{"article":{"id":210041,"heading":"CIA Expelled from UCSB Campus","author":"Richard McChesney","created":"2007-11-16 05:46:50","modified":"2013-11-11 00:50:15","last_modified":"Mon, 11 Nov 2013 07:50:15","article":"

The CIA was scheduled to hold an “infosession” for students interested in jobs with the agency. Right as the session began, four activists entered the room and began to demonstrate waterboarding, a torture technique used by the CIA. After only one minute of the waterboarding demonstration the room was plunged into chaos by a group calling itself the Clandestine Insurgent Rebel Clown Army. The Rebel Clowns, joined by several dozen antiwar organizers took over the meeting room and began passing out information on the CIA’s use of illegal torture techniques and literature related to the agency’s long history of subverting foreign governments, assassinating foreign leaders and subverting democracy.

The CIA agents fled the room but were pursued by a crowd of protestors chanting, “C-I-A, Go Away!” The agents were caught totally off-guard by the direct action. Protestors were overheard shouting to the escaping agents never to come back to UCSB.

<\/p>\n","contact":"ucsbsaw@gmail.com","link":"","address":"","phone":"","parent_id":0,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","summary":"Antiwar activists from the University of California, Santa Barbara and the surrounding community kicked CIA recruiters off of their campus today in a nonviolent direct action.","numcomment":23,"fileurl":"\/uploads\/2007\/11\/cia_pic.jpg","filesize":"132.2 kibibytes","article_url":"\/news\/2007\/11\/210041.php","image":{"original":"\/uploads\/2007\/11\/cia_pic.jpg","small":"\/uploads\/2007\/11\/cia_pic.jpgthumb.jpg","medium":"\/uploads\/2007\/11\/cia_pic.jpgmid.jpg"}},"attachments":[{"id":210042,"heading":"Waterboarding technique","article":"Demonstrated in front of potential CIA recruits, disrupting the CIA's infosession.","author":"Richard McChesney","parent_id":210041,"mime_type":"video\/quicktime","created":"2007-11-16 05:46:55","modified":"2007-11-16 05:46:55","fileurl":"\/usr\/local\/www-domains\/la.indymedia.org\/public\/uploads\/2007\/11\/cia1.mov"},{"id":210043,"heading":"CIA, Go Away!","article":"Demonstrators drive the CIA recruiter off campus.","author":"Richard McChesney","parent_id":210041,"mime_type":"video\/quicktime","created":"2007-11-16 05:46:55","modified":"2007-11-30 05:56:02","fileurl":"\/usr\/local\/www-domains\/la.indymedia.org\/public\/uploads\/2007\/11\/cia2.mov"}],"comments":[{"id":210061,"heading":"UC Santa Barbara Students Drive Out CIA","article":"A routine CIA information and recruitment session was suddenly disrupted on the campus of the University of California, Santa Barbara today when a small group of student protesters walked in and lead a man with bound hands to the front of the room, where he was laid on a table and (voluntarily*) tortured with a CIA-approved technique used to simulate drowning, known as water-boarding. The CIA speakers were struggling to speak over the "torture victim's" coughs and cries for help, while potential CIA recruits looked on with bewilderment at the grotesquely real portrayal of torture.\r\n\r\nUC Santa Barbara Students Drive Out CIA\r\n\r\nUC Santa Barbara, \r\nWednesday, November 14, 2007\r\n\r\nA routine CIA information and recruitment session was suddenly disrupted on the campus of the University of California, Santa Barbara today when a small group of student protestors walked in and lead a man with bound hands to the front of the room, where he was laid on a table and (voluntarily*) tortured with a CIA-approved technique used to simulate drowning, known as water-boarding. The CIA speakers were struggling to speak over the "torture victim's" coughs and cries for help, while potential CIA recruits looked on with bewilderment at the grotesquely real portrayal of torture.\r\n\r\nAs the torture victim screamed in terror, a large group of students, with a faction of the Clandestine Insurgent Rebel Clown Army (CIRCA) at the lead, stormed the room. CIRCA members untied the bound man and pushed his torturers aside to chants of 'NO TORTURE AT UCSB!' and 'CIA, GO AWAY!'. One of the rebel clowns even took advantage of a CIA operative's vacant chair at the head of the room to begin a new, and interactive, information session with the crowd to discuss the true history of the CIA and why they must be resisted. Meanwhile, clowns and students mingled with the potential recruits to discuss the truth of the organization, and other options for those who had attended the meeting. People got on tables, chairs were overturned, and the projector screen was rolled up.\r\n\r\nThe two CIA recruiters heading the meeting appeared to be caught completely off guard. They packed up and began to leave, followed first by a few of the students who had come for the recruiting session, and then by the entire clown-and-student insurgency, which proceeded to disrupt every attempt at meeting in other parts of UCSB's U-Cen, or University Center, building, by surrounding CIA agents and confronting them with a battery of questioning and shame, making it clear that torturers will not be tolerated at UC Santa Barbara. When it was apparent that any attempt at recruitment would fail, the meeting dispersed and one agent was escorted off the university by the chanting, confrontational insurgency.