Columbia president Lee Bollinger tries to portray the university as an oasis of free speech that is tolerant of even dictators such as Meles Zenawi who repress their people.
However, a speech freedom group named Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE) has recently issued a red alert (see here) against Columbia University for a number free speech violations. In one case, the university suspended the hockey team for distributing “offensive” flyer:
After intense public criticism, Columbia University revoked its semester-long suspension of the Men’s Ice Hockey Club. Columbia suspended the club for the semester—effectively canceling the club’s entire season—for posting recruiting flyers containing language that some found offensive. FIRE, along with other groups and individuals both within and outside the university, vociferously opposed Columbia’s attack on free expression. Columbia’s Office of Athletics Communications issued a statement announcing a reduction in the club’s punishment. The club was allowed to engage in league play, but it remained suspended from its preseason and nonleague games. The club was also required to apologize for the flyer, attend “leadership training,” and remains on probation for one year. [read]
A tyrant such as Meles Zenawi of Ethiopia who jails, tortures and murders innocent people has more right in the eyes of President Bollinger than his own students when it comes to free speech!!
Washington Times associate editor J.P. Freire writes:
It’s all well and good that he [Meles] is an ally for the United States, but why should Columbia honor him with a speaking engagement?
Read Freire’s opinion piece here.
9 thoughts on “Freedom of speech group issues code red against Columbia”
This opportunity could be used to let the world know the injustice that is happening in Ethiopia . After all NEW YORK is the melting pot and we Ethiopians can expose to the World community what is happening in Ethiopia right there by Columbia University In NEW YORK.
it is all double standard.it is do what i say not what i do wen it comes to the interest of the university and it is OK. but not for the interest of poor Ethiopian whose life is in the hands of this murder TPLF woyane for the last 20 years and paying dearly with their life.and this great university is willing to give a platform to this layer Mlese Zenawe when our leader Bertkan Medeksa and countless prisoners of conscience are languishing in his concentration camp and it is very sad.
My Ethiopian fellows .the fight has started but not lost.There should be at least one true Ethiopian student in Columbia Universtiy.He/She can organize Ethiopian Evening, gather students and tell them and show them video of the victims of brutal regime.If there is any Eritrean..you guys has to tell the unhuman deportation of 100,000 Eritreans using the method of Id Amin of Uganda and Hitler of Germany. Beleive me we can bring the Admin of the so called Columbia university to step down.Eritrean and Ethiopian work together for the same goal get rid of this Cancer.Somalians can raise the killing of thousands Somalians , those who gang raped by weyane soldiers all this can be brought to attention of students.
it never rains it pours.. thank you Elias for opening pandora’s box.. they will see more coming their way!
God Bless Ethiopia
Folks: These spiritually, morally, socially, intellectually, physically, etc. aging hedonist Columbia guys, totally insensitive to realities and basic tenets of humanism are deeply insulting the intelligences of the 80 million Ethiopians being forcefully kept by GUN under the enslavement and brutal domination of the black “NAZI” type tiny clique dictatorial misrule and BAD GOVERNANCE that have been getting worse and worse from year to year.
They want to export, promote and impose the world’s filthiest worst kind of undemocratic misrule, bad governance and brutal dictatorship under which they themselves may NEVER live even for a second.
They are exposing their own RACIST double morality,double standardism and intellectual fascism by directly and indirectly as well actively prescribing and promoting fascism and dictatorship for 80 million Ethiopians but the good democracy and pluralism for their own country.
They might have been outmaneuvered, manipulated, bribed by the dirt rich ONE MAN dictator ROBBER BARRON as to promote him, be ACT AS HIS VOICES and his unjust cause against 80 million Ethiopians from whom the dictator robs VOICES, material and immaterial resources.
The diaspora NEEDS to increase its unity within diversity and act as active voices of the voiceless because it is the universal duty of humanity and humanism to defend the defenseless against hedonistic predator blind divisive and manipulative mother of all such shameless 21st brutes.
Determination, pro activity and united broad based action is the primary line of activities.
Even the brutal dictator has come to power through cunning manipulations, determination, pro activity coupled with unintended unity.
