A group of students plan to protest apparent racism in one of political commentator Michelle Malkin’s books when the author and blogger speaks on campus Thursday.

Malkin will present the lecture ‘Repressive Civility and the Criminalization of Conservatism’ on Thursday in Maxwell Auditorium at 7 p.m. The lecture will address the necessity of free speech, according to an e-mail statement from the Syracuse University College Republicans, the group hosting the event.

Malkin is a New York Times bestselling author, political commentator and blogger known for her conservative views. She often makes appearances on the Fox News Channel. The event is a chance to hear from a wide range of political opinions at SU, according to the College Republicans statement.

The College Republicans are happy to bring Malkin, according to the statement. But not all students are pleased with the decision to bring in Malkin, author of ‘In Defense of Internment: The Case for Racial Profiling in World War II and the War on Terror,’ which was published in 2004. Malkin argues the creation of internment camps for Japanese-Americans was not fueled by racism but by a genuine security need, according to the book jacket.

Second-year College of Law student Laura Hirahara is the granddaughter of two Japanese-Americans who met at a preliminary holding center before they were sent to an internment camp in Arkansas. When a classmate invited her to Malkin’s speech Friday, she was angered by Malkin’s views regarding internment and was reminded of her grandparents’ negative feelings toward the issue, Hirahara said.

After reading part of the book and watching numerous videos and interviews on YouTube, Hirahara said she decided to organize the protest against the ‘radical and racist’ ideas Malkin presents in the book.

Hirahara said protestors plan to meet at the law school at 5:30 p.m. to organize and make signs before moving outside to Maxwell at 6 p.m., where Malkin’s speech will take place.

Information regarding the protest was distributed to both law and undergraduate students by e-mail, and multiple peers expressed interest, Hirahara said. A Facebook event page was created for the protest and lists fewer than 20 students as ‘attending.’

The protest, considered a ‘waste of time’ by some, is not intended to spur a debate of party politics but rather to shed light on Malkin’s statements, Hirahara said. The last chapter of Malkin’s book uses the act of internment to justify the present national security policy, including the detainment of Arabs and Muslims in the United States, according to a statement on the protest’s Facebook page.

‘This isn’t an issue of liberals versus conservatives,’ Hirahara said. ‘It’s an issue of racism.’

Third-year law student Cindy Trinh was involved in helping Hirahara spread the word about the protest and said she felt strongly toward the issue due to her Asian-American descent.

Trinh said the protest is an effort to expose the radical and irresponsible claims Malkin has made. The protestors will hand out fliers with facts about the book and hold signs, but they are unsure about whether or not they will attend the speech, Trinh said. She mentioned the possibility of expressing disagreement should Malkin hold a Q-and-A session.

In the College Republicans statement, the organization emphasized its mission to serve as a point of congregation for conservative students, not to impose its views.

Igor Gitstein, treasurer for the College Republicans, said he was fine with students voicing their opinions.

‘Everyone has a right to their own opinion, this is the United States,’ Gitstein said. ‘We welcome all opinions.’

brvannos@syr.edu

Published on March 2, 2011 at 12:00 pm

Contact Breanne: brvannos@syr.edu | @bre_vann