No US War:
Military Retaliation Is Not The Answer
Wednesday, September 26, 12-1 pm

On September 26, 2001, over 300 people joined the PRC on the UI quad for a rally in protest of threatened U.S. military response to the recent terrorist attacks. People from campus and the community joined together for a solemn rally featuring local activists and veterans of the anti-Vietnam War movement. We spoke out against United States military retaliation, curtailment of civil liberties and harrasment and scapegoating of Muslim, Arab and Arab American people.

Speech by Kurt Hilgendorf, member of the Progressive Resource/Action Cooperative (PRC)

Thanks to everyone for coming out. As was mentioned earlier, my name is Kurt Hilgendorf. I'd rather not be talking with you today, but given the events of September 11 and the subsequent weeks, we all have an obligation to make our voices heard about this issue. My most heartfelt condolences go out to the families and friends of all the victims of these tragedies. I cannot even begin to understand their losses.

The PRC organized today's rally for a variety of reasons related to protesting further violence. One of those reasons is to counter media commentators, who were calling the tragedy the "second Pearl Harbor," an "attack on America." Osama bin Laden and his gang of anti-US Arab terrorists were the main subjects, and freedom had been attacked, permanently altered by collapsed buildings and the thousands of unfortunate and tragic deaths.

If this was, as media people and government officials claimed, the "second Pearl Harbor" and Arab and Muslims were responsible, does this mean we are going to round up all Arab Americans like we did Japanese Americans and send them off to concentration camps? That was my first thought. And while that claim seems outrageous, Muslim and Arab Americans have been harassed, threatened, and even physically attacked by people who were "getting terrorists." How was this just an attack on America when people from countries all over the world worked and died in the World Trade Center? And, if this was an attack on freedom, why are our civil liberties being cut back by the people who are supposed to be the world's beacon of democracy? Wouldn't it have been more logical and more powerful to stand up for freedom by taking a strong stance against limiting our civil liberties?

Unfortunately, most of the media coverage and rallies thus far have neglected to address these issues. We're here today to try, in our own way, to counter the dominant discourses about this tragedy and implore our government leaders to avoid killing more people in the name of "infinite justice," whatever that means.

As you might have noticed, this rally is different than the other rallies on campus. Using the theme of "unity," these rallies supported sticking together with other people and working to overcome the tragedy. Those are worthwhile goals. But we want to take the concept of unity one step farther. Governmental calls for being unified are frequently jingoistic and have historically been precursors to war and more violence. We're asked to forget our grievances and support the leadership because they're doing the right thing. However, American leaders are dividing us right now by using unthinking nationalism to drum up war support. We have every right to be sad and grieve for the dead, and we equally have every right to hold our political leadership accountable. They're the people who created bin Laden in the first place when the CIA gave him money and funding in the 1980s. If unity means to uncritically support American leadership or their ridiculous policy decisions, I cannot be unified.

We need to be critical of our leadership to insure that they act in a just manner. We need a real commitment to working together. For instance, unity hasn't included Muslim and Arab Americans. The local mosque has received numerous threats, and an Indian student was beaten over the weekend for "looking like a terrorist." Unless the popular definition of unity becomes, as the 1980s punk band Operation Ivy put it, "Stop this war. Unity, as one we stand together," we need something different. We need to stand in solidarity.

Solidarity is a concept of unity that doesn't just arise during times of national crisis. Solidarity is a long-term commitment to ideals of social justice and struggling internationally with all people for a common goal. Solidarity doesn't discriminate on basis of race, gender, social class, sexual orientation, nationality, or religion. Rather, true solidarity overcomes measures used to divide us. Solidarity means we'll stand together in struggle for a better world. It means we'll work to end violence against Muslim and Arab Americans. It means we'll work to stop infringements on our civil liberties. It means we'll condemn plans for US-led assassinations of other political leaders. It means we'll work to condemn terrorist violence all over the world, regardless of who sponsors it, including our military and political leaders who condone US-sponsored violence against civilians in places like Palestine, Colombia, and Iraq. This is violence we hear little about but our government has a major role in causing. Finally, we need to stand against retaliation against Afghanistan, a country decimated by poverty, the oppressive Taliban government, and political violence. Bombing Afghanistan will only cause more innocent deaths and probably won't stop bin Laden. Violence against innocent Afghanis is nothing different than the violence against the innocent victims in Washington and New York.

This tragedy has already shown us glimpses of what solidarity can be. The selfless rescue workers in New York and Washington DC have been working around the clock trying to find survivors. The men and women firefighters who were caught in the collapsing towers are national heroes. The thousands, perhaps even millions, of people from all over the country who donated time, money, and even their own blood to the rescue effort are standing in solidarity with the victims. The people who have been defending the rights of Muslim and Arab Americans are working in solidarity. People working to maintain our civil liberties are working in solidarity. People working to change the United States corrupt international policy are working in solidarity. Other college students from around the country are working in solidarity by organizing rallies like this one. Barbara Lee, US representative from California, the only person to vote against the congressional resolution authorizing force, is working in solidarity. These are commitments to social justice, commitments affirming the value of human life.

We can't let the victims of this attack die in vain. If innocent Afghanis die, if our civil liberties are revoked, if US foreign policy does not change, if other American citizens keep getting harassed and attacked, then we do a great dishonor to democracy, justice, and human life. We must work to resist military retaliation and any encroachments on democracy. We have to learn and grow from this tragedy rather than regress. We can't allow terrorism to continue, and we have to find the people responsible for this attack and hold them accountable. But to allow this tragedy to become a place for repressive political opportunism and violence is simply unacceptable.

This campus has a long history of anti-war activism, and we must continue that struggle if it becomes necessary. I implore everyone here today to continue supporting peace with justice and to let our representatives know that we don't want to see more innocent people die.