Students Protest Cartoon In 'Daily Californian'

By: (AP) Dozens of students protested inside the offices of the University of California, Berkeley, student newspaper Tuesday night.

The protesters declared a sit-in and decried what they called a racist editorial cartoon run in that day's edition of the Daily Californian.

The cartoon showed two Muslim Arabs wearing turbans sitting in a demon's hand, about to be consumed by the flames of hell. One said to the other, "We made it to paradise. Now we will meet Allah and be fed grapes and be serviced by 70 Virgin women ..."

One student editor of the paper said late Tuesday evening the offices had been "under siege" for most of the day and that, as the evening wore on, the number of protesters had steadily increased.

By 1 a.m. Wednesday, a student with the newspaper reported that more than 100 people remained in the office with "no sign that they will leave."

Graduate student and protestor Osama Qasem said a list of six demands had been given to the newspaper's staff. Demands included a request for a printed apology in the Wednesday or Thursday edition of the paper and allowing only student-produced art and cartoons to be published by the paper in the future. The cartoon in question was drawn by syndicated cartoonist Darrin Bell.

In a statement issued early Wednesday, the Senior Editorial Board of the newspaper said it would not issue an apology for the cartoon. The board said the cartoon represented the opinion of the cartoonist and "in no way reflects the views and opinions of the Daily Californian" staff.

"Although the concerns of appropriateness and timing are understood, we maintain the cartoon falls within the realm of fair comment," the board said. "Cartoons are usually exaggerated, sometimes satire, and almost always meant to spark a discussion. We are willing to begin a reasoned discourse on this issue with a representative group of student leaders."

"Freedom of speech should not come at the cost of anyone's safety," said Robert Chala of the UC Berkeley Arab Student Union and Students for Justice in Palestine. "This cartoon is a license for violence against Arab, Muslim, Sikh, Iranian, and other communities."