Nov 10, 2009 5:40 pm US/Eastern
Protest Expected For Bomber's Speech At UMass
BOSTON (WBZ) ―
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Raymond Luc Levasseur
Portland Press Herald
A huge protest is expected on the UMass-Amherst campus this week after university officials flip-flopped on a decision to cancel the speech of a convicted terror bomber.
Raymond Luc Levasseur is the former leader of the United Freedom Front, a violent anti-government group linked to the bombings of several courthouses, including one in Boston. Levasseur, who currently lives in a Maine halfway house, was invited by the UMass Amherst Libraries to speak as part of a forum about social unrest, but the speech was cancelled by the administration, following objections from victims' families and Gov. Deval Patrick.
The university administration said Tuesday it will allow the rescheduled speech in the interest of academic freedom, even though it finds the invitation "repugnant."
"As a university, we defend the principles of free speech and of academic freedom. However, we deplore the example Levasseur sets for our students and the university community," UMass President Jack Wilson said in a statement.
Patrick says he understands academic freedom, but he doesn't like Levasseur speaking at the school one bit. "I would urge people who oppose this… to express themselves. To show up on campus and express their own free speech and opposition."
The wife of a
state trooper gunned down by The United Freedom Front plans to fly to Massachusetts for the protest on Thursday.
Amy Lambiaso, a spokeswoman for the State Police Association of Massachusetts, said the organization may organize a protest.
Levasseur also came under fire when he helped organize an art exhibit at the University of Southern Maine in September 2006. Levasseur said at the time he does not think public universities should back down when pressured by corporations and police.
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(© 2009 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
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