Rally Held After GMU Student's Arrest
About 100 students attended a noon rally yesterday at George Mason University in support of a student who said he was arrested Thursday by campus police for protesting the presence of a military recruiter in the student center.
Tariq Khan, 27, of
Falls Church said he was standing about four feet from a Marine Corps
recruiter with a sign on his chest that read: "Recruiters lie. Don't be
deceived." Khan, who said he served four years in the U.S. Air Force,
said campus police asked him to leave the area after two students
ripped off his sign. He said that he refused to leave the area and that
police used force to remove him from the center.
Daniel
L. Walsch, a school spokesman, said the university was investigating
the campus police role in the arrest and whether Khan violated
university rules. "George Mason reiterates its deep commitment to
freedom of speech," Provost Peter N. Stearns said in a statement read
by students at the rally. "We must work to avoid attacks on expressions
of free speech, including destruction of signs and other written
statements."
Khan said he was charged with disorderly conduct and trespassing.
By |
October 4, 2005; 11:48 AM ET
| Category:
Colleges and Universities
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Posted by: W | October 4, 2005 2:41 PM
Actually, sounds more like a bunch of bored cops, who would be better off studying the law than violating the liberties that protect our country.
Posted by: X | October 10, 2005 3:08 PM
Mr. Kahn was wearing a sign; he wasn't lighting himself on fire or doing anything outrageous that I've heard of. His message was not obscene nor was it designed to upset anyone's moral sensitivities. It was just, apparently, unpopular with a couple people in the audience.
I'm from a conservative and military family. I don't have to agree with Mr. Kahn's solitary protest and message to agree that he has the right to say it. Heck, I'm thankful for the four years he apparently did serve. To me, protestors and their slogans (most of whom and which I don't agree with) are just the sweet music of liberty playing.
Posted by: Anne | October 14, 2005 8:55 AM
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Sounds like a bunch of bored students who would be better off studying than protesting those protecting our country.