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- Gabriela Gonzalez, Ontario’s premier assistant, at the solidarity event for Oscar Vigil
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- Opening remarks by Michele Millard
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- Gabriela Gonzalez with Juan Carranza and Oscar Vigil
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- Tanyu Band on stage
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- John Carlaw
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- Enjoying good Latin American food
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- Chilean artist, painter and singer Luis Ramirez
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- Colombian poet and musician Andres Sucerkia
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- NDP MP for Davenport Andrew Cash
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- Over a hundred community activists, political leaders, artists and the public of many Latin American countries and Canada, joined together at the solidarity night
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- Henry Vivel
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- Robert Graham and Caitlin Holland
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- The Salvadoran Ambassador in Canada Oscar Mauricio Duarte, and MP Andrew Cash
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- Julia Huys explains the legal process, on behalf of Lorne Waldman
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- Vilma Filici reads a support letter from Toronto Councillor Joe Mihevc
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- Alejandra Bravo, Community leader and Ward 17 candidate
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- Duberlis Ramos, from the Hispanic Development Council
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- Dominican Republican poet Jose Toribio
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- Loly Rico and Francisco Rico, co-directors of the FCJ Refugee Centre, sold tickets for a surprise raffle
By Gilberto Rogel
Toronto.- Over a hundred community activists, political leaders, artists and the public of many Latin American countries and Canada, joined together this Saturday June 7 at a solidarity night to express their full support to the cause of the Salvadoran journalist Oscar Vigil, who is fighting, perhaps, the strongest and most complicated personal battle to stay in Canada and show the Federal Government its error in declaring him an inadmissible person living in the country.
“I am here to support the cause of Oscar. We need to let our authorities (Immigration) know that it is not possible that a hardworking man and father like Oscar can be treated as a terrorist. The authorities should not believe he was doing anything other than his job, because I am one who believes that the family must stay together if we want a better society,” said Jose Toribio, poet and activist member of the Dominican Republican community, who, with over 20 years living in Canada, cannot understand the decision of the Immigration authorities.
Together with Jose Toribio, many well-known politicians also showed up to confirm their commitment to the cause. Andrew Cash, Member of the Parliament for the New Democratic Party (NDP) representing the riding of Davenport (Toronto), was one of the first to arrive at Mingles Lounge, the place of celebration.