Bold Refugee Strategy Succeeds
Law Union News, February/March 1979

House, Jeff

Publisher:  Law Union News, Toronto
Year Published:  1979   First Published:  1979
Pages:  16pp  
Resource Type:  Article/Report/Letter
Cx Number:  CX912

Abstract:  This is the front page article in the newspaper published by the Law Union of Ontario, a group of socialist and progressive lawyers, law students and legal workers. It details the victory of the Law Union and Latin American activists, especially the Uruguayan Committee for Defence for Human Rights, in fighting the long standing deportation orders of Uruguayan refugees, Juan Lugano and Juan Font.
The crucial aspect throughout the case was the existence and activity of the UCDHR, which tirelessly collected signatures, participated in the hunger strike, sent letters to supporters, and collected "witnesses" to the arrest which never came. Had Font and Lugano not been trusted implicitly by the members of the Committee, the public support which was there at the grass roots level would have been absent. While the campaign did use the daily newspapers and TV and radio to get its message across, the mailing campaign and the personal contact campaign were as important, for they provided the bodies of committed people which forced the media to take notice.
This issue of the News also contains articles on Union of Injured Workers trial victories, Unemployment Insurance Commission changes blaming the victim, community support for Inco monitoring the Krever Commission and Law Union activities.

Subject Headings

• Refugees