

Robert Dziekanski, a 40-year-old Polish immigrant who had just taken his first international flight, died shortly after being tasered by RCMP officers. The event was filmed by a bystander at the airport and the videotape has been broadcast around the world.


It's not anything that anyone would have ever expected to happen in the province and I'm sure the RCMP would be glad to apologize," B.C. Premier Gordon Campbell said in Vancouver. "So I'm glad to apologize on behalf of people in British Columbia for what took place."

Campbell called the incident a "human tragedy" and said his heart goes out to Dziekanski's mother, family and friends. He said he hopes to speak with Dziekanski's mother, who lives in B.C., within the next couple of days.

An independent commissioner of inquiry will be identified in the near future, and formal terms of reference will be drafted at that time. But Les said that the scope of the public inquiry would include the following:

-- reviewing policies surrounding the use of Tasers and recommending any necessary changes;

-- reviewing the incident involving Dziekanski, including the actions of the RCMP, Canada Border Services Agency and immigration processes and Vancouver airport;

-- recommending how the handling of foreign passengers coming to B.C. through Vancouver airport can be improved.

The commissioner also will determine the appropriate time to conduct the remainder of the inquiry, taking into account the fact a homicide investigation already is underway.

A coroner's inquest also is expected to begin in the spring.

"This incident has British Columbians, Canadians and people all over the world seeking answers," said Les. "By calling a full public inquiry, we want everyone to know that all the facts will be put on the table, we will take action based on those facts and we will learn from this tragedy."

Dziekanski's death could have international repercussions on how the weapon is used, according to an Australian expert on policing and mental health.

"I think many police policy-makers will be looking very carefully at [the inquiry] and awaiting the outcome," said Duncan Chappell, acting director of the Institute of Criminology at Australia's University of Sydney.

Chappell was in Halifax Monday as a keynote speaker at a conference on policing and mental health. Chappell said Tasers are just beginning to be introduced in Australia.

"I think events that have occurred like the one particularly in Vancouver will probably give pause for thought," Chappell said.

Dziekanski's death and the subsequent shocking video showing him writhing in pain, continued to draw reaction from advocates, academics, ambassadors and politicians.

During question period in the House of Commons Monday, MPs sparred over the circumstances of Dziekanski's death and the use of Tasers. Jack Layton, the federal NDP leader, demanded to know whether the RCMP had been asked to stop using Tasers pending a full investigation of Dziekanski's death.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper replied the government doesn't interfere in the operational aspects of the RCMP and said a number of inquiries are underway.

Layton criticized the Conservative government for a lack of policy governing the use of Tasers. "One thing is very clear, at least there should be a retraining program put in place immediately to make sure this doesn't happen again. Why won't the prime minister support such a simple proposition?"

Public Safety Minister Stockwell Day deflected criticism, calling on the Liberals to exercise patience as the government pursued its inquiries. "We share the concern about what happened to this particular individual," Day said. "It's one of the reasons that we've asked for answers. It's one of the reasons there are at least three independent reviews going on right now in terms of what took place."

Meanwhile David Preston, the Canadian ambassador to Poland, was questioned by Polish authorities Monday, who wanted to know what Canada intends to do about the death, according to CBC News. Preston told the authorities that for the time being he had very little to tell them while investigations were ongoing.

Karen Geldart, a Moncton, N.B., realtor and sister of Kevin Geldart, a Moncton man who died after being tasered in 2005, said the federal government needs to conduct a thorough investigation into the use of the weapon.

"I know a lot of people are upset with the actions of the RCMP, but I just want people to know that this is not limited to the situation with Mr. Dziekanski," Geldart said.

She said her brother, who was tasered multiple times on his torso and three times on his head, was also described as violent and combative before more than a dozen witnesses testified differently at an inquest into Kevin Geldart's death. "It was quite eerie for me to hear the same words used to describe Mr. Dziekanski," Geldart said.

Ken Adams, a professor of public policy at the University of Central Florida, opined Dziekanski's death and subsequent inquiries won't carry much weight in the United States.

"My sense is that at least as far as the U.S. is considered, it's not going to make much impact," Adams said during a telephone interview. With graduate student Victoria Dennison, Adams recently co-authored a paper titled What we don't know about police use of Tasers. The paper was published in Policing: An International Journal of Police Strategies and Management.

Vancouver Sun, with files from Charles Mandel, CanWest News Service

Polish man in the Vancouver International Airport in October

Shocked to death



By Naomi Klein November 21, 2007
The world saw a video last week of Royal Canadian Mounted Police officers using a Taser against a Polish man in the Vancouver International Airport in October. The man, Robert Dziekanski, died soon after the attack. In recent days, more details have come out about him. It turns out that the 40-year-old didn't just die after being shocked -- his life was marked by shock as well.Dziekanski was a young adult in 1989, when Poland began a grand experiment called "shock therapy" for the nation. The promise was that if the communist country accepted a series of brutal economic measures, the reward would be a "normal European country" like France or Germany. The pain would be short, the reward great.So Poland's government eliminated price controls overnight, slashed subsidies, privatized industries. But for young workers such as Dziekanski, "normal" never arrived. Today, roughly 40% of young Polish workers are unemployed. Dziekanski was among them. He had worked as a typesetter and a miner, but for the last few years, he had been unemployed and had had run-ins with the law. Like so many Poles of his generation, Dziekanski went looking for work in one of those "normal" countries that Poland was supposed to become but never did. Two million Poles have joined this mass exodus during the last three years alone. Dziekanski's cohorts have gone to work as bartenders in London, doormen in Dublin, plumbers in France. Last month, he chose to follow his mother to British Columbia, Canada, which is in a pre-Olympics construction boom. "After seven years of waiting, [Dziekanski] arrived to his utopia, Vancouver," said the Polish consul general, Maciej Krych. "Ten hours later, he was dead."Much of the outrage sparked by the video, which was made by another passenger at the airport, has focused on the controversial use of Tasers, already implicated in 17 deaths in Canada and many more in the United States. But what happened in Vancouver was about more than a weapon. It was also about an increasingly brutal side of the global economy -- about the reality that many victims of various forms of economic "shock therapy" face at our borders. Rapid economic transformations like Poland's have created enormous wealth -- in new investment opportunities; currency trading; in leaner, meaner companies able to comb the globe for the cheapest location to manufacture. But from Mexico to China to Poland, they also have created tens of millions of discarded people, the people who lose their jobs when factories close or lose their land when export zones open.Understandably, many of these people often choose to move: from countryside to city, from country to country. As Dziekanski appeared to be doing, they go in search of that elusive "normal." But there isn't enough normal to go around, or so we are told. And so, as migrants move, they are often met with other shocks. A treacherous electrified fence on Spain's southern border, or a Taser gun on the U.S.-Mexican border. Canada, which used to be known around the world for its openness to refugees, is militarizing its borders, with lines between immigrant and terrorist blurring fast.Dziekanski's inhuman treatment at the hands of the Canadian police must be seen in this context. The police were called when Dziekanski, lost and disoriented, began shouting in Polish, at one point throwing a chair. Faced with a foreigner like Dziekanski, who spoke no English, why talk when you can shock? It strikes me that the same brutal, short-cut logic guided Poland's economic transition to capitalism: Why take the gradual route, which required debate and consent, when "shock therapy" promised an instant, if painful, cure?I realize that I am talking about very different kinds of shocks here, but they do interconnect in a cycle I call "the shock doctrine." First comes the shock of a national crisis, making countries desperate for any cure and willing to sacrifice democracy in the process. In Poland in 1989, that first shock was the sudden end of communism and the economic meltdown. Then comes the economic shock therapy, the undemocratic process pushed through in the window of crisis that jolts an economy into growth but blasts so many people out of the picture. Then, in far too many cases, there is the third shock, the one that disciplines and deals with the discarded people: the desperate, the migrants, those driven mad by the system.Each shock has the potential to kill, some more suddenly than others. Naomi Klein is the author of "The Shock Doctrine: The Rise of Disaster Capitalism."