A group of about 10 protesters, none of whom were Amherst students, burned an American flag and disseminated anti-American materials. Most of the demonstrators said very little, choosing instead to give out papers titled, "Reasons why I do not feel very patriotic today." The paper cited such American actions as the assaults on Indochina from 1954 until 1975 and American support of Israel as they "drive Palestinians from their native lands through terror and genocide," as reasons for the protest. At least one student demonstrator came from Hampshire College.
The flag burning thrust Amherst into the national spotlight, receiving coverage in The Boston Globe and The Drudge Report, as well as mention on CNN's "Lou Dobbs' Moneyline" and local news programs.
The protesters held signs with messages like, "509 years of genocide and conquest" and "First Attack in 1492." A few protesters engaged in debate with Amherst students for about 30 minutes after the rally.
The protesters drafted a letter, which was sent to The Student by Outreach Coordinator Jennifer Cannon. Cannon prefaced the statement by writing that the protesters "have been bombarded with hate mail and death threats all weekend."
"The American flag represents freedom, democracy, and unity to some, but to others it symbolizes the opposite," wrote the protesters. "The United States of America is built upon a history of violence and repression."
"Now, as always, national pride is dependent on the invention and persecution of a common enemy," the letter continued. "America is not just a place, it is a false notion of a unified people, defined more by who is excluded than who is included. To defend this concept of America is to declare war on those positioned outside of its boundaries, and on those who call its legitimacy into question."
Hampshire officials have said that they are unsure of where the participants were from, or if they were students in the area.
Hampshire President Gregory S. Prince released two statements concerning the incident. One statement defended the right of the protesters to express unpopular views, citing Hampshire's tradition of encouraging all citizens to be "involved in national and international issues."
The second statement was an open letter to the protesters expressing disappointment in their actions.
"The flag should not be seen as the symbol of any specific policy," the letter stated. "Your act is a statement that my support of the flag means that I support all policies of the United States. I reject vehemently your inevitable categorization."
Prince objected in particular to using the Amherst rally as a stage for protest, writing in his letter that, "Those who organized the Amherst forum expressed fully and sensitively this sense that the flag belongs to everyone. Why did you not create an event following the Amherst one that sought the help of those present rather than categorically condemning them?"
Dean of New Students Francis Couvares touched on the issue of flag burning in his speech at the rally. "In America, patriotism is that thing which you can show by waving the flag or by burning the flag," Couvares said. "Everyone can define what patriotism means, and sometimes patriotism involves opposing the government."
Couvares clarified his feelings in response to the actions of the protesters following the rally.
"Neither waving nor burning is my preferred way," Couvares said. "The former often turns into bullying, while the latter provokes deep feelings of outrage. But whether we wave the flag or not, we should remember that even very strong differences in views do not make our adversaries traitors."
The protest evoked a wide spectrum of responses from students.
"I was at first angry, but that actually made me think, by utilizing their freedom of speech and protesting something we had just worked so hard to defend, they were demonstrating the principles that this country was founded on," said Kelly McEvoy '05, a speaker at the rally. "However, I thought they should have listened more closely to our speeches."
Many other students expressed anger and indignation. The incident was discussed at the Foreign Policy Forum meeting the day of the protest and, according to Kari Frame '02, "the general consensus seemed to be that it was inappropriate for students to show up late to a rally, not listen to all that was said and then engage in this type of behavior more for shock value than anything else."
"We must take care not to confuse last Thursday's disruptive flag burning with the expression of legitimate speech. It doesn't take a team of five guys from physical plant, the Chief of Police, and a police officer to scrape speech off the ground," Ted Hertzberg '04 said, in reference to residue that the burnings had left on the marble flooring outside the campus center.
According to Director of Facilities Planning and Management Jim Brassord, the cost of cleaning up after the protesters was "less than $50" in labor costs.
Emily Lobsenz '02, who attended the rally and watched the flag being burned, also criticized the action. "I don't think America is perfect, but people have to think about the context in which they criticize it," she said. "Burning the flag was insensitive and meant to be offensive, not constructive."
Mike Flood '03 and Ben Baum '03 organized the rally. "We tried to gather together different views and ask a wide variety of people to speak," Flood said.
"We wanted to express that patriotism transcends political boundaries," Baum said. "There was some expression of patriotism on campus, but we felt this was a good way of increasing it in a nonpartisan way."
Baum began the rally by welcoming the crowd and talking briefly about the Amherst Assembly for Patriotism, a club he and Flood founded to promote patriotism. Baum introduced the first speaker, John Pourciau '05. "Our nation is not perfect, but as Americans we have a chance to better ourselves," Pourciau said.
Hertzberg also spoke at the rally, expressing his frustration with the response of certain members of the Amherst community to the events of Sept. 11. "It is sometimes difficult at this college to stand up for what is right," Hertzberg said. "Our countrymen are abroad, and we respond in distaste."
Annie Macrae '04 was one of the final speakers, delivering a particularly meaningful speech on how her feelings toward patriotism had changed since the loss of her sister, who was working in the World Trade Center on Sept. 11.
"I hated America on September 11," Macrae said. "But when I went to New York, and I saw the building and cars displaying flags and 'United We Stand' signs, my hate turned into an intense sense of pride. The flags are a tribute to my sister and others who died. They signify pride in a country that will not let terrorism terrify us."
Some students in the audience seemed relieved to have a forum in which they could express their patriotism without partisanship.
"I didn't really support the peace rally, so it's nice to have an alternate rally to go to," said Kirsten Carleton '05.