In another show of solidarity for a Roma family facing deportation to Hungary, supporters of the Nemeth family organized a flash mob on Monday morning outside the offices of the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada.
Solidarity Across Borders has been advocating for the Nemeth family. The organization said it’s unfair to split up the family, consisting of two parents, four children, and two grandchildren.
Four family members are scheduled to be deported on Wednesday. But four others have been given permission to stay in Canada.
The protesters staged a kind of game show lottery, to show they believe it's just "luck of the draw" when it comes to successful refugee claims.
Half of the Nemeth family arrived in 2011, and the other half arrived one year later seeking refugee status.
They fled Hungary because they say the Roma population in that country faces discrimination, persecution and violence.
Meanwhile, at the end of 2012, the federal government placed Hungary on its "safe country" list.
Two different commissioners examined the family's claims. One commissioner found that Hungary doesn't protect its Roma citizens, but the other did not.
The family's lawyer will make a last-minute plea on Tuesday before the federal court, asking for a pre-removal risk assessment. But if that fails, the parents and two of their children will be deported back to Hungary.
