More Evidence No One is Illegal Couldn't Carry An Idea In a Bucket

Appearing on a recent edition of Brian Lilley's Byline program on SUN TV, No One is Illegal tried to put a good face on what is otherwise a very disturbed organization.

Appearing for NOII, Luam Kidane attempted to do everything but answer some very simple questions about what it is NOII (describing themselves as a "migrant justice" organization) stands for.

Questions about whether or not NOII advocates purely open borders was met by a barrage of "clarifying question", as Kidane attempted to reach "an understanding" on the terminology she and Lilley would use to discuss the issue.

The clear intent on Kidane's part was to attempt to portray the organization as holding a particular philosophical vigour that simply isn't there.

It's hard to get clear answers out of anyone from NOII. But one thing that comes up repeatedly are two basic ideas that are entirely at odds. One is that "people have the right to migrate". The other is that "Canada is occupied Turtle Island".

It sounds like complete gibberish, but some aboriginal groups describe all of North America as "occupied Turtle Island". But once detail is established and set aside, it becomes clear that the denziens of No One is Illegal haven't really thought out their ideas. Not a whit.

Simply put, if people have the right to migrate, than European settlers had the right to migrate to North America.

Another talking point of No One is Illegal is that no one is obligated to be a "good immigrant" by integrating into the culture and society of the land to which they migrate.

Simply put, people can settle down in any territory they choose to move to and then live however they choose. They have no obligation to become part of "the community" that exists there. In fact, they have no obligation to join that community at all. (Which makes it all the more comical that Kidane justifies her enjoyment of services provided by a state she doesn't recognize as legitimate because "members of the community provide the services".)

Naturally, this does not actually entail the right of a migrant group to dominate an indigenous group. There are plenty of legitimate criticisms NOII could offer about how the Canadian state has treated aboriginals in the past, even as Canadians bend over backwards to make it right today.

But to declare Canada to be an "occupied" territory suggests that non-aboriginal Canadians have no right to be here. Intriguingly, that includes Kidane herself.

Until one considers that No One is Illegal has declared that people have the right to migrate. One would assume that this applies to all people equally, unless it doesn't. Unless there really is some kind of racial bias to NOII's "right to migrate".

In all truth, however, Luam Kidane's appearance on Byline is actually entirely uncharacteristic of No One is Illegal. After all, any group that teaches children to punch Citizenship and Immigration Minister Jason Kenney in effigy could hardly be considered civil, even if some of their members can adopt a veneer of civility when given the opportunity to play Socrates (badly) on national TV.