A ceremony for the family members of U.S. troops killed in the line of duty was suddenly disrupted with chants from groups of students demanding that the government provide them with a free college education.
Last week, students from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst staged a five-day “sit-in” protest at the Massachusetts State House as a part of their efforts to coerce legislators into supporting legislation that would provide Massachusetts residents with a debt-free college education.
According to WBUR, the activities of the sit-in varied from loud chants such as “We are the students, the mighty mighty students, fighting for justice and debt-free education,” to simply sitting around as a group along the wall of the Massachusetts House speaker’s office, eating pizza and holding protest banners.
On the fifth day of the protest, however, the activities of the group took a turn for the worse after the students interrupted a ceremony for Gold Star families honoring 15 fallen service members. According to local news, students interrupted the playing of “The Star-Spangled Banner” with loud chants, and had to be told to be quiet during the anthem by Massachusetts state employees.
After the playing of the anthem was over, the students immediately resumed their protest with loud chants directed at the speaker of the Massachusetts state House Robert DeLeo.
“Speaker DeLeo! Fund UMass!” they chanted. “No cuts. No fees. Education should be free.”
Shortly after, Joe Pollini, whose brother was one of the soldiers killed in combat being honored confronted the students for disrupting a ceremony for Gold Star families.
“There’s a Gold Star event going on downstairs,” Pollini yelled at the students, who immediately quieted down. “You’re disrespecting our family right now. They’re down there being lauded, and we’re just asking you to remain quiet while the celebration’s going on. Can you please?”
When asked about the situation, Pollini said he just wanted his dead brother to be honored.
“It’s my brother who was killed overseas. We’re just trying to hear them be honored,” he told WBUR.
Despite the fact that the students rudely interrupted a memorial ceremony for fallen service members, one of the protest leaders said that he still deemed the “sit-in” protest a success.
“We’ve made our point over the last five days,” said Zac Bears, who serves as the executive director of the Public Higher Education Network of Massachusetts, an organization who supported the protest. “I’m incredibly proud of students for sitting in this long, and I’m incredibly disappointed in our legislative leadership and the people in this building for ignoring them.”
John Patrick (@john_pat_rick) is a graduate of Canisius College and Georgia Southern University. He interned for Red Alert Politics during the summer of 2012 and has continued to contribute regularly.
