By Susan Dickson, Staff Writer
Former Republican congressman Tom Tancredo’s return to the UNC campus on Monday was notably calmer than his previous visit, though he was not heard without objection, as at least 100 protesters walked out about 10 minutes into his speech.
Tancredo’s speech came just over a year after his previous visit, during which his speech was cut short after a protest was broken up by police, who said protestors got out of hand. During last year’s speech, protesters chanted loudly and attempted to block Tancredo with a banner, a window was broken and police used pepper spray to break up the crowd before arresting several protesters.
Tancredo, a former presidential candidate, recently sparked controversy for suggesting that President Barack Obama “go back to Kenya†and is known for his strong stance against illegal immigration.
This year, a group of students organized by the Students for a Democratic Society and Feminist Students United stood up and said, “No human is illegal†before walking out of the event about 10 minutes into Tancredo’s speech. The auditorium was mostly empty after the protesters left, with about 100 people remaining in the audience. Outside the UNC Student Union, the students who left held a protest in the Pit.
“Believe me, this is a lot better than last time I was here,†Tancredo said as the protesters left.
However, he said: “That should not be happening in a place we call an institute of higher education,†adding that he had never seen a group of conservatives walk out on or protest a speech by a liberal.
Kevin DeAnna, founder of the Youth for Western Civilization, the student group that brought Tancredo to campus, laughed loudly as the group left the room. DeAnna blogged on the group’s website following the event, proclaiming “Victory at UNC.â€
“Tom’s speech was well received by the audience…. A number of people approached me afterwards and asked, ‘What exactly is controversial about this?’ I’ve been asking the same question for a year now,†he wrote.
For his speech, Tancredo focused on “the value of Western civilization,†discussing the war against the U.S. by extremist Islamic groups, the disdain for Western culture by higher-education institutions of the West and problems associated with illegal immigration.
“I do not believe that all cultures and traditions are morally equivalent,†Tancredo stated at the start of his speech. However, he emphasized that his discussion of Western civilization did not concern race.
Tancredo also discussed recent actions by the Obama administration that have incited Tea Party protests.
“Obama is without question the most radical and left-wing president in our history,†he said, adding that he didn’t want a president who traveled around the world apologizing for the United States. “We have something good here and we should not be so ashamed of admitting it,†he said.
“We are the last best hope of mankind,†he added. “The future is brighter because of the values of Western civilization.â€
Audience questions ranged from whether Tancredo thought the U.S. would win the war against Jihad and why the U.S. would allow Muslims to immigrate to the country, to why he made suggestions that Obama should return to Kenya and how Muslim extremists were different from extremist Christian militia groups.
Frank Hurley, a candidate for the Republican nomination for the seat in the 13th Congressional district in North Carolina, said he came to hear Tancredo speak because he shared his views on immigration.
“I’m very much a believer in limiting especially illegal but also legal immigration at this time,†he said.
The Feminist Students United released a statement at the event, stating, “We must continue to bring to the surface the hidden and overt racism that is a fundament tenet of Tom Tancredo’s words, the Tea Party and the vigilante groups they support. Supporters of Tancredo’s right to speak on a public campus lack an understanding of power and history’s lessons that show us that hateful discourse amplified by money and access to media create the foundation upon which Militiamen and the KKK operate.â€
According to UNC police, one UNC student was arrested for carrying a concealed weapon in the lobby outside the auditorium.