Jim Gilchrist, founder of the Minuteman Project, which advocates for the use of armed civilian border patrols to stop illegal immigration, was scheduled to speak during a conference on Saturday sponsored by the Harvard Undergraduate Legal Committee. But after protesters objected, the committee disinvited him, saying that his presence “was not compatible with providing an environment for civil, educational, and productive discourse on immigration,” according to today’s Boston Globe. An appearance by Mr. Gilchrist at Columbia University in 2006 led to a brawl.
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6 Responses to Harvard Students Rescind Invitation to Founder of Anti-Immigrant Group
jasonpaneque - October 16, 2009 at 4:09 pm
Re: the headlineIs it Anti-Immigrant Group or Anti-Illegal Immigrant Group?There is a difference.
mssmiley - October 16, 2009 at 4:35 pm
If the differece is elucidated, would you support hateful speech and violence againgt any group? Yes, we discourage illegal immagration (depending on whose definition it is) nothing justifies abirity violence and outright intimidation of any group of people. We have to look at the historicallly flawed immigtation policy if this country to gain deeper insights into its current state.
swish - October 16, 2009 at 5:06 pm
Misrepresentation of anyone’s views is not a good thing. However, Gilchrist himself does seem to be truly anti-immigrant, even if his group’s official stance is limited to illegal immigrants. See http://www.hlrecord.org/2.4462/minuteman-jim-gilchrist-advocates-xenophobia-1.577207. One good thing about having him speak at Harvard is that it would keep him away, for just a little while, from venues where he might actually persuade somebody.I don’t get this business of cancelling controversial speakers. What if it is “hate speech”? Before we can discredit it, we have to hear it, don’t we? Refusing to listen (and denying others the chance to listen) doesn’t make the lies, hatred, or ignorance go away. It just makes us the ignorant ones.
raywarren - October 16, 2009 at 5:52 pm
Gilchrist’s group is anti illegal immigration. Why is that a problem?
rpmthinking - October 17, 2009 at 1:50 am
Who ever thought left-leaning Harvard would have been comfortable with anyone who was against illegal immigration? I am surprised the invite came in the first place.
econ89 - October 20, 2009 at 5:06 pm
I would never invite Gilcrest or anyone from his group to campus. They ARE anti-immigrant in a way in a automatic, ignorant way that would not add much to a serious discussion. It truly is a hate group with a weak disguise of just seeking to enforce the law.Having said that, I think the disinvitation was the wrong thing to do. He might represent a mob, but Gilchrist himself would not disrupt campus. A threat of a demonstration is not a reason to cancel a speaker.