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Ethiopia’s tyrant to give a speech at Columbia University in NY

Posted on , Updated on by EthiopianReview.com

Columbia University in New York has invited Ethiopia’s genocidal dictator Meles Zenawi to give a speech on September 22, 2010.

The brutal dictator is asked to give a keynote address “on the topic of Ethiopia and African Leadership.”

Click here for more info. Contact: Email [email protected]; Tel (212) 851-7293

The University’s web site says this about Meles:

Under the seasoned governmental leadership of Prime Minister Meles Zenawi, now in his fourth term, and vision of the Tigrai Peoples Liberation Front (TPLF) and Ethiopian Peoples Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF), Ethiopia has made and continues to make progresses in many areas including in education, transportation, health and energy. – Source

It’s unbelievable that such a description about one of the world’s most vicious, corrupt, incompetent tyrants is posted on a prestigious American university’s web site. Only a hired lobby firm such as DLP Piper can come up with such a lie. The truth is that under Meles Zenawi and his tribal TPLF junta, most Ethiopians not only live in abject poverty, they are also being brutalized and systematically starved.

This invitation is a cruel insult against Ethiopians who are being brutalized by the fascist dictator.

Columbia University may not know who Meles Zenawi really is, so this is a good opportunity for Ethiopians around the world to educate them.

Lee C. Bollinger, President, Columbia University
Phone: (212) 854-9970; Fax: (212) 854-9973
Email: [email protected]

University Programs and Events
Office of the President
Columbia University in the City of New York
202 Low Library, 535 West 116th Street, New York, NY 10027

Tel: +1-212-851-7421; Fax: +1-212-851-7410
Email: [email protected]

35 thoughts on “Ethiopia’s tyrant to give a speech at Columbia University in NY”

  3. Hi Elias

    Would you please post the link you had before about those killed citizes by Agazi militia who were under direct control of Meles?

    We will send that to the Columbia univ president. This killer should be exposed infront of the the democratic columbia univ students.

  6. Dear Elias

    Columbia University has been well known for inviting notorious individuals in the past. The same time in 2007 they invited Ahmadinejad of Iran and despite all oppositions they did it. I guess the good way to challenge may be, if possible, is to attend the meeting and challenge wedi Zenawi. As far as he is getting help from goons like Joseph Stiglitz and others of the University, he will speak. But instead of just emailing let’s come up with really good ideas and challenge the University.

  8. This is how USA promotes its puppet. Remebmer USA has been propping up Sadam Hussein, even Bin Laden, until they start to go astray and become enemies of America. Meles’ current appearance in international forums representing Africa is the work of USA and UK. They are trying to cleanse his blood-tainted hand and his disgraced name by doing such PR works.

  9. I Leave in Europe and I couldn’t make it to protest buy I suggest everybody carry a simple banner of 99.6% and Birtukan Mediksa’s picture. It is simple and says everything wrong about his government.

  11. The invitation is yet another reflection, if one was needed, of how deeply rooted the corrupt values are in these societies. Meles is after all doing the american governments dirty jobs in our region. Let us lobby the university, but above all let this be fuel to our unrelenting march to liberate our region and countries from the ravages of these screwed up values. We should not be confused or disoriented by stamps of approval and respectability and pseudo intellectual arguments, let us trust in our own honest judgement.

    We shall overcome, the people will prevail.
    Peace

  12. When Money Speaks, Truth remains Silent~Russian Proverb
    It is very disappointing to see that, the University is making Meles to be one of the best democratically elected, well accomplished Prime Minister in the world. It is one thing, if the University inform and educate their students about all the crimes tyrant Meles has committed on Ethiopians, and have plans to challenge the cold-blooded killer. It seems Meles’s Woyane supporters and the well connected and rich
    foreign business people, who are getting literally free land in Ethiopia are doing everything for their provider to make him look like a saint.
    I hope all the Ethiopian Scholars in every field who live around the world use their status to inform the Columbia University faculty member and the students about the crimes Meles has committed and the money Meles and his Woyane buddies have looted. Let the voice and cries of every Ethiopian mother and father that have lost their children by Meles’s Agazi Army, and every mother and father their children locked up in prison be heard.
    This invitation is an insult to all Meles’s victims and their families and to all non-Woyane Ethiopians.

