Harvard’s immigration protestors and counter-protesters
Harvard students, fellow-travelers, and their oppontents mustered for an immigration protest/rally in front of University Hall this afternoon.
All of the participants stood on the paved paths, rather than the grass, so it’s hard to get an idea of the size of the crowd. My photos tend to exaggerate its size. The lawns are being reseeded and were roped off.
I was very pleased to see a small group of counter-protesters. (Surprised that any showed up, I asked, and was assured, that they were indeed “for real.” I noticed that they were standing fairly close to the Harvard University Police cruiser in the back — smart thinking.)
Poster: “I am an immigrant & I oppose illegal immigration”
(Update: 1/16/07) Shirt: “哈佛”, or “Harvard” in Chinese characters. Pronounced “hā fó” in Mandarin.
The last line of the sign (sorta-visible here) is in Japanese. I suspect they might have agreed with this article.
A video snippet of one of the speakers:
“…actually creates smoking-gun evidence that eclipses the fact that we Latinos, African-Americans, Pacific Islanders, Asians, European…we are here because you were there!”
The occasional “anarchism” logo on a poster suggests that this wasn’t just about immigration for some people:
Poster: No Fences No Borders Free Movement For All (The “A” in “All” is circled.)
I suppose this is the inevitable consequence of holding the rally on May Day.
I’d note that America doesn’t have mass strikes and protests on May Day, doesn’t want to start having mass strikes and protests on May Day, and that mass strikes and protests on May Day will only play into the hands of the xenophobe lobby, but, oddly enough, no-one consulted me on the wisdom of the date selection…