"What about the Palestinian people?"

"Fourteen supporters of Palestinian rights held a vigil at the University of St. Thomas Friday to protest the school's handling of the recent debate over Nobel Peace laureate Desmond Tutu."

By Randy Furst
Minneapolis (Minnesota) Star Tribune

Last update: October 12, 2007 – 9:17 PM

Full article is on the Web at:
http://www.startribune.com/10002/story/1481112.html


Fourteen supporters of Palestinian rights held a vigil at the University of St. Thomas Friday to protest the school's handling of the recent debate over Nobel Peace laureate Desmond Tutu.

The Rev. Dennis Dease, university president, had earlier blocked an invitation to the Anglican cleric on the basis that specific remarks Tutu had made years ago that were sympathetic to the Palestinian cause were "hurtful" to Jews. Dease reversed himself Wednesday, announcing that he would invite Tutu to speak on the campus.

Protesters said Dease's comments ignored the plight of Palestinians who had been driven from their land.

"St. Thomas didn't want to hurt the Jewish people," said Ifrah Jimale, 28, a St. Thomas senior from Somalia. "What about the Palestinian people?"

The 90-minute lunchtime demonstration on Summit Avenue, organized by the Coalition for Palestinian Rights, drew a few curious students and faculty who stopped to speak with the protesters.

Among the signs the demonstrators carried, one read: "From 2000 to 2007 -- 4,300 Palestinians killed by Israelis, 466 Israelis killed by Palestinians." The group said they got their data from B'tselem, an Israeli human rights organization....