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Mahajans disgusted; university cancels Kissinger visit

Sonia Chopra

"Democracy is not always neat,'' said Gretchen Ritter, an associate professor of government at the University of Texas-Austin.

"Dissent is not always polite.''

His thoughts echo those of the Mahajan brothers -- Romi and Rahul -- and their campus radical soul-mates who have accused the university of sabotaging democracy.

They say the University and Henry Kissinger, the former secretary of state, had denied them the right to protest against Kissinger's visit to the University of Texas-Austin. The Mahajans and other campus radicals had called Kissinger a war criminal because of the policies during the Vietnam War, the invasion of East Timor and the overthrow of an elected Chilean government.

And now, the members of faculty have joined the media, academics on other campuses and civil liberty groups in criticizing university president Larry Faulkner for canceling the event. The university said it was scared that a WTO-type of protest in Seattle could unfold on its campus. Romi and Rahul Mahajan, the radical student leaders, call the claim "ludicrous." Bob Jensen, a journalism professor, and ally of the Mahajans says the school acted in a cowardly manner.

Kissinger was to address students and faculty on February 1 at the Lyndon B Johnson Library.

"We think you blew it on this one,'' said Alan Cline, a computer science professor, in discussing the issue with the media on Tuesday.

According to Associated Press, Faulkner told the university's Faculty Council that he agreed with the decision to halt the speech but denied that he personally canceled it.

The university canceled Kissinger's visit citing "analysis and advice of security agencies, including the US Secret Service and the UT-Austin police," although the Secret Service said this week it did not tell school officials to cancel the lecture.

When a faculty member asked Faulkner what he would do to make sure the cancellation does not encourage more protests, he said, "I don't have a silver bullet.''

Jensen, an associate professor of journalism who worked with the Mahajans to protest against Kissinger, asserted once again the speech should have gone forward and the police should have been able to handle any possible problems.

"When you have a controversial speaker like Henry Kissinger, people know there is a chance police will ask you to leave or be quiet,'' Jensen said. "You have a choice of being arrested. It's another way of expressing the strength of your convictions."

Romi Mahajan, a 28-year-old communications student, and his brother Rahul, 30, who is working on his doctorate in physics, were the leaders of the protest. They have repeatedly said their six-month-old organization called The Radical Action Network was not interested in a violent confrontation.

''This was not our first act of protest,'' Romi had said in an earlier interview. ''We have had many, many protests before and they have always been of a peaceful nature.''

"We protested at the idea of Kissinger speaking because he stands for so much of what we are fighting against. He has a horrific record of crimes against humanity in history," he added.

"For us the idea of Kissinger appearing on campus was a no-brainer," Rahul said. "We would never endorse that. Kissinger is a typical 'poster child' to be held in contempt because of his despicable crimes."

The Mahajans and Jensen are not discouraged by the university's attitude; they are disgusted. But they know for sure they are not running out of radical causes.

EARLIER REPORT:
Why is Kissinger scared of the Mahajan brothers?

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