Sachs and Stiglitz are not alone that have been badly misinformed intentionally by Woyanes that, all the protesters are all Amharas who want to take the power back from Meles. I am also convinced that the Obama administration might be one of many that have been fooled and believe Woynes made up story about Amharas wanting to take the power back from Meles. Our elite well educated sons and daughters of Ethiopia have to work harder to get the real information out and inform influential people around the world and all the world leaders. Yesterday, I saw a clip from fox news on Keith Olberman show on MSNBC–one of those Fox news anchor man talking about a bunch of Ethiopian Taxi drivers in NY. And about a month ago, I remember hearing a story that. most Ethiopians don’t consider themselves Africans something to that nature — all of a sudden, these kinds of made up stories are coming out non other than woyanes that want the rest of the world to hate Ethiopians and introducing slowly but surly their country called Abay Tigrea.
Brother Elias, you are one of the true sons of Ethiopia and I have faith in you and people like you, the Non-Woyane Ethiopians— to make sure that, the most majority people in the world are informed that all Ethiopians including Tigreans oppose looter and killer Meles. This is one of the most important to do list for all Ethiopians–to get the truth out that, Meles and Co. are the most dangerous and the worst enemy of Ethiopia/ns that have ever dealt with.
What do you expect from Colombia which is a vassal state of the USA. Of course the Colombian president is going to defend Meles Zenawi, after all both of them are puppets dancing to US tune.
oh boy, guys, they are playing dirty… they left us no choice but to join the game… if your enemy is only playing by 1 rule.. Which is no rule at all well.. it’s time for us to do the same.. I propose we do these to take back our credibility (please comment)
1) They think its only the Amharas who wants to get power back: well all our well spoken and literary people please write articles on how the tigray people were also the integral part of the monarchy since time immemorial.. Remember atse yohannis? The Axum civilization etc… so let’s see who and what neftegna includes.. who is trying take power from who? Then of course let’s try to disseminate this to all who are supposedly misled. (Although I believe they know; no one is misled.the state department knows our history probably more than we do.. they are just happy he is their ally on the war on terror)
What we need is a really fair government that will treat all ethnic backgrounds equally to an extent where people will actually be measured by their personal endeavour not their ethnic background. Anyway.. my Oromo and Somali brothers and sisters who are OLF and ONLF members.. I know you have some questions about the unity of Ethiopia, But isn’t it better to discuss this under a willing government where if things are fair enough you might actually think of dropping the separation question? So i call up on all separatists as well as unity fighters to come together for now! and get rid of weyane.. trust me we will get a peaceful solution to all our issues afterwards! let’s show them that its not only Amhara who wants Weyane down.. its everybody from North to South.. from East to West.
2)anonymous at #6 said that they are coming up with all kinds of stories to discredit Ethiopians.. well let’s reverse that… there is a strong movement the tea party movement in america now…which is actually a far right and ridiculously conservative movement..Bad for america.. but we could use it to our advantage.. let’s call upon the American people who are tired of paying for immigrants..that if their government was not hosting dictators and if their tax-payer money wasn’t going to dictators who happen to be the cause for the flight of thousands for asylum seeking; they would have seen fewer immigrants on their streets.. so simple.. let them help us in putting the pressure on their governments- i am sure if a tea-partier gets hold of this idea he/she will go for it.. they are just into anything against the government. And my people in Diaspora.. This won’t affect you as you are already there so don’t hesitate to go for it.. We need all the help trust me!
3) our biggest problem is a problem of unity amongst opposition.. This i am afraid is probably and partly due to a question of power– post weyane.. yeah.. nobody talks about it.. but it is always there hanging..there who will grab the power afterwards? This is also part of why the opposition don’t trust eachother.. why not all oppositions come together on exile and set up a transitional government in exile?.. with a detail number of seats per party [ (well sad , as this was supposed to happen 5 years ago in Ethiopia legally thanks to the embitegnaw weyane it has to be done in exile ) any way it will work.. once this is decided and agreed they all will know that they will have a stake and will contribute to the struggle as much as they can. so can we please push for this?
Any comments?
God Bless Ethiopia
Is there not a class action suit, on behalf of the Ethiopian People that can be brought against these three individuals? Who knows how this is going to be misused in the future and how it is going to affect scores of Ethiopians?