Albright On The Night?
Madeleine Albright, former US Secretary of State, was almost prevented from speaking at The Oxford Union on Tuesday night when vocal protests outside the premises forced her to arrive through a different entrance.
The controversy began in the early evening outside Borders, when a 50-strong group from various groups, including Oxford Stop the War Coalition, surrounded the store, holding a candle-lit vigil during her book-signing period.
Much of the protest was focussed upon a claim from Albright in May 1996 on US TV show '60 Minutes', where she stated "We think the price is worth it" when asked about the deaths of half a million Iraqi children as a result of sanctions.
Claire, who shouted at Albright: "500,000 children a price worth paying? Shame on you!" before being escorted out of Borders by policemen said that the protest had been "incredibly effective". She told The OxStu that those in power fail to recognise the implications of their policies.
The demonstrators then moved to the entrances of The Union, with the majority positioned on St Michael's Street, where they shouted, played drums and allegedly banged their hands of the sides of the the van carrying the former Secretary of State.
It was unclear for some time whether the speech would actually go ahead, as Albright's advisors became increasingly concerned for her safety. After a significant delay, she was eventually smuggled in through the Cornmarket entrance, and proceeded to address the chamber.
Marcus Walker, President of the Oxford Union, said to The OxStu of the incident: "This shows that the Oxford Union won't be held to ransom. If we claim to believe in the freedom of speech then we must uphold the right of people to speak."
Photo: Diana Ng
23rd Oct 2003