Posted on 10/06/2006 6:37:27 PM PDT by nj26
Columbia University officials said today they were investigating what happened Wednesday night when protesters stormed a stage where the founder of a conservative anti-immigration group was trying to deliver an address, an incident that ended in chairs being overturned, and charges that students violated the speaker’s freedom of speech.
The incident, at Columbia’s Roone Arledge Auditorium, reflects the strong feelings surround the immigration debate in the United States. It erupted just minutes into a speech by Jim Gilchrist, the founder of the Minuteman Project, a self-appointed band of civilian border patrols that have focused mostly on preventing illegal immigration from Mexico...
Mr. Gilchrist was invited to speak on campus by the Columbia University College Republicans.
Just as Mr. Gilchrist was talking about “2,000 Mexicans on the border,” several people holding aloft a banner that read “No One Is Illegal” in several languages, hopped on the stage...
Organizers told several news agencies that the protesters who rushed the stage had knocked Mr. Gilchrist backward, causing his glasses to break.
Student protesters told Columbia’s student newspaper, The Spectator, that the demonstration was meant to be peaceful. But they said that changed when the protesters were joined on stage by Republicans organizers of the event and other Gilchrist supporters. “The confrontation turned violent,” the newspaper said, describing the accounts of protesters. “One student was kicked in the head and bleeding.”
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
The Columbia administration is getting serious!
They want to find the leader of the protest in order to give 'em the
Free Speech award at next graduation.
(/sarc)
bastard media, "...conservative anti-immigration group..."
Hey NY Times:
The Minutemen are anti-ILLEGAL-immigration. Big difference.
It's the Republicans fault, doncha know?
The only thing that bothers me is that these obvious “free speech” advocates are training to be the leaders of our future!
---The incident, at Columbia’s Roone Arledge Auditorium, reflects the strong feelings surround the immigration debate in the United States. ---
No, it reflects the profound disregard of the left for free speech and honest and open debate.
This type of behaviour is the norm at Columbia. Nothing will be done to the rioters. Mostly likely the university president is high fiving the organizers.
I saw the film footage.
Campus police stood there with blank stares on their faces.
Once the protestors went on stage, they were in the wrong.
They could have done what they did from their seats.
"It's the Republicans fault, doncha know?"
Shocking that the Republicans would be on stage at their own event, huh? (sarcasm)
very true. this is simply being announced for public relations purposes.
I'm trying really, really hard not to hate these people.
H&C just had two girls/protestors on. One claimed the Minutemen threw the first punch, that they are on the border atacking/raping the 'poor' migrant workers.
"I'm trying really, really hard not to hate these people."
Then it's a good thing you didn't see H&C..he just had two of these leftists on...what a waste...
They'll serve as a good reminder to vote next month.
Almost no one is anti-immigration. The Minutemen are anti-illegal-immigration
I saw that. They might as well as had their fingers in their ears chanting lalalalala. They wanted no part of hearing the fact that they stifled free speech.
I had to laugh, when they kept trying to say they did not stifle any speech. The one closest to Alan seemed to be the more mature one.
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