Full Statement: Why We Confronted the Minutemen at Columbia

Full Statement of Those Who Occupied the Stage

Why We Confronted the Minutemen at Columbia

In the aftermath of the protest on the night of October 4 against Jim Gilchrist and the racist Minutemen at Roone Arledge auditorium, we want to state clearly: We are proud to send the message to the country that racist and fascist groups are not welcome at Columbia or in New York City.

As Chicanos and Latinos, alongside African Americans and progressive people of other nationalities, we took it as our responsibility to give voice to the undocumented immigrant families who live in fear at terrorist vigilante groups like the Minutemen. Armed patrols by these groups force more and more people desperate for work to find even more hazardous ways into the United States. Over 3,000 people-including hundreds of children-have died in the desert. Their blood is on the hands of Gilchrist and his thugs.

Fascist scapegoating is not up for academic discussion. Like Hitler in pre-Nazi Germany, Gilchrist and the Minutemen attempt to demonize foreign-born poor people, blaming "illegals" for society's problems. His group doesn't present reasoned debate. It spouts racism and hatred, aiming to divide people against one another.

Regardless of how Gilchrist tries to sanitize his message for national audiences, more candid moments tell the real story. Gilchrist is a member of the California Coalition for Immigration Reform, which is now notorious for referring to Mexicans as "savages." Speaking about Mexicans and Central American immigrants, Minuteman co-founder Chris Simcox once said, "They have no problem slitting your throat and taking your money or selling drugs to your kids or raping your daughter and they are evil people."

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Over the last 50 years, throughout the Civil Rights movement and the women's rights movement, ultra-right wing groups have routinely used violence, lynchings, armed assaults and bombings against oppressed people. Yet when we organize to oppose them to express our contempt for their violence, we are criticized for inhibiting the free speech of the ones who perpetrate violence.


Read entire statement here:
http://mostlywater.org/node/11611

nt

They use brown shirt tactics and then claim the ends justify the means. No wonder they are on the short list for expulsion.

See the other threads on this...

The students were clearly attacked. They disrupted a school sanctioned event and should have some repercussion I suppose, but they didn't perpetrate the violence and the school should not be blaming them for it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cfnn7wTgoE8

A good friend of mine was a main participant in this. I will keep tabs of what is not (as of yet) being reported or explained.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=364&topic_id=2345366&mesg_id=2345366

n/t