University of Hawaii students have been verbally and emotionally harassed by an outside group that has been flown in to the state to use scare tactics due to the students overwhelming support for a civil unions bill.
A mainland U.S. christian hate group calling itself Bema Ministries turned up on the campus last week to preach, harass, photograph, and intimidate students at the Campus Center. They will be there this coming week as well. They showed up on the University of Hawaii's Manoa campus, screamed at students for a few hours on Wednesday, got kicked out because they didn't have a permit, and then returned with a permit issued by the university chancellor the next day.Counter protests are being planned, a sit in at the Chancellor's office is also expected until these demonstrators leave.
The student code of conduct expressly forbids hate speech yet this non-student group came on campus and not only made anti-gay statements, but told Hawaiian students that the sovereignty movement was idolatrous and evil, and told Buddhist students they would burn in hell. The main course of hate was reserved for UH Manoa's gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and intersex students (Pam's Houseblend).
This is unacceptable, that a non-student, non-Hawaiian hate group is allowed to come onto a campus to harass students. Please contact the chancellor immediately to revoke their permit to enter the campus, this is a safety issue, as well as a violation of the universities principles.
Chancellor's Office
University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa
2500 Campus Road
Hawaiʻi Hall 202
Honolulu, HI 96822
808-956-7651
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