Projo 7 to 7 News Blog

PAWTUCKET, R.I. -- Protesters against former Colorado congressman Tom Tancredo, a past Republican presidential candidate and outspoken opponent of illegal immigration, moved their demonstration to the Capt. Elwood Euart VFW Post in Pawtucket, where Tancredo is now speaking.

Holding signs in Spanish and English with messages like "No Human Being is Illegal," the crowd of about 50 chanted, "No Nazis, No fascists, No white supremacists. If you are against Tom Tancredo, raise your fist."

Protesters included college students at the University of Rhode Island, Brown University and Providence College, who had earlier hosted a silent protest outside the school gates.

Providence College rejected a student group's request to host Tancredo, saying the group is not formally recognized by the school and that it had made its request too late in the semester "to go through the usual channels."

Providence College "did not ban or censor the appearance by Congressman Tancredo," said the Rev. Brian J. Shanley, the school's president. Shanley said the group, Youth for Western Civilization, "has not followed the process outlined in the student handbook to achieve official recognition" by the Student Congress, and were not allowed to host the event on campus.

Moreover, Shanley said, "on controversial issues where the U.S. Conference of Catholic bishops and our own bishop [Thomas J. Tobin] have taken a clear position, the College has a responsibility to ensure, to the best of our ability, that the Church's position is represented." In that case, the college would "encourage and facilitate" a forum so multiple sides of the issue could be heard.

-- Reported by Providence Journal Staff Writer Karen Lee Ziner

 Tags  immigration Pawtucket RI Providence College Providence RI

Comments

mra said:

the man has the right idea it"s about time we took our own country back.get someone in homeland security that is not a bleeding heart, or put "ICE" back were it was.

Link | April 30, 2009 6:53 AM
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Ed said:

The immigrants can NO LONGER be sustained by the middle class. There are NO jobs here for them. The unskilled factory jobs have gone elsewhere. They bring down the standards for working class folks. Work for less pay and NO benefits. If you don't think that is a threat, see where we will be in 5-10 years. Come here legally, without your hand out and work for a living like the rest of us. ASSIMILATE or LEAVE!!!

Link | April 30, 2009 1:38 PM
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