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Washington:
About few dozens Indian-Americans marched in protest against the
timely withdrawal of an invitation to Gujarat Chief
Minister Narendra Modi to speak at the Wharton India Economic
Forum.
Marching under the banner of a group called Americans for Free
Speech, they chanted: "We want Modi!" as the Forum held its
conference Saturday afternoon at the University of Pennsylvania
Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology in Philadelphia.
The march, followed by a series of speeches from guest speakers,
was held across the street from the conference to which members of
the press were denied entrance, the Daily Pennsylvanian reported.
Protesters from across the US gathered for the march
with two buses from New Jersey and one from Queens, New York
bringing people to the protest.
During the march, a sign was posted outside the conference hall by
the protesters that read: "In memory of Free Speech 1776-2013.
Killed at Wharton by the English Department."
The march is "carrying the funeral of free speech", Narain Kataria,
a speaker at the event, was quoted as saying.
Protesters held up signs that read "First they came for the
Hindus", "End McCarthyism against Hindus", and "Stop Academic
Jihad", among others.
One organizer shouted to the crowd that the march was as important
as that of Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King, Jr, the
newspaper reported.
People on stilts and a jazz band marched with the protesters to
"push the excitement", said musician Devon Taylor. Bystanders
watched as the crowd of protesters slowly moved their way to
Franklin Field.
Modi, who has been denied a US visa for his alleged role in the
2002 Gujarat riots, was disinvited to speak at the forum by live
video on a petition from a group of Pennsylvania university
faculty and students not connected with Wharton.
Following the withdrawal of invitation to Modi, Arvind Kejriwal,
founder of Aam Aadmi Party, was invited to speak via live
video-conference.
Speaking from New Delhi, Kejriwal said he was "not a supporter of
Mr Modi", but was "troubled" and "dismayed" at Wharton's decision
to issue an invitation and then cancel it "under pressure",
calling it "very wrong".
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