BAY AREA, CA, March 19 -- MIM collected more than 100 signatures on the petition demanding an end to persecution of Professor Ward Churchill for his speech about 9-11. Churchill is a tenured professor at the University of Colorado, who is in danger of losing his job because he made a speech (three years ago) that the University administration does not agree with. Churchill's speech exposed the complicity of the Amerikan people with Amerikan imperialism's brutal attacks on the world's people. MIM agrees with Churchill's statements on this topic, but we call on all people who value freedom of speech and academic freedom to join us in defeating this attack by University Chancellor Phil DiStefano and the Governor of Colorado, Bill Owens.
The petitioning, at an anti-war rally commemorating the beginning of Amerikan attacks on Iraq, was popular with most of those in attendance. Many people recognized Churchill's name and stopped to sign the petition without asking questions, and others only needed a little information to remember that they had heard about this ridiculous witch hunt of an anti-imperialist activist. At times people lined up around the petition eager to put their name down in support of this battle. We only remind all petition gatherers to tell people that we are going on the offensive by asking for criminal prosecution of the conspirers against Ward Churchill's civil rights.
Only a few people had any disagreement with the petition. One womyn said she disagreed with what Churchill said but still signed the petition because she thinks he should be allowed to speak freely. A Jamaican man, who also signed the petition, argued that Churchill's statements were "insensitive" to the relatives of those killed in the 9-11 attacks. The petitioner argued that if the statements were correct, we can not afford to be worrying about sensitivity when it is a question of life and death. It would be even more "insensitive" to the people of the world being murdered by Amerikan imperialism not to speak out loudly and clearly as Churchill did.