Further Update on Political Prisoner Brad Love’s Being Denied Mail

Political prisoner Brad Love called me collect this morning from prison. He confirmed that he is not allowed to send ANY mail out. His mail was held, without explanation, for over a month (October 15-November 18). He is now receiving mail. So, please send this “man behind the wire” — jailed solely for sending non-threatening letters to thin skinned ethnic lobby groups or politicians — a note or card.

He was called into the prison management’s office on November 19 and breezily informed: “Love, there’s a court order saying you’re not allowed to receive any mail.” Where do they find these prison personnel? In a country with a bogus “Charter of Rights and Freedoms” — really minority special privileges and rights that governments can cancel at a moment’s notice “for a good reason,” of course — and a tradition of individual RIGHTS guaranteed under our Anglo-Saxon legal traditions, you’d think the authorities might wonder: “There must be some mistake.”

Well, yes and no. There was, indeed, such as North Korean-like bail condition imposed on Mr. Love in Fort McMurray Alberta last May when he was charged with sending “scurrilous” material through the mail — strongly worded letters to the press and politicians about political matters. HOWEVER, in July, using arguments CAFE helped to prepare, Mr. Love went back to Court and had these conditions amended so that he can write to anyone, except the several individuals named in the criminal complaint.

the prison authorities also made vague threats to Mr. Love, saying he was writing “too many letters” and, if he didn’t desist, he could find himself spending more time in prison.

A date has still not been sent for an appeal against Mr. Love’s 2012 conviction and 18-month sentence for breach of probation.

Brad Love, a decade after his conviction under Canada’s notorious “hate law” (Sec. 319 of the Criminal Code) for writing non-threatening letters to public officials criticizing Canada’s immigration mess, is still mired in the toils of repression. In July 2012, for sending some information packages to some Toronto Jewish groups, he was sentenced to a further 18 months in prison, plus a further three year gag order from writing letters to the media or politicians. He applied for bail; pending an appeal. In July, 2013, this bail was arbitrarily revoked. So, for the past four months, he’s languished in jail, again for nothing more than the non-violent expression of his populist, no nonsense working guy views.

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Brad was employed in a lucrative job in Alberta’s tar sands in Fort McMurray. The arbitrary imprisonment punishes him for his views, denies him an income and, ironically, denies the state a hefty junk of his pay in taxes.

Brad Love after addressing CAFE Meeting in Toronto, April, 2013/