\r\n\r\nWhen it was clear that the agent was no longer a threat to impressionable University students, the crowd returned to the U-Cen to forcibly eject the other agent, only to discover that he had already left as well. The former meeting room was occupied and used for a networking and debriefing session, where the insurgency was able to use the energy of the event to lay down the foundations for future resistance.\r\n\r\n*The volunteer in question was, per his request, actually tortured using the water-boarding technique, so as to give the students the necessary picture of what the Central Intelligence Agency of the United States is guilty of doing to human beings. Although the demonstration was obviously painful, he felt it was essential, and bravely allowed himself to be put through this terrible experience. Don't try this at home, and don't let anybody do it to you; especially if they work for the government. \r\n \r\n","author":"From Infoshop","parent_id":210041,"mime_type":"text\/plain","created":"2007-11-16 18:04:16","modified":"2007-11-16 18:04:16","fileurl":""},{"id":210101,"heading":"Other press on UCSB's direct action","article":"http:\/\/www.dailynexus.com\/article.php?a=15128\r\nStudents Protest CIA\u2019s Torture Tactics\r\nUCSB Students Dress in Clown Costumes to Denounce CIA, Follow Presenter Across Campus\r\n\r\nBy Evan Wagstaff \/ Staff Writer\r\n\r\nPublished Thursday, November 15, 2007\r\n\r\nIssue 37 \/ Volume 88\r\n\r\nEnlarge this image\r\nStudent protesters dressed as clowns follow a CIA representative from the UCen conference room to his car near Pardall Tunnel on Wednesday evening. The group interrupted the event to perform imaginary torture methods in order to deter recruitment at UCSB.\r\n\r\nERIN SALDA\u00d1A \/ DAILY NEXUS\r\n\r\nStudent protesters dressed as clowns follow a CIA representative from the UCen conference room to his car near Pardall Tunnel on Wednesday evening. The group interrupted the event to perform imaginary torture methods in order to deter recruitment at UCSB.\r\n\r\nEnlarge this image\r\nThe clowns interrupt the CIA informational meeting to criticize torture tactics and other allegedly negative influences of the program yesterday. They distributed pamphlets on campus and used the clown theme to try to make a mockery out of the CIA.\r\n\r\nERIN SALDA\u00d1A \/ DAILY NEXUS\r\n\r\nThe clowns interrupt the CIA informational meeting to criticize torture tactics and other allegedly negative influences of the program yesterday. They distributed pamphlets on campus and used the clown theme to try to make a mockery out of the CIA.\r\n\r\nA group of several protesters dressed in clown costumes and painted faces followed a CIA recruiter last night from his presentation in the UCen to his car behind the Thunderdome.\r\n\r\nA CIA recruitment and informational meeting was taking place in a conference room on the UCen\u2019s lower level, when, at 5 p.m., a group of protesters interrupted the recruiter\u2019s PowerPoint presentation by placing one of their fellow clowns on the front table, binding his hands and arms, and pouring water on his face to simulate waterboarding torture in front of the presentation\u2019s unsuspecting audience. The group also held a mock press conference citing historical torture statistics and played limbo with a fuzzy green boa before the recruiters quickly packed up their equipment and left the room.\r\n\r\nThe crowd of a dozen clowns and almost 50 onlookers followed the lead recruiter through the halls of the UCen, up and down two flights of stairs, and out to Storke Plaza, chanting \u201cNo torture at UCSB\u201d and \u201cCIA, go away.\u201d The recruiter, who did not stop for comment, said only \u201cI\u2019m not in violation of anything,\u201d before getting into his car at the lot next to Pardall Tunnel.\r\n\r\nJennifer Bamberg, a UCSB alumni and protester, was passing out anti-torture signs to fellow supporters in front of the UCen throughout the protest. She said students should reject the CIA and cited various allegations.\r\n\r\n\u201cIt\u2019s the fact that they practice torture since their inception,\u201d Bamberg said. \u201cThey had a hand in the coup in Chile in \u201873, they go into places like Afghanistan and assure opium gets to poor black areas in the U.S.; they supported crop dusting in Columbia and poisoned thousands of families\u2019 farm supplies.\u201d\r\n\r\nAccording to third-year environmental studies major Whitney Walberg, \u201cCommunity Members Against War\u201d is the unofficial group behind the protest. The group has no set roster of members, but serves as a place for concerned students to plan action. Walberg said that the group chose the clown motif to embarrass the CIA and make a joke out of their meeting.\r\n\r\n\u201cThe reason they feel this is effective is because they completely make the situation a joke,\u201d Walberg said. \u201cIt takes the seriousness and legitimacy away from the CIA. UCSB is one of the only UCs that the CIA