Chapel Hill, NC – Over 120 students rallied against John Ashcroft at the University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill campus Sept. 12, disrupting his speech. Ashcroft was Attorney General under Bush. He is responsible for the repressive PATRIOT Act, legislative attacks on women's reproductive rights and policies aimed at criminalizing immigrant workers.

Students for a Democratic Society called for the demonstration early in the week. As word got around campus that Ashcroft was coming to speak and that a protest was being organized, other student groups planned their own response. Meghan Morris, from Feminist Students United, explained why they protested, “John Ashcroft represents a lot of the racism, homophobia and sexism in the U.S. today. He opposes abortion and same-sex marriage; he is behind the most egregious assaults on our civil liberties in recent years, especially since Sept. 11. He epitomizes everything about the policies that hurt so many people – except rich white men like himself.”

The rally kicked off with students chanting for an end to the 'war on terror' and the occupation of Iraq. With megaphone in hand, students made speeches denouncing Ashcroft while passers-by stopped to see what was going on. Student activist Mohanned Mallah condemned Ashcroft's racist attacks on Arab-Americans in the aftermath of Sept. 11. He said, “I am not a terrorist – I am Arab! I came over to the U.S. from Palestine when I was five years old. It's policies that John Ashcroft and the Bush administration make that have kept me from getting my citizenship – or even my permanent residence. I'm not even a green card holder. I would like to go home and see my family in Jordan, but I wouldn't be allowed back into the country, so I've been stuck in the United States for the past fifteen years.”

When Ashcroft's talk began, the protesters streamed into the auditorium. Each time Ashcroft spoke on the occupation of Iraq and the 'war on terror,' students disrupted his speech, standing up to expose his lies. Ashcroft became increasingly frustrated and arrogant towards his challengers. Things came to a head when 60 students at the front of the auditorium stood up and led a coordinated walkout. This led to a new rally outside, louder than before, demanding that Ashcroft leave. The rally swelled to 120 protesters, who could be heard clearly from inside the auditorium. Later, the demonstrators spotted Ashcroft exiting the building and chased after him chanting, “Fascist go home!”

A debate is now raging on campus over the protesters' tactics. Some say that the protest “hurt the credibility of the student body,” and was a “disgrace.” Others counter that the protesters did a good thing in opposing Ashcroft, arguing that war criminals should be confronted any time they set foot on campus. Eastern Carolina University student Jacek Teller, of Iraq Veterans Against the War, summed up his message to students this way, “Don't buy into the drumbeat for war, don't rally around the flag thinking it's going to provide you security, because it's not. If you do that, you're just part of the system of manufactured consent for these war crimes.”

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Chapel Hill, NC – Chants of, “Out of Iraq, out of our schools!” rose above the noise of afternoon traffic as protesters marched to Chapel Hill’s new Army Career Center on Wednesday, Nov. 15. Led by UNC-Chapel Hill’s chapter of Students for a Democratic Society, the group of about 50 marchers was joined by another several dozen protesters at the recruiting station. Demonstrators held a rally and a press conference condemning the war against Iraq and the predatory tactics of military recruiters.

“The military has come to Chapel Hill because they are desperate for more young people to continue occupying Iraq. They will do anything to get the next recruit,” said Ben Carrol, member of UNC-Chapel Hill SDS. “In recent years Pell Grants and other programs that help low-income youth attend college have been drastically slashed while the military budget has gone through the roof. As the federal government cuts off the means for low-income students to attend college, the military's recruiting budget has skyrocketed to over $4 billion. Coincidence? I don’t think so.”

Emily McFarlane, a member of SDS and UNC-CH's Feminist Students United, spoke about the special threat that military recruiters presented to women and people who are gay, lesbian or bisexual. “The evidence of military and military recruiter violence against women is staggering,” McFarlane said. “Recruiters are assaulting women at an overwhelming rate. Since 1996, 722 army recruiters have been accused of rape or sexual misconduct. Last year alone over 100 women, mostly high school students, reported that they were raped by military recruiters trying to persuade them to enlist. This is not a case of a few bad apples – sexism and sexual violence are an integral part of the U.S. military.”

McFarlane also spoke about the military’s ‘don't-ask-don't-tell’ policy: “Why should we allow military recruiters on our campus in blatant violation of our own university’s non-discrimination policies? We do not want our women subjected to sexual violence. We do not want our young men turned into instruments of sexual violence. We want every person valued and protected from violence and discrimination. So what do we do? Refuse to be a part of the military, a system that normalizes sexism, heterosexism and sexual violence. Refuse the presence of a recruiting station that enlists young men and women to continue these horrific trends. Military recruiters out now.”

The demonstrators were not fazed by the group of about ten war supporters who had gathered at the station, even when the small group began hurling insults and threats. Meanwhile, a team of police officers looked on and grinned, clearly waiting for a fight that would give them a reason to shut down the demonstration. In spite of these attacks, the protesters continued their rally, finishing with a declaration that this action would not be the last, saying that they were committed to opposing the recruiters wherever they went until the station is shut down.

UNC Chapel Hill Students for a Democratic Society and its allies have joined a growing movement across the country to stop the war in Iraq where it starts, by opposing military recruiters on the ground. By slowing or stopping the flow of new recruits into the U.S. military, anti-war activists in the U.S. can do a great deal to undermine the occupation of Iraq. While the politicians in Washington may not listen to protests or votes, they will have no choice but to withdraw when they run out of soldiers to fight and die in their criminal wars for profit in the Middle East.

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