The Counter-Demonstrations

The Lampoon's counter-demonstration last Friday, as buses left for the march on Washington, began as an indifferent spoof of demonstrations in general, but ended as an ugly, tasteless row by a mob of know-nothings. The students who showed up "to have a little fun" represents that segment of Harvard which is mostly without strong poltical motivation, and which finds sincerity embarrassing.

On Friday afternoon, Michael S. Ansara '67 came into the Lampoon building to ask if he could plug in an extension cord to light up an information table outside that night. When asked why, Ansara explained that SDS was planning a protest march on Washington, and that the Boston buses were leaving from in front of the Lampoon building. Several members of the Lampoon immediately began recruiting people by phone, and later in the dining halls, to come to a counter-demonstration on the steps of the Lampoon building. By the time the buses were scheduled to leave, a crowd of nearly 200 had gathered.

The president of the Lampoon, Richard A. Spencer '66, said later that the purpose of the demonstration was to wish President Johnson a happy Easter and hope that the march didn't spoil his Easter egg roll. A few of their signs, urging the SDS-types to "Take A Bath," supported the claim that their rally was a harmless prank.

But other signs read "On to Hanoi" and urged bombing of the North Vietnamese capitol. Before long, the counter-demonstrators and their impeccably dressed dates were marching around chanting "War! War! War!" and "On to Moscow!" Many were drunk.

One student, who was not a member of the Lampoon, climbed on top of a bus shouting obscene four-letter words. The same student later tore a sign off one of the buses and got in a first-fight with a bystander. As University police took him into custody, a mob surrounded the car chanting at the police to let him go.

A serious counter-demonstration by supporters of the Administration's policy in Vietnam, or a well-executed parody of the SDS demonstration, might have been appropriate. But Friday's drunken rally, by students whose credo allows no room for commitment of any sort, was repugnant.