Activists Demand the Release of Ansar Mahmood, An end to Racial Scapegoating

Report from Actions in Batavia, Oct. 11, 2003

Activists Demand the Release of Ansar Mahmood, An end to Racial Scapegoating

Dozens of activists seeking the release of Ansar Mahmood and other detainees rounded up in the so called “war on terrorism” rallied in front of the INS Federal Detention Facility in Batavia, NY Saturday afternoon. An ad hoc group consisting of Rochester peace activists, students, workers and youth organized the Rally. Mahmood’s case exemplifies the attack on the human rights of innocent immigrants that has become standard under the Bush Administration’s “Patriot Act” legislation.
The demonstrators met at a motel parking lot in Batavia, walked to the gate of the detention facility and held a picket with signs demanding the release of Ansar, condemning state sponsored racist attack on immigrants, and the hypocrisy of the Dept. of Homeland Security. Speakers briefed the participants about Mahmood’s case and outlined the importance of connecting defense of rights with the peace movement that brought millions into city streets around the world last spring. While the rally took place on a very low traffic road out side the Detention Facility, demonstrators encountered a couple episodes of harassment. The first incident came when demonstrators arrived and parked in a nearly empty motel parking lot. There was clearly no shortage of parking spaces; however, a manager of the Comfort Inn told demonstrators that he would call a towing company and have all the cars towed away. After cars had been moved to the side of the road adjacent to the Detention Facility, the rally continued. At the conclusion of the rally, a county sheriff confronted the demonstrators and said he’d ticket all the cars if they were not moved and that demonstrators needed to clear the street. The street is only used by traffic going into the detention facility, and demonstrators yielded to the three or four cars that entered throughout the course of the rally. One speaker pointed out that despite that inconveniences that are imposed on rallies such as these, continuing to organize and hold such events is crucial to winning back rights for everyone.