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A rally at the UC Berkeley campus to show support for America’s proposed war against terrorism quickly turned into an emotional confrontation between those who called themselves “pro-America” and anti-war demonstrators on Monday. 

The “Rally for America” at Sproul Plaza was organized in part as a response to the anti-war protests in the community and on campus last week. Organizers said that they also wanted to make a stand against the racism – including, they said, racism directed against Jews – that has surfaced on campus after Sept. 11. 

Around 400 students and members of the community attended to support the rally, with about half that many there to protest it.  

“Let the nation know that thousands of Berkeley students stand behind the country,” said event organizer Randy Barnes.  

The demonstration was organized by a number of campus groups – including the College Republicans, the Cal Democrats, the Delta Upsilon fraternity and the Israel Action Committee – but speakers emphasized that they were not speaking on behalf of their organizations, but as individual students and Americans. 

“Part of the rally today is to verbalize our rage at the backlash against the U.S.,” said Barnes, who works with the IAC. “We felt that this needs to be voiced – there are students who oppose terrorism, and equally stand against racism.” 

A few minutes before the rally began, anti-war activists mixed with the demonstrators and exchanged views. Their conversations were mostly civil, but both sides were clearly frustrated. 

“People are saying they’re against terrorism – I’m just saying that this won’t stop terrorism,” said Hoku Jeffrey of the Stop the War Coalition. “How can you say you are against racism and then do something that will exacerbate it?” 

Rob McFadden, president of the College Republicans said that the sentiments expressed at last Thursday’s anti-war rally were not supported by most students. 

“Like the country, most of the campus stands together in this cause – Republicans, Democrats, Libertarians,” said McFadden. “It’s just that there’s a very vocal minority in opposition.” 

Speaking from the podium, Barnes recalled the words of Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain after the Munich conference in 1938: “I believe it is peace for our time. Go home and get a nice quiet sleep.” Barnes went on to say that appeasement, in this case, should not be an option. 

Barnes said that acts of hatred directed at Muslim students were unacceptable, but that anti-Semitism was also in evidence over the past two weeks. 

In particular, he said, several anti-Semitic messages were found on the posterboards on which students wrote their thoughts Sept. 11. 

Among the messages, Barnes said, were “It’s the Jews, stupid,” “Jews control the media” and “Jews are happy because this makes Israel look good.” 

Ajay Kshatriya, a chemical engineering senior, said that the United States was the only country in which kids from middle-class families could get a first-class education. He said that while the country has clearly made foreign policy mistakes in the past, he was tired of hearing it run down. 

“No country in existence has been as respectful and tolerant of other countries as the U.S.A.,” he said. 

Shortly after Kshatriya’s speech, a verbal confrontation between a group of people attending the rally and a group of anti-war demonstrators broke out on the west side of Sproul Plaza. Mike Vallarelli, a student who lost friends in the World Trade Center and the father of a friend on one of the hijacked airlines, argued with the anti-war activists. He lunged for a sign, held by one of the anti-war people, that read “The USA is still the world’s greatest terrorist.” 

“They’re just misinformed,” said Vallarelli. “They think it’s noble to be a pacifist. They have a lot of noble ideals. But this thing didn’t affect them.” 

At one point, separated only by a line of camera-toting journalists, each side erupted in warring chants: 

“U.S.A.! U.S.A.!” 

“One, two, three, four – We don’t want your racist war! 

The shouting was temporarily interrupted when the sound of a air horn came over the loudspeaker, and the silence held while “Taps” played. After Barnes thanked everyone for coming, impromptu groups formed again to express their mutual rage. 

Near the end of the rally, a man walking his dog through the campus joined a circle of people arguing. He said that 20 years ago, he was a UC Berkeley student involved in the anti-war movement; now, he said, he lived near Yosemite and was in town to work on an environmental lawsuit. 

“Personally, I see a lack of honesty among the people protesting the war here,” said the man, who did not wish to be identified. “First, a lack of honesty about what’s just happened and second, a lack of historical honesty about America’s role in the world.” 

The man said he thought that the left should play a serious role during the crisis, especially in the upcoming debate over the restriction of civil liberties, but that what he heard from anti-war protesters Monday did not impress him. 

“What I’ve been hearing is that this was the U.S.’s fault, that the people that did this were fighting for freedom,” he said. “Well, sorry, that doesn’t work.”