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Protesters gather on Purdue’s campus to oppose visit from former President George W. Bush

Protestors stand outside of Elliot Hall Tuesday to protest the visit of George W. Bush to campus (Ben Thorp/WBAA News)
Protestors stand outside of Elliot Hall Tuesday to protest the visit of George W. Bush to campus (Ben Thorp/WBAA News)

Protesters gathered outside of Elliot Hall on the campus of Purdue University Tuesday night to oppose a campus visit from former President George W. Bush.

Bush came for an event with outgoing Purdue President Mitch Daniels, who served as budget director during Bush’s presidency.

A group of over 50 protesters chanted and held signs near the long line of people waiting to attend a sold-out event with the former U.S. President.

Emily Slater is a Purdue senior and a member of the Young Democratic Socialists of America, which sponsored the event. She said the group wants to oppose the whitewashing of Bush’s presidency.

“We are here today to let the university know we are not going to sit by quietly and let them bring war criminals onto our campus and that we stand opposed to the continued militarization of our school,” she said.

Protesters pointed to Purdue’s increasing collaboration with corporations like Saab, which is building a West Lafayette manufacturing facility for trainer jets, as evidence of the increased military presence within the community.

“There is this direct line between Bush, Daniels, and this militarization,” Slater said. “That’s the line that we’re showing here.”

Students gather at the corner of Stadium and University preparing to march (WBAA News/Ben Thorp).
Students gather at the corner of Stadium and University preparing to march (WBAA News/Ben Thorp).

Bill Mullen is a member of the Greater Lafayette Democratic Socialists of America and Professor Emeritus of American Studies at Purdue. He said protesters want to remind attendees of Bush’s true legacy, which won’t be discussed at the event.

“There will be no discussion of the fact that 200,000 Iraqis died needlessly, falsely accused of having some part in 9/11,” he said. “There will be no discussion of the fact that Colin Powell lied when he told American people that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction.”

According to reports from within Elliot Hall, the former president did discuss his legacy and the decision to invade Iraq, which he described as important to the security of the United States.

Mullen said that Daniels is also complicit in leading the country into Iraq. As budget director for the Bush administration, Daniels greatly underestimated the cost of the over $2 trillion dollar war.

“Mitch Daniels basically enabled his boss to go to war at a low price tag, which was part of the deception of the American people: that this would be an easy and fast war,” he said. “We’re still paying for the war in Iraq.”

Tickets for the conversation between Daniels and Bush were sold out, with no accommodations made for media.

When reached for comment on the protest, a university spokesperson said “we support freedom of expression on campus” and pointed to the free speech symposium held by the university on Monday.