The Minutemen Come To NYC And Get Their Asses Kicked

The white supremacist vigilante group The Minutemen sent their ambassadors of hate to Columbia University and found out that New Yorkers aren't interested in their crap. They're not welcome here. They got the boot.

From the Columbia Spectator:

Protestors took the stage minutes after Jim Gilchrist, founder of the Minuteman Project, came to the microphone in Roone Arledge Auditorium Wednesday night, sparking a chaotic brawl involving more than 20 students, other attendees, and guests.

Two students in the International Socialist Organization unfurled a yellow banner reading, "No human being is illegal!" which prompted other protestors to rush the stage. Gilchrist supporters then clamored on stage while the speakers were ushered out of the auditorium.

"We were aware that there was going to be a sign and we were going to occupy the stage," said a protestor who was on stage and asked to remain anonymous. "I don't feel like we need to apologize or anything. It was fundamentally a part of free speech. ... The Minutemen are not a legitimate part of the debate on immigration."

Columbia security officers and presidential delegates, University employees who regulate events, broke up the brawl and closed the curtains, forcing 350 attendees to leave the auditorium and eventually the building.

The Columbia University College Republicans hosted Gilchrist and two other speakers from the Minutemen, a vigilante group that patrols the U.S.-Mexico border for illegal immigrants.

No one was arrested and University spokesman Robert Hornsby said that he could not discuss the consequences for those involved because the investigation is ongoing. Immediately following the event, Hornsby said that students would be dealt with under Dean's Discipline, but the response for those from outside Columbia was still undetermined. [...]

The protest that the Caucus originally organized occurred outside Lerner largely as planned. The event was publicized through the Internet and activist networks, and about 200 protestors, both students and others, came from all over New York to participate.

"I wish that it was larger and I wish we could have a larger impact right away," Xiomara Maldonado, BC '08 and member of the Barnard group Mujeres, said of the protest. "Clearly, it [the protestors] is a very diverse group. It's not just Latinos, it's not just people of color."

From The Unapologetic Mexican:

Of course, there will always be those confused and mentally impaired Americans who call racists like Gilchrist "heroic," and those who protest him "ugly," "savages," and "thugs" who can be conflated with both Al Qaeda and Iran's president, Mahmoud Ahmedinejad. But why shouldn't these issues and people all be mixed together? Iran, Iraq, Lebanon, Mexico, what the hell. They're all brown and under the Colonizers rifle scope. And it's always more fun when you just let your hate flow freely. Nuance? Careful and thoughtful analyzation of each problem based on its own particular characteristics? What? That sounds suspiciously French. [...]

New York students are fierce and passionate about their beliefs (as I'm sure many university students are around the country, I just have firsthand experience in New York). We know that Mexicans have a long history of standing up to oppression. And students, having young and usually open minds, have not yet had their will and heart crushed by the diseased system. These events at Columbia are good—no, they are wildly energizing. It is important for us all to see that not only in the West US, but also in the East, there are strong numbers and strong hearts standing up against institutionalized hate and hatemongering. Let's use this as fuel for our own often-battered and weary hearts.

[ Read it all and see video of the scuffle ]

NYC Indymedia has more.

Comments

[Donna]

I was watching Lou Dobbs yesterday and his comments were that the students should be ashamed of themselves and that there is no such thing as free speech at Columbia University. LOL I'd say those students exercised their right to free speech.

Off topic but I thought you might like to see this and I'd like to hear your take on it. It's about a facebook group named "Asians who hate Asians". Since I've been thinking recently about internalized racism (especially how it's affected me personally), this seems to be an example of that.
http://realmenarenot.com/blog1/?p=400

[Kai]

Thanks for the link, Donna. I responded in Luke's comment thread, but in case my comment gets stuck in moderation here's the body of what I said:

These folks are right about one thing though: some Asians are annoying and have no social skills; namely, the Asians in these hate groups. I mean, let’s be frank, it’s pretty obvious from the demonstrated quality and level of thought and discourse that these folks aren’t exactly the sharpest blades on the cleaver rack. These aren’t exactly the most discerning intellectual powerhouses around. These are people who have unknowingly swallowed the poison pill of white supremacy, so that they now believe that distancing themselves from (inaccurate and dehumanizing) stereotypes of Asians, via transparently insecure racist “jokes”, will somehow win them more action with the white folks (dates, jobs, a seat at the table, an invitation to high tea, whatever).

In other words, these are people who above all crave mainstream (white) acceptance and fear being grouped with The Mocked Other, not realizing that the price you have to pay (a la Michelle Malkin and Armstrong Williams) is to carve out a big chunk of your own soul and throw it into the pit of despair for all time. Not a good idea for those of us interested in living fulfilling, happy, well-adjusted lives.

To be fair, I oversimplified quite a bit here (for fun). The truth is that it's more or less impossible not to be indoctrinated to some degree by our white supremacist media culture. There are far subtler permutations of indoctrination, though, than starting a hate group against false stereotypes of your own people. That's just lame, and if you need to start or join a group like that to find friends, you clearly have no social skills. ;-)

Peace.

[belledame222]

>I mean, let’s be frank, it’s pretty obvious from the demonstrated quality and level of thought and discourse that these folks aren’t exactly the sharpest blades on the cleaver rack.>

o jesus. i seem to recall a story from some months ago wherein they decided they needed to patrol the Canadian border in Vermont. well, the little town where they based their operations made it pretty clear they were not welcome. Best part of the story, though: apparently they got hopelessly lost. someone apparently forgot their Rand McNally & Boy Scout Manual. the little dears, the little dears.

[Nezua Limón Xolagrafik-Jonez]

"an invitation to high tea, whatever"

that cracked me up.

[belledame222]

ehm, "they" in the vermont story referring to the Minutemen in general; i missed the bit about the Asians who hate Asians in my rush to mock the MM, somehow. jeez. well, i expect not.

reading over at Steve Gilliard, came across an old entry on La Shawn Barber. i had known who she was but have been largely sparing myself the experience of reading right wing bloggers, as given how exasperated a lot of "my" people make me, i dunno if my blood pressure could handle the likes of Malkin, Goldstein, Dawn Eden, Barber, LGF, etc.

well, the things you miss out on. i mean, i figured she pretty much had to be a fuckwit; but um HELLO, comparing the NAACP to Prussian Blue (the Nazi Olsen twins & their crazed White Power stage mom)?! is she HIGH?