by Jason Robo
2009-02-20
The LumberJack
An impromptu rally formed immediately following Walid Shoebat’s controversial pro-Israel and anti-Islam speech against his appearance on February 18.
The stairs across from Humboldt State Universities van Duzer theatre became a shrine for the plight of the Palestinian people. Candles flickered dancing shadows amongst the ranks of protesters with their fist clenched and defiantly thrust into the air.
Some participants covered their face to protect their identities.
“Free Palestine,” and “no justice, no peace,” were some of the chants made to a beating drum. A circle gathers as ethnic studies major Saqib Keval took center stage.
“If you are here right now you have seen through the bullshit and understand what’s up.”
One masked protestor considered the event a “character assassination.”
Saqib summarizes Shoebats judgment of the protesters, “we are terrorists, potsmokers at best.”
Another masked comrade called Shoebat “racist bigot sellout” and his appearance HSU was “a conscious attack against our community and we must fight back.” Somebody echoes these sentiments shouting, “right on brother!”
Saqib described the Palestinian struggle as a life and death situation. He says the right to shoot and kill Palestinians is supported by Israel, the US and many western powers. He went on to say that colonization is the culprit and it happens to the Zapatistas in Mexico and indigenous people all over the world.
“If you think that manifest destiny has ended your sadly mistaken.”
Expressing his disgust that Associated Student fees, which all students pay, to the Shoebat event Saqib said that, “I paid for that, I paid for the death threats, I paid for the hate crimes I’m undoubtedly gonna experience because of what he said. I paid for the one handed information that he presented and I paid for the people in there to listen to what he said and to take that to their hearts because no alternative was presented.”
The second masked orator also conveyed discontent over the funding that the College Conservatives received. Due to the amount of hard work fundraising necessary for campus clubs like Black Student Union, Movimiento Estudiantil Chicano de Aztlán (MEChA) and others.
“We all have to scrape and scrounge and fundraise and stay up til 3’o clock in the morning cooking god damn tuna casserole.”
Dina Haigounian, Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences Representative/Vice Chair for Associated students, tried to explain how the money originated from AS. Funding is allocated by the multi-cultural center, “Associated students did not directly fund this.”
Porscha Cobbs, a former AS member and Diversity Program Funding Committee member joined in saying that “ultimately all of the money that the MCC spreading comes from AS”
The solution promoted for the Palestinian issues were to spread awareness in yourself and in others you know at class, in the dorms and the community.
Saqib concludes that “when your bigoted teacher or your bigoted classmate says some bullshit, stand up for what you believe in, stand up for what you know is right.”
On Wednesday February 25 the Women’s Resource Center general meeting will provide “a debriefing space for individuals to discuss their reactions.” The location for the meeting is Founder’s Hall 203 and starts at 6:30 pm. Contact them at hsuwomen@humboldt.edu.