Day of Shame at Berkeley

Above: Farrakhan at UC Berkeley today (SF Gate)




Students arriving to hear Farrakhan (The Final Call)


I have been checking the internet during the day for reports on Louis Farrakhan's speech today at UC Berkeley. The San Francisco Chronicle has just posted this report on its SF Gate:

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2012/03/10/BAA91NIPG9.DTL

The above report states that UC President Yudof had issued a statement as a response to Farrakhan's (coming) appearance.

"As for incendiary speakers, we cannot as a society allow what we 
regard as vile speech to lead us to abandon the cherished value of 
free speech. But the same Constitution that permits some public 
figures to engage in hateful commentary also protects my right and 
duty - and your right and duty - to condemn these merchants of hatred 
when they come into our community. Again, the best remedy for bad 
speech is to surround it with good speech." - Yudof

That statement, which was issued late this week, did not mention Farrakahan. Was it made because of the 

Farrakhan appearance or in response to a letter just sent to him by the AMCHA Initiative (reported here)?

http://garyfouse.blogspot.com/2012/03/amcha-letter-to-uc-president-mark-yudof.html

From today's Chronicle report, it appears that Farrakhan repeated his old refrain on how White America is still keeping African-Americans down. Then came his "word" to the Jewish students as he warned America and Israel not to attack Iran. There was even a joke at the expense of Asians.

And after two hours, a standing ovation for a hate monger.

And only one lone protester, a courageous young student named Noah Ickowitz.

This past couple of days, I challenged UC President Mark Yudof and Berkeley President Robert Birgeneau to go to the event and stand up after Farrakhan's speech and tell him what he is and that the Black Student Union should be ashamed to bring this vile peddler of hate to campus. They apparently did not attend.

Oh, I'm sure they probably had more urgent business to attend to. Yudof was probably out of town at some conference or other convenient business. Birgeneau was probably sitting in his office signing papers or perhaps golfing on his day off.

"But the same Constitution that permits some public figures to 

engage in hateful commentary also protects my right and 

duty - and your right and duty - to condemn these merchants 

of hatred when they come into our community."

At least one young student named Noah Ickowitz took those words to heart.