Opponents of Jiang Plan Vigils, Hunger Strikes During Visit

Forty representatives from 11 Boston and Harvard organizations met last night to plan vigils, hunger strikes and demonstrations to protest the upcoming visit to the University by Chinese President Jiang Zemin.

The representatives who met in the basement of Swedenborg Chapel, compose the umbrella group Alliance For Freedom and Human Rights in Asia, a newly formed group that represents the interests of a spectrum of human rights organizations.

The event being planned by the Alliance is a rally to be held for the duration of Jiang's Boston visit.

"I've gotten calls from the Boston Globe, the New York Times, Reuters," said Metta McGarvey, a graduate student at the Divinity School and a key organizer of the Alliance. "[The rally] is going to be big."

Organizers have planned the protest on November 1 to coincide closely with Jiang's schedule for his Boston visit.

Protesters will begin a vigil at 8 a.m., at the time that Sanders Theatre, the location of the Jiang speech, will open its doors. The main rally will begin at 9 a.m. at the corner of Quincy and Kirkland streets, across from Sanders, according to McGarvey.

The protesters will begin chanting slogans at 10 a.m. Jiang, who is expected to arrive at Sanders around 10:30 a.m., will speak at 11 a.m., according to Alliance members.

In addition, the Tibetan Association of Boston will begin protesting the morning of October 31 with a hunger strike at the chapel, which is across from Sanders Theater, according to Lobsang Sangay, a student at the Law School.

Later that evening, the Tibetan Association plans to hold a candlelight vigil and prayer. The hunger strike will last until 9 a.m. November 2, about the time when Jiang will be in Boston, according to Lobsang.

Alliance members discussed the process of inviting speakers and gaining support from prominent Boston-area intellectuals for the event.

Some of the names mentioned by organizers include Noam Chomsky, an MIT professor, Professor of Afro-American Studies Cornel R. West '74, Elie Weisel and Minister in the Memorial Church Peter J. Gomes.

The Alliance, through its Harvard affiliates, also plans to have some members placed inside Sanders to conduct either a 30-second disruption of the talk or a silent protest, an Alliance member said.

The rally is scheduled to end at 1 p.m., after which some protesters plan to follow Jiang back to his hotel.

Organizers said yesterday that they feel optimistic about the turn-out for the protest.

"We have student groups at almost all the area colleges and high schools," said Carl Williams, a Boston-area Amnesty International representative.

"We're going to get 200 to 250 people to join the rally, and hopefully some for the hunger strike as well. We're going to make Jiang Zemin know our presence," he said.

Tibetan Association representatives said they plan to send about 470 members of their organization to the protest.

Harvard students said they expect their organizations to play a crucial role in the demonstrations.

"We believe that Harvard won't allow the Boston groups to demonstrate on Harvard grounds," said Sonia Inamdar '01, a member of Harvard Students for a Free Tibet. "We'll have to do a lot of recruiting."

"A lot of members have applied for the lottery to get tickets," said Katie Siegelman '99, the undergraduate leader of Harvard Students for a Free Tibet. "Hopefully, we will be involved in protests inside."

The Harvard branch of Amnesty International also plans to protest Jiang's speech, but the organization has yet to work out the details, according to Karen M. Paik '99, the co-president, who is also a Crimson editor.

The Free Burma Group is also said to be planning to protest, Paik said. The Kennedy School Alliance for Freedom and Democracy will be meeting to discuss protest plans next Tuesday

Later that evening, the Tibetan Association plans to hold a candlelight vigil and prayer. The hunger strike will last until 9 a.m. November 2, about the time when Jiang will be in Boston, according to Lobsang.

Alliance members discussed the process of inviting speakers and gaining support from prominent Boston-area intellectuals for the event.

Some of the names mentioned by organizers include Noam Chomsky, an MIT professor, Professor of Afro-American Studies Cornel R. West '74, Elie Weisel and Minister in the Memorial Church Peter J. Gomes.

The Alliance, through its Harvard affiliates, also plans to have some members placed inside Sanders to conduct either a 30-second disruption of the talk or a silent protest, an Alliance member said.

The rally is scheduled to end at 1 p.m., after which some protesters plan to follow Jiang back to his hotel.

Organizers said yesterday that they feel optimistic about the turn-out for the protest.

"We have student groups at almost all the area colleges and high schools," said Carl Williams, a Boston-area Amnesty International representative.

"We're going to get 200 to 250 people to join the rally, and hopefully some for the hunger strike as well. We're going to make Jiang Zemin know our presence," he said.

Tibetan Association representatives said they plan to send about 470 members of their organization to the protest.

Harvard students said they expect their organizations to play a crucial role in the demonstrations.

"We believe that Harvard won't allow the Boston groups to demonstrate on Harvard grounds," said Sonia Inamdar '01, a member of Harvard Students for a Free Tibet. "We'll have to do a lot of recruiting."

"A lot of members have applied for the lottery to get tickets," said Katie Siegelman '99, the undergraduate leader of Harvard Students for a Free Tibet. "Hopefully, we will be involved in protests inside."

The Harvard branch of Amnesty International also plans to protest Jiang's speech, but the organization has yet to work out the details, according to Karen M. Paik '99, the co-president, who is also a Crimson editor.

The Free Burma Group is also said to be planning to protest, Paik said. The Kennedy School Alliance for Freedom and Democracy will be meeting to discuss protest plans next Tuesday