SASC Statement

Statement issued by the Southern Africa Solidarity Committee Tuesday night:

We, as students at this University deeply concerned with the crime of apartheid and the necessity of fundamental change in South Africa, are angered and saddened by the presence of a South African are diplomat on our campus. Nevertheless, according to the principle of free speech governing the University, we respect his right to speak here unimpeded. We collectively endorse the right of free speech of all members of the University.

In keeping with this principle of free speech, we affirm that all viewpoints should be heard as the debate over justice in South Africa continues. Accordingly the Southern Africa Solidarity Committee this week invited Mr. Kent-Brown to participate in debate with a speaker from the African National Congress, a leader of the anti-apartheid movement in South Africa, during his visit here. Mr. Kent-Brown's hosts, the members of the Conservative Club, publicly heaped scorn upon this offer and refused to arrange for the debate to take place.

Duke Kent-Brown is an official of a regime that counts among its numerous atrocities the denial of free speech to 23 million of its inhabitants. He is welcome to employ his right at Harvard; we ask that he respect this hospitality by listening here to the position his government violently suppresses in South Africa. We ask, moreover, in this spirit of fair debate, that officers of this University not participate in shielding Mr. Kent-Brown from the real outrage at his presence being expressed by many, both inside and outside the room where he is speaking. While it is the University's duty to protect the free speech of its guests, it is not their duty to shelter racists from hearing the voices of the opposition.

We, students outraged by apartheid, demand that the South African vice consul exit the room through the front doors to the Science Center lobby, where he will see and hear the opposition of Harvard students to the policies of his government. A speaker from the African National Congress is waiting there to engage the vice consul in debate. To thwart any plan of shielding Mr. Kent-Brown from the free speech of others by spiriting him out the back doors, we are moving down to block these doors peacefully and non-violently. We have no intention of interfering with Mr. Kent-Brown's freedom of speech or movement; we act to block the back doors only so that he will leave by the front doors, so that his visit to Harvard will include interaction with a representative of the Black majority of his country, and with the many members of the Harvard community who are tonight making their opposition to apartheid known.