Voices of Condemnation for Columbia

From around the world, voices are joining together to condemn Columbia University for inviting today's modern day Hitler to speak at Columbia. To condemn him, as President Bollinger attempted to do, is not enough. There are issues of freedom of speech and there are issues of justice. To deny someone the right to an opinion or to deny them a voice in those opinions, is indeed to deny someone freedom of speech. But to deny them use of your institution is not equivalent to denial of speech. Ahmadinejad and Nadia Abu El Haj and Joseph Massad have many platforms from which to spout their hatred - Columbia crosses the line when giving them a platform (or tenure).

From around the world - voices condemn Columbia's sanctioning evil:

"I am very much in favor of freedom of expression, but what happened at Columbia University was giving a platform to the greatest lies in the world. Everyone knows that Iran is building an atomic bomb and is a hotbed of world terror."
Shimon Peres, President of Israel

"It was a terrible mistake for Columbia to allow him to speak....That was a scary performance. I know he seemed absurd, even silly in a way, to Americans, but he's not silly to himself. He's a man who lives in somewhat of a fantasy world, like Islamic terrorism lives in a fantasy world." Rudolph Giuliani, former New York Mayor and Republican presidential candidate [It should be noted that Democratic candidate, Hillary Clinton refused to condemn the visit: "Well, I’m going to leave that up to Columbia”]

“I am very disappointed that he was invited to speak at such a prestigious university,” John Ellsworth of Wixom, Mich., whose son, Marine Lance Cpl. Justin Ellsworth, died in Fallujah, Iraq, in 2004

"It is unfortunate that Columbia University, an institution ostensibly dedicated to the pursuit of truth and knowledge, should choose to provide a man so divorced from reality and historical truths with a platform to spout his venomous ideology,"
Yad Vashem spokesperson, Israel

“It was a huge waste of time, and I think it was a huge mistake that they invited him,” William Nosal, Columbia College, Class of 2008, treasurer of the College Republicans

“It’s a question-and-answer session between the guy who would have invited Hitler and Hitler himself,” Jordan Hirsch, Columbia College, Class of 2010

"[Ahmadinejad] should be arrested when he comes to Columbia University, not invited to speak, for G-d's sake." Dov Hikind, New York state Assemblyman

"Muslims Against Sharia condemn, in the strongest possible terms, the decision of Columbia University to provide a speaking venue for Mahmoud Ahmadinejad." Muslims Against Sharia spokesperson.