UCSB Students Against War Disrupts Collaborative Biotechnology Military Research Conference

Tue, 02/12/2008 - 23:07 — Anonymous

Today more than five hundred UCSB Students Against War disrupted the military Institute of Collaborative Biotechnology conference to demand an end to UC complicity in illegal weapons research designed to kill Iraqis in an illegal war.

Students and supporters of peace and demilitarization marched directly into the Corwin Center Pavilion where the ICB conference attendees were having lunch between their Army-sponsored research sessions.

Speakers for the march made it clear that students support scientific research but when research is done for military paymasters it makes campus scientists into war accomplices at a time when the U.S. is occupying foreign lands in internationally condemned wars of agression.

For example, A UCSB researcher worked on technology for a new type of bomb which was dropped on an Afghan wedding, killing 40 Afghanis gathered to celebrate the love between two people and their families. U.S. officials denied responsibility for the bombing until camera footage made it impossible to deny. To the researcher's horror, his teammates working on the bomb expressed no remorse for the innocents killed by their invention. Instead, they celebrated the news because the bomb worked as they intended it to.

Protesters reminded ICB attendees that scientists have moral responsibility for the consequences of their actions and when they work for the military, the consequence is that people die, many of them innocent civilians. One speaker gave numbers on just how much money is being funneled into military research:

"UCSB rakes in 50 million dollars a year for following the Army's orders. We came here to get an education and make valuable contributions to the world, not to help conquer it. This is not a military base, it is a university. It's time to demand an end to UCSB's participation in the war machine."

There was a heavy police presence but protesters were not intimidated and conducted their non-violent direct action against UCSB war profiteering with courage and determination. Police arrested three protesters. Eyewitnesses said there was no justification for the arrests and hundreds of people chanted "Let them go! Let them go!" and laid their bodies on the pavement around police cars as a human shield demanding that the peaceful protesters be released. The arrested protesters urged everyone to return to the ICB conference to finish what they came to do and protesters returned to the Corwin Pavilion peacefully to continue disrupting the ICB.

Students Against War Santa Barbara declared victory as the ICB conference was disrupted, military scientists were informed about the consequences of their actions and a message was sent to UCSB officials that students will not rest until UC complicity in war ends.

UPDATE: The ICB conference was shut down and did not continue its second day sessions. This constitutes a major victory for UCSB students in the campaign to demilitarize UCSB and the whole UC system.

A flickr photo set

Links:

Students Against War Santa Barbara: http://sbantiwar.org/
Institute of Collaborative Biotechnology: http://www.icb.ucsb.edu/

If you have pictures and video of the day's events, post them here.

Media Coverage:

Independent's Photo Gallery

Student activist group S.B. Antiwar gather at the end Pardall street in Isla Vista to protest UCSB's involvement with the military View photo »

Student activist group S.B. Antiwar march on campus to protest UCSB's involvement with the military View photo »

CSO officers document the Antiwar protesters View photo »

Student activist group S.B. Antiwar march on campus to protest UCSB's involvement with the military View photo »

Student activist group S.B. Antiwar take over the patio area outside the Corwin Pavillion, UCSB disrupting a Institute for Collaborative Biotechnologies (ICB) conference View photo »

Student activist group S.B. Antiwar surround the Corwin Pavillion at UCSB disrupting a Institute for Collaborative Biotechnologies (ICB) conference View photo »

Institute for Collaborative Biotechnologies (ICB) conference participant Army Col. Jonathan Jaffin of Fort Detrick (right) looks on as protesters surround the Corwin Pavillion at UCSB View photo »

A tug of war between protesters and law enforcement broke out as campus police arrest Michael Miller. View photo »

A tug of war between protesters and law enforcement broke out as campus police arrest Michael Miller (lower right, light-haired) and Alex Harrison (struggling to hold on behind Miller with hat) View photo »

Campus police hold the line after extracting arrested Michael Miller from the group of protesters outside the Corwin Pavillion. View photo »

Protesters lock arms surrounding the police car detaining arrested activist Michael Miller. View photo »

One of many documenting the protest View photo »

The Sheriff's helicopter and CHP's fixed-wing aircraft monitor the protest View photo »

Reinforcements from the CHP and Santa Barbara Sheriff's Department arrive to assist campus police View photo »

Protesters lock arms surrounding the police car detaining arrested activist Alex Harrison. View photo »

Law enforcement document the scene of the protest View photo »

Protesters lock arms surrounding the police car detaining arrested activist Alex Harrison. View photo »

Protesters surrounding the police car with arrested activist Michael Miller. View photo »

Protesters lock arms surrounding the police car detaining arrested activist Alex Harrison. View photo »

Student activist group S.B. Antiwar surround the Corwin Pavillion at UCSB disrupting a Institute for Collaborative Biotechnologies (ICB) conference View photo »

A participant at the Institute for Collaborative Biotechnologies (ICB) conference speaks briefly with the protesters outside, though he would not identify himself, and soon returned into the Corwin Pavillion after constant interruptions from hecklers in the crowd. View photo »

Student activist group S.B. Antiwar surround the Corwin Pavillion at UCSB disrupting a Institute for Collaborative Biotechnologies (ICB) conference View photo »

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Comments

Mon, 06/22/2009 - 01:25 — Anonymous

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Sun, 06/14/2009 - 07:21 — Anonymous

Gosh, some interesting stuff

Mon, 06/01/2009 - 00:12 — Anonymous

I can say that, having known

I can say that, having known many weapons engineers/designers/researchers, when the bomb works, they're happy, and the actual human costs are generally overlooked.... clubpenguin

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Mon, 02/18/2008 - 15:38 — Anonymous

Also wodering about the UCSB researcher claim

His colleagues celebrated the deaths of 40 people? Sounds like a bullshit story invented to fire up the protest drones.

Sat, 02/23/2008 - 07:01 — Anonymous

bomb

I can't say whether that particular incident is true, but I can say that, having known many weapons engineers/designers/researchers, when the bomb works, they're happy, and the actual human costs are generally overlooked. It's this whole cognitive dissonance thing... they think they're saving lives when indeed they're destroying lives, but they've got a whole state and media apparatus to convince them otherwise.

Sat, 02/16/2008 - 09:43 — Anonymous

UCSB research on the Afghan wedding bomb

"For example, A UCSB researcher worked on technology for a new type of bomb which was dropped on an Afghan wedding, killing 40 Afghanis gathered to celebrate the love between two people and their families. U.S. officials denied responsibility for the bombing until camera footage made it impossible to deny. To the researcher's horror, his teammates working on the bomb expressed no remorse for the innocents killed by their invention. Instead, they celebrated the news because the bomb worked as they intended it to."

Is there any additional information available on the above (name of researcher, where the claim was made, what department at UCSB was involved in the research, etc.)? Seems pretty important..

Thu, 02/14/2008 - 23:28 — Anonymous

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