Reject the Iraq War, U.S. Troops Take advantage of Church

VANCOUVER, CANADA (AP) - An American soldier who left the Iraq war have sought refuge in a church in Vancouver after being ordered to be deported.

Rodney Watson, 31, said he was the first of at least 40 U.S. war repellent taking refuge in a church after fleeing to Canada.

Watson has lived in the United Church since September 18.


He said the Canadian government ordered the deportation on September 11 when he was asked to voluntarily surrender to the U.S. border.

Watson, who fled to Canada in 2006, said he feared he would be imprisoned for one year if he gave himself, adding also that it is a repellent that occurs in another war that decided to go home.



"Also, I do not feel I should be punished for because of objections that came from my conscience for the Iraq war is when we know there are people who walk freely when they lied to the public about weapons of mass destruction."

Watson, a native of Kansas City, Kansas, is also fighting a custody battle involving children aged 10 months and did not want to leave Canada in the middle of the trial.

She said her son is in foster care, but refused to discuss the issue.

Watson, an African-American, said he came to Canada after refusing to be deployed to Iraq for the second task of the trip because of racism by U.S. soldiers against Iraqi civilians he witnessed.

"I've seen a lot of U.S. soldiers, all white, racist at heart and they took him down there and I see it," he said. "I watched them hit Iraqi civilians, civilian contractors who do not even have anything to do with war."

Watson said he was ordered deported before a decision is pleading to stay in Canada was issued on humanitarian grounds.

He says he wants Canadians to support the resistance against the Iraq war and efforts to stay here.

"The whole world is pretty much against this Iraq war," he said. "It was found that there were no weapons of mass destruction."

Two vote majority in Parliament has asked Canada to halt deportation of war repellent.

"It's time for people to raise their voice and let themselves be heard," said Watson.

Ric Matthews, chief minister of First United Church in Vancouver, said the council and the congregation to give support to Watson.

Matthews said he met Watson at a public meeting held on its behalf by the War resisters Support Campaign (Campaign Support Repelling War) and that Watson later approached him about staying at the church.

"There will be efforts to try and help create momentum for something constructive to come out of this," he said.

"I think the United Church in general, but we will now work through some of our people who have experience in working with refugees and in making a claim with the government in the conversation."

Matthews said Watson's fiancee and daughter would visit him in the church, and provides daily meals to people in need.

Sarah Bjorknas, a spokesman for War resisters Support Campaign, said there were at least 40 repellent war Americans living in Canada, mostly in the Toronto area.

The group has existed since 2004 is also providing assistance to U.S. military members who sought refuge in Canada. (iw / ts)