A friend of mine, who attends George Mason University, sent this to me this evening.

Pakistani-American Student/Former Air Force Service Member Assaulted, Arrested for Protesting Military Recruiters

Date: Sep 29, 2005

[Message sent to George Mason University students]

Dear Students, Faculty, and Friends,

We are writing to inform you of a serious violation of civil liberties and blatant racism that occurred on campus today (9/29/05). Tariq Khan, a Pakistani-American student at George Mason, was assaulted and detained by the George Mason police. His crime? Standing 4 feet from the U.S. Marine recruiting table with an 8x11 piece of paper reading, "RECRUITERS TELL LIES" held by tape to his shirt. Tariq, a former Air Force service member, was exercising his right to express his opinion that military recruiters have no business being on a college campus. He was harassed by members of the ROTC- one of whom, a self-described Iraqi war veteran, stated that he couldn't wait to go back to Iraq to kill more Iraqis.

A JC operations representative arrived on the scene to tell Tariq that as a student, he had no right to voice his opinion without a permit, and that he must leave. Tariq defended his right to stand there, peaceably, and the operations staff-member called campus police. While waiting for their arrival, the ROTC guy returned to rip Tariq's sign off of his person and throw it in the trash.

Witnesses report that the responding police officer physically assaulted Tariq next to the stage in the JC, putting him in a headlock, choking him, and then proceeding to throw him against the stage. The entire time, Tariq announced, and witnesses concur, that he was being non-violent and not resisting. Eventually he was put in cuffs and taken away by two Mason police officers. Tariq was transported to the Fairfax County Adult Detention Center, with charges of tresspassing, disorderly conduct, and resisting arrest being pressed.

We urge you to get involved and to help us make a huge statement about this on campus. We are in the process of getting a permit to protest this inhumane treatment, and gross infringement of a felllow Mason student's right to peacefully express himself on our campus. While we wait to hear back from Events Management for a permit to protest, we are plannig to meet on the quad by the clocktower at 12 noon on Monday, where we have been assured the right of free speech for one hour. Please join us then, or contact either of us if you would like to be involved in planning any further course of action in this matter.

Peace and Blessings,

David E. Curtis and Golnesa Moshiri

Contact the President of GMU

Alan G. Merten, President

Phone: 703-993-8700

Address: Office of the President
George Mason University
4400 University Dr. MSN 3A1
Fairfax, VA 22030

http://www.campusantiwar.net/index.php?option=content&t...3&Itemid=2#Statement

quote:

Witnesses report that the responding police officer physically assaulted Tariq next to the stage in the JC, putting him in a headlock, choking him, and then proceeding to throw him against the stage. The entire time, Tariq announced, and witnesses concur, that he was being non-violent and not resisting.

I think we can all agree that much is just outrageous.

Oh, and permits, schmermits.

Someone's exercising their right to free speech. Better call the thought police. Better yet, the military. They don't like letting people use the freedoms they've been given.

That's somewhat obvious.

Or maybe I just only post when I disagree.

Although attacking popular ideas that tend to cause mindless collective action is also a hobby of mine.

yogore, it's called "Devil's Advocate Syndrome," as established by the St. Paul's Advanced Studies Program's Biomedical Ethics class of 2004. Mmm... I would agree with your argument though.

To the best of my knowladge, there is no legislation that says that campuses are exempt from protest regulations. However colleges typically don't cause a fuss about it because it's thier private property. If, however the protests interfer with campus operation or events, you'll probably get in trouble. Obviously this guy was interfering with the recruiters, which were a sanctioned event by the school. Had he not insisted on being 4 feet away from the stand, there probably wouldn't have been a problem.

A similar thing happened last week on my campus. There was an anti-war event of sorts on campus, and a small group of counter-protestors. The anti-war group had the paperwork to be there, it was thier event. Campus security asked the counter protestors to move to move a certain distance away. The complied, no problem.

This guy however was interfering with a school-sanctioned event, and he got what he deserved. I'm all for people who believe enough in a cause that they will be arrested or beaten for it. Hell I'm waiting for that occasion myself, ha. But don't claim abuse and racism when it happens. Don't claim assault when you refuse to move and resist arrest.

Seriously Dr, I think you disagree just to disagree sometimes.

I was under the impression that protesting was allowed on campus and it has been on every single campus I've been to or heard of.

I don't know about you but at my college, they tend to ignore the protest permits, but if the cops or security ask me to move, you move, because you're still there illegally.

The article is also more biased than news services because it's clearly not a news article but instead a rallying cry to other students, trying to get them to protest.

I'm all for protesting on campus, I've run a few personal covert flyer distributions myself, but I know if I'm violating law and estabilished protest regulations.

C'mon, DrS, a college student being arrested for protesting college recruiters on campus? Honestly, was it necessary? And all news sources are biased one way or another. . .

Angry young man protesting without a permit and when asked to move his illegal protest resists?

Sorry it sounds to me like this guy was at fault, and I'm skeptical of the reports of assault as this article is obviously biased on the side of the protester.

Also, I love how this is somehow an act of "blatant racism" when there is NO evidence whatsoever that this was racially motivated. I guess it was a racist act when they arressted Sheehan in DC last weekend. Gotta love false racism accusations actually INCREASING the problem of racial tension.