Last Friday, more than 200 students marched to Agate Hall to demonstrate their disapproval of the Pacifica Forum on campus. Friday’s event took place in Agate Hall, but the Forum’s weekly events are usually held in the EMU.
The Forum’s presence in the EMU is the center of the controversy. Many students see the EMU as a safe place for all students, and this safety is especially important to minority students. The Black Student Union, the LGBTQA, the Jewish Student Union and other minority groups have their headquarters in the EMU. The fact that the Pacifica Forum was bringing speakers who blatantly expressed anti-minority views rightfully left these students feeling threatened in their own environment.
All of this said, for a moment let’s forget about whether the Pacifica Forum has a place in the EMU or not. I want to address the protest itself.
The students were so riled up with their goal of driving off Nazis that many of them seemed to be oblivious to what was happening. The event was introduced by Dusty Miller, the director of the EMU, and protesters even accused Miller of being a Nazi.
Pacifica member Billy Rojas then addressed the crowd and repeatedly stated his disapproval of Nazi ideology. However, students still aggressively yelled statements like “Get off our campus, you fucking Nazi!” Rojas tried to tell the crowd that this issue wasn’t about Nazis, but was “an issue of free speech.” A protester yelled back to Rojas, “Fuck free speech, and fuck you!”
Really? “Fuck free speech”? Shouldn’t we all be fighting for the preservation of true free speech? Although it was only one protester who yelled this, this sentiment was echoed by the behavior of many of the other protesters. The students weren’t going to listen to anything that was said that afternoon because their minds were already made up. To the protesters that day, anyone behind the microphone was a Nazi. Something was very wrong. The issue at hand was free speech, and no one was listening.
Should the Pacifica Forum have a place in the EMU? Because of some of the things their guests have said, they probably shouldn’t be allowed in the EMU. Do they have the right to express themselves? Of course they do, but it is perfectly reasonable for students not to want the Pacifica Forum in the same building that so many student minority groups call home.
As a gay and minority student myself, I am thankful that these minority groups exist and have a place on our campus. However, I am disappointed in those who acted with such brashness in this situation. Yelling profanities instead of having an intelligent dialogue, gathering hundreds of students under false pretenses, and accusing the director of the EMU of being a Nazi are not appropriate tactics for students trying to build a safe and open environment.
It’s ironic. The minority groups on campus are playing the role of the oppressive majority in their effort to scare off a group they disapprove of. Why can’t they see that they are doing exactly what has been done to them throughout history? Students need to make an effort to educate themselves fully on an issue instead of turning into a mob to fight it.
Students are currently planning their next protest of the Pacifica Forum.
Although students’ intentions of removing the Forum from the EMU have always been noble, I urge everyone involved to conduct themselves respectfully this time around and to display the values of understanding, tolerance and open-mindedness that we are trying to defend.
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