500 March Against Grenada Invasion

A crowd of about 500 students and Cambridge residents gathered in front of Memorial Church last night to protest the U.S. invasion of Grenada.

The demonstrators--about half of whom were Law School students--listened to speakers including Professor of Biology Ruth Hubbard '45 and History Department Chairman John Womack before proceeding on a candlelight march through the Square and around the river Houses.

Opposition

Across the Yard, a group of about 70 counterdemonstrators singing the national anthem assembled on the steps of Widener Library before marching toward the ralliers.

Marshals of the anti-Grenada rally linked arms against the counterdemonstrators until Harvard police dispersed them.

Damon A. Silvers '86, the head marshal, said the counterdemonstrators were "moving toward us in what amounted to a phalanx" and condemned their action as "disruptive and offensive."

But Leo E. Brunnick '86, one of the counterdemonstrators said. "The U.S. can't sit down and let people walk all over us."

"I think the rally is an oversimplification of the issues at hand," said Raymond V. Vasvari '86, another counter demonstrator.

Campus groups organized the protest last week as a "spontaneous" response to the invasion, said Silvers, a member of the Democratic Socialists of America, one of the participating groups.

Other sponsors included Harvard-Radcliffe Committee on Central America, the Harvard-Radcliffe Caribbean Club and the Harvard-Radcliffe Black Students' Association.

Speaking Out

From the steps of Memorial Church, Womack called the Reagan Administration "a bunch of rich, arrogant, fascist warmongers, but nonetheless cowardly dummies." He added that the true motive behind the move was to "re-elect the old joker they've got in now."

"Today is the first day we have heard of any Grenadian casualties--the government only seems to care about the dead Cubans and Americans," Hubbard said. According to Hubbard, the cause of the invasion was Grenadian government's refusal to "dance to the U.S. tune."

As the protestors wended their way through the streets outside the Houses, spectators peered out of windows and came out of their entries. Eggs thrown by spectators on Mt. Auburn St. did not dampen the mood of the marchers, who carried signs as chanted' "Hey Hey, Ho Ho, U.S. troops have got to go."

Ibrahim J. Gassama, a rally organizer from the Law School and a native of Sierra Leone, called the Grenada invasion "a threat to all third world countries."

Participants in the rally said they thought it was an effective way to express their disapproval. "Harvard needs energy--it's important to get together and do something," said Debra M. Kochman '86.