Protests, Police and Karl Rove in Iowa City

IOWA CITY - When news broke that the UI Lecture Committee would be paying Karl Rove $40,000 to give an on-campus speech, hundreds of flyers encouraging organized protests began popping up throughout Iowa City. Before, during and after Sunday's Rove event, the atmosphere was palpable, marking a truly devisive event.

Across the street from the Iowa Memorial Union where Rove spoke, giant banners were hung from a University of Iowa parking ramp.  When police removed the banners, protestors shouted at them from the sidewalk below, denouncing them as fascists and asking where the First Amendment had gone.

One sidewalk protestor was United States Army veteran Ed Flaherty, clad in an old military jacket and holding up several anti-war signs. When asked why he was picketing Rove's arrival, Flaherty said "Karl Rove was instrumental in starting an illegal war." Flaherty served in the United States Army from 1966 to 1968.

Inside the Iowa Memorial Union, the foyer was home to numerous anti-war banners and displays. "What about the Iraqis' rights," questioned one sign, while another warned, "Iowa City is not a safe haven for war criminals."

A nearby table organized by Women for Peace in Iowa President Wendy Barth held 1,000 small cardboard coffins. The display was meant to give attendees a visual representation of a fraction of the Iraq War's toll on human lives, according to Barth.

Chants and anti-war slogans echoed down the hallway where attendees waited in line.  Attendees near the venue's entrance found themselves awash in a swarm of protestors. Eight females dawned in cheerleading costumes marched in step, shouting, "War and Occupation will never lead to liberation." At least two protestors wore costumes made to mimic victims of the Abu Ghraib scandal, complete with hoods and electric clamps. Other protestors handed out stickers criticizing the military industrial complex, while others held high signs denouncing Rove. A felt rope separated those in line from those protesting.

Minutes before the event kicked off, peace activist and former priest Frank Cordaro gave a strong-worded speech attacking Rove just outside of the venue. "This speech is about money," Cordaro said. "Karl Rove wanted it, and the UI Lecture Committee has given it to him." Cordaro went on to describe Rove as President George W. Bush's spin doctor and an unindicted war criminal.

The atmosphere inside the lecture hall was explosive, if not volatile.  At 7:43 p.m., just six minutes after Rove's interview began, several interjections led police to remove Cordaro from the lecture hall. Cordaro continued shouting at Rove while making his exit, denouncing him as a liar and war criminal. A mix of boos and applause filled the room as approximately 1,200 people looked on.

Minutes before the interview began, several protestors interrupted a moment of silence in memory of the recent school shooting on the Northern Illinois Campus that left six dead, prompting outrage from many. Four minutes into the interview, two more protestors were removed by police after several war-denouncing interruptions. Throughout the ordeal, interjections and taunts continously echoed down the lecture hall toward Rove.

When discussing the toll of the war, one protestor shouted, "Did you shed a single tear?" Rove responded, "I've shed a lot of tears.  I know there's a controversial war, and I'll defend it." Leading up to the war, Rove argued that, "Every bit of evidence from the U.S. and West said that Saddam had WMDs," going on to read several quotes from former President Bill Clinton and Senator John Kerry calling for the disarmament of Saddam Hussein.

When one attendee asked Rove how many Iraqis have died in the wake of the war, Rove said such a question was a libel on the U.S. military, noting that United Nations estimates put the figure below 100,000. Rove noted that the UN estimates are dwarfed by the toll of Saddam's regime, which he claimed killed a half million Iraqis. Rove's comment prompted one attendee to shout back, "Does that make it right?"

Another attendee shouted, "We want our $40,000 back," to which Rove responded, "You can't have it."

Perhaps Rove's most inflammatory statement was one which prompted several attendees walk out of the venue. "It is funny that a guy wearing a Palestinian symbol around his neck would be talking to me about blood on my hands," Rove said.

Rove ended his night with a private dinner at a local Iowa City restaurant, One Twenty Six. Tipped off by a restaurant employee, several dozen protestors carrying two large banners and a bull horn soon surrounded the building, demanding that Rove come out with his hands up.

One restaurant employee stood in the buildings threshold and denounced Rove on behalf of the restaurant itself. A University of Iowa vehicle eventually pulled up to the restaurant's entrance, escorting Rove away from the volatile environment.