  13. lets all ethiopians flooded emails to the president of colombia university and other legelatives about the criminal and terrorist racist leader of meles zenawi who has carried out a number of crimes for the last 20 years including genocide, continous killings, harassment and jailing of ethiopians. Meles and his tplf criminal group led the country to endless poverty including famine, draught and other calamities….let us use this and expose this evil, please…ethiopians this is the easiest we can do….

    p.s . elias could you prepare a sample letter so that everyone can copy paste and send it, please….

  14. The best way to do it is – have very educated and elequent Ethiopians attend the meeting and pepper him with questions and challenges till his face turns red and blue. That will make him thnk twice to open his mouth in public again. What do u think ????

  15. It is appalling! Adolf Hitler being the key note speaker for Jewish Human Rights. or Cornel Sanders of Kentuky Fried Chicken for the rights of the chicken.
    Shame on Columbia University! maybe we ought to show the pictures of the victims as a protest so the invitees understand that he is a monster with a blood of multitude victims.

  17. All who love freedom and fights for justice should come together and immediately begin a campaign of letters, emails, phone calls of unprecedented number to bring to light one more time the injustice and crime committed against Ethiopians by the government of Meles as well as the natioanl tragedy of Birtukan.

    ER is as always in the forefront of exposing this crimianl government.

  19. I am coming to this site more often and I am your visitor for news and info,I have posted my point on your site in regard of Melese coming and you only picked what is fitting to your interest can we be heard ,It looks like a communities demagogy what you are doing we need to be heard me and my fellow Ethiopians letters should be published ,don’t Dictate our voice ,This is America Only Democracy is the rule of low and don’t lose your support too…..

  20. I think all able indivial should go to the University and confrent him!!! like we did with Dr Berger Queen( jandi). bring all the pics from 2005 and ofcourse the 99.6% poster , and the human rights report from Ogaden and all prisons pic. And any think you can think of that will exposs his chiwawa Ass. they know ,but to let them know we know who he is as well.and to let the attend know as well, the attend may not know who he is, but the University does know who this butcher is!!!!!.

  21. here is a nice sample letter

    Dear Dr. Bollinger,

    I am deeply saddened by your university’s lack of insight in inviting a killer dictator such as Meles Zenawi of Ethiopia to a prestigious place such as the Columbia University of New York. It is deeply troubling when Columbia University under your leadership is rolling out a red carpet to invite a notorious killer and murderer into your campus.

    Has your stuff bothered to do some research before they invite anyone from Africa where killer dictators are rampant? Or you don’t care as long as a dictator is not a terrorist killing Americans? Does it mean that you don’t give a hoot if a dictator like Meles Zenawi kills his own people like flies? Have you ever considered to look into Meles Zenawi’s file at the US State Department? Please do. Don’t take my word for it. Check US Government records to get to the truth.

    We ask you politely, as the president of Columbia University, to rescind this gross error in judgment by inviting a well-known murderer to Columbia University.

    We appreciate your cooperation.

    Thanks,
    Kirubeal Bekele
    Seattle, Washington

  22. A good way to challenge the Tyrant is to hold pictures of the people he PERSONALLY ordered to be killed by his Agazi force.

    Print them and post them on a poster board and …. just show to the world what kind of tyrant this murderer is.

    All the other offenses of the tyrant, they can all be swept under the rug so dont even waste your time. JUST SHOW WHAT A BLOOD THIRSTY MURDRER he is. Their justification is going to be those are just dead Africans, it could have been worse. But I am sure there are more sensible people there.

  23. Let’s swarm the president’s office with the barrage of protest letters like K.B
    My fellow brothers and sisters, We can’t afford this tug come in and buy glory.He has been spending millions and millions of dollars that he scamed from our people to sharp his image. This is our turf and serf.

  24. I like # 20 Baclach’s sample, if someone makes similar sample with more concrete links regarding the dictator’s abuse of human right, corruption ….while the content is the same or shorter. It will be easy to every one to send an email when there is /are samples and the message will be stronger. This is for the people who could not attend the meeting (if the dictator still will be there), for the people who can be there it will be the best to confront him as # 19(Almaz) subjected. I wish I could able to write one of the samples, but I am not good at it.

    God save Ethiopia from daylight hyenas.

  25. Ginbot-7, here is the time for you to show your leadership. I am hopeful that you send a well written, well documented e-mail to the President of Columbia University , the faculty members and to all students in behalf of all peace loving Ethiopians. With out a doubt, the power of money is working in behalf of the notorious dictator Meles, but the truth is on Ethiopians side, if we play our cards right this is a good time to show the world who the real Meles is. The time to inform the Columbia University Students and the faculty members about the killer of innocent Ethiopians, killer Meles is yesterday, please don’t wait till next week. T-Shirts, leaflets, and e-mails need to be spread around the University starting now. Meles is sticking his ugly tongue at us, please do not wait to the last minute to inform the students the truth about Meles.

  26. ER,

    Hope you post this.

    Hooray, Ethiopians here for the first time being active for real. Good for us! It is not just this time, we should do this all the time. Especially about Birtukan.

    Got an idea, we should wear her t-shirts like the ones from activists in LA last week on Little Ethiopia, her big posters with title “Free True Ethiopian Birtukan Mideksa!” That will send a message that Meles is not patriotic. Most of all we should show a poster indicating Meles being anti Ethiopian which shows Asab port being gone (I am sure some of Ethiopians, are you anti Ethiopian? will not support this, god knows why), Gonder to Sudan, etc. This will really send the message to the West how is this guy represents Ethiopia if he does all this anti Ethiopianism? What is more saddening also, not only we Ethiopians are not active in the diaspora except very few like Elias, most of us are timid and are not elequent speakers, Hailu Shawel comes to mind. We have to have speakers for all time to send messages. PR is the best marketing for Ethiopia. We are far away from that.

    That being said, there is Abesha guy with the Tigrayan name who is a scientist there working with Jeffrey Sacchs. It is possible he promoted Meles’ invitation. I am just speculating about this, it may not be true. What is more Meles makes sure many Weyane spies will be there to do revenge on protesters there and taking pictures, etc. Who knows also he may have lobbies pausing as just Americans but working for Weyane to root out protesters. So let us not be naive about all these possibilites. And if we found out that DLA-Piper got involved in this, let us shame them also with slogan ” While Ethiopians are starving, Meles is paying millions to DLA Piper” Our ticket to winning is we need to market “starvation and famine”. How Meles is able to do all this while Ethiopians are starving? How the calim the economy is growing while 2/3rd of the population is starving.

    Long live Ethiopia!
    Go get them tigers!

  27. This is the work of one of the tyrant’s longtime supporter by the name of Professor Jeffrey Sachs, Director of the Earth Institute at Columbia University (e-mail: [email protected]). Jeffrey Sachs has been a longterm meles’s public relations officer in the western world. Needless to say the Professor is the most intellectually dishonest and will do anything for money. Please write to Jeffrey Sachs boss a campaign style letter to Professor Joseph Stiglitz, Program Director of International Development and Globalization (e-mail: [email protected]) to expose the work of this intellectula mercenary for the crimes against the people of Ethiopia and the horn.

  28. Elias – Professor Jeffrey Sachs is the most dangerous intellectual mercenary working on behalf of the tyrant for a long long time. He has been instrumental for Meles’s international public relations far more than DLA Piper or the Law firm reatined by Meles.

    Elias – please organize a letter writing campaign exposing this mercenary professor for the complicity against the crime against Ethiopians. Professor Sachs source of income must be investigated by IRS. He must be exposed to his peers for what he is – a mercenary.

    Go to the website of Columbia University at http://globaldevphd.columbia.edu/FacultyStaff.asp and expose

  29. Elias as well as People please email to Columbia university the different articles related the killings of Ethiopians during the 2005 Election include please Meles is a wanted person by international court please contact mister gregory to send a letter to columbia university about Meles being a wanted person for killing many Ethiopians. I personally have emailed different articles that I have found from the internet about the killing of the 2005 May 15 election however I was unable to find the 2 brothers killing and Alem Zuriya’s mother killing if anyone finds these different killing articles please email to these people at the university please call them also I have left message in both phone I found from Ethiopian review I will try tomorrow also to talk to a person. More over if there is any student who went to this university send an email you are sad when your university envites a creaminal person.

    [email protected]

  30. Make sure your letters are polite and courteous.

    ======================

    Letter to Columbia University

    Good Day;

    Congratulations on your initiative on the CGT’s the World and Africa Series. I hope it’d be a forum where Africa’s progress could be discussed by renowned economic and political leaders.

    However, your choice of a speaker who still heads two “Fronts” (even after nineteen years of being at the helms of power) as if he is still at war with the country he’s supposed to lead, is very imprudent and unwise in its taste to say the very least. The Choice of Meles Zenawi, a dictator who declared he won the recent election by 99.6 percent in such a diverse country; a tyrant known for silencing every form of dissent – by his actions including incarcerating civic and opposition leaders; tens of thousands students; journalists; imprisoning and killing peaceful demonstrators would be deemed as lackadaisical and inadvertent to the plight of the majority of Ethiopians suffering under Zenawi’s rule.

    Your selection of Zenawi at a time when a young, vibrant, and very popular judge and opposition leader is sent for life to languish in the country’s notorious jail for none other than expressing a verified fact that involved elders and confirmed by all parties involved in the case, would sent the wrong message to those who would like to participate in Africa’s progress. In a world where regimes now went beyond fulfilling the basic needs of their countrymen, your uninformed decision of calling upon an autocrat, who presided over a regime responsible for starving tens of millions every year for the last nineteen years and played a key role in the alleged embezzlement of the 1984 Worldwide Aid (led by Bob Geldof and “We are the World”, as being reported by the BBC) adds a salt to the wound of those affected by his genocidal actions in Somalia; the Ogaden; Gambela; Arba Gugu and other numerous regions in Ethiopia.

    I hereby call upon Colombia University and the CGT to review their selection and replace Zenawi by other democratic African leader or if necessary cancel the event for the sake of keeping the ‘Values’ enshrined in the United States Constitution. The true leader of Ethiopian people, Judge Birtukan Mideksa’s constitutional right of the First Amendment, the Freedom of Expression, should be respected at least in a country where Colombia University is located at and providing platforms to promote the likes of Zenawi, who deny these rights, is tantamount to collaborating with their actions. I look forward to your response and expect a positive outcome out of this.

    Regards,

    Ewnetu

  31. For those in Tri-state area:

    – Get to the venue before most other participants get there to fill all available front seats.

    – Make sure Zeregnw Zenawi can have no chance but to look the banners showing protest and the pictures of those murdered under his direct order.

    – Make every possible attempt to fill the question and answer session with questions about his crime and murder spree since 1991. These should be well coordinated among three to five ethiopians forming a team prepared to read questions written ahead of time.

    – Find stinky pairs shoes and hurl at Zerafiw Zenawi so the participants know how disgusted you are with the head of tribal mafia. I bet you will have a good laugh out of seeing the cowardly Zenawi racing like rat. Make sure to capture and send out the video if that happens.

  32. Tyrants always find safe heaven in our community after inflicting irreparable damage to their nation. Colombia University, a reputed Institute who was supposed to fight for justice and the principle of law has now joined the western governments to to embrace tyrants like Meles. Remember, doing so is equivalent to producing young people of like mind with Meles who some day will march to Washington to lead this country.
    I hope they understand what they are doing.

  34. Anonymous,

    I like your letter except at the end where it says “I expect..”. I have seen other letters posted by others on ER too and in fact one of them seemed to have order too. We have to be careful when we write these letters. It will indicate who we are if we give orders or are forceful. What we should start is as Ananymous did give a nice greeting and give them a great gratitude and encouragement for doing this, then address the fact then finally, send a message saying to review their actions.

    Thinking about it in fact, the coming of Melese and this protest and letters is a blessing because it gives us a chance to show U.S to describe who Meles is. Let us take this as positive and good opportunities. He put himself in trap when he said yes to this invitation. What is more, protesting by ourselves only is nothing, we need to tell others to come join us so that they have knowledge about this.

  35. Dimmaa,

    You are right about Sacchs. I read an article that his economic policies after the fall of Soviet Union is what made many Russians starved and their economy failed. They were fighting for a bread. This was around early 90s. Of course he was chosen because U.S doesn’t want to compete with Russia. In addition, I forgot which Latin American country, I think either Bolivia or Peru that his economic policy advice crushed the economy of this country. So, I think Sacchs is bad news.

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