George Galloway greeted supporters with a salute, a peace sign and a big smile before blowing them kisses, moments after passing through the arrivals gate at Pearson International Airport in Toronto on Saturday evening. “Welcome back,” chanted his supporters, carrying “Defend Free Speech” and “I Love Galloway” signs. Eighteen months ago, Galloway was turned back when he tried to enter Canada to begin a nation-wide speaking tour.
“I’m very happy to be in Canada,” said Galloway, who was immediately scrummed by several reporters. “And my presence here proves that Canada remains a country governed by laws — not by here today, gone tomorrow politicians and their whims.”
When asked what message he had for the Canadian government Galloway said, “It’s a dangerous thing that Canada has become so isolated in the world that it has allowed itself to become an embassy for the most extreme Israeli political line.”
Under the bright television lights camera lights, Galloway promised reporters that he would speak about what happened to him last year at a rally planned for 3 pm at Trinity-St. Paul’s United Church on Sunday in Toronto. “This has been an extremely searing, surreal experience for me whilst a G7 country is declaring you to be a security risk and a terrorist,” he said. “And it has affected my life in many ways which I shall adumbrate at the meeting tomorrow.”
Galloway believes that Canada’s laws were used to suppress legitimate political debate, which led most Canadians to the wrong conclusions and allowed the federal government to adopt a “deeply flawed set of foreign policy positions” and “criminalize views that must be heard.” But Galloway expects the publicity will generate a much larger audience than would have come to hear him last year.
He’ll also meet with his legal team to decide what form of action, if any, to take against Minister Jason Kenney. “For a high profile politician to be announced to the world as a terrorist and a security risk placed my life in danger,” he said. “There are crazy people in the world who might have thought themselves fully justified in putting a bullet in me.”
Although Galloway admitted that immigration officials were very polite Saturday, he felt it was “unusual” that they questioned him about his political opinions on many international, political situations.
He then expressed gratitude for his legal and political teams who worked tirelessly for the last 18 months to get him back into Canada to begin his speaking tour. Who were not bullied into accepting Minister Kenney’s assertion that he was a terrorist.
“There’s something not quite right in Canada about continually banning and excluding people and pushing views that are against the government into the margins,” he said. “Most Canadians, whether they agree with my views or not, know instinctively that this is wrong.”
“Galloway in, Kenney out,” chanted supporters as the media scrum ended and Galloway left the airport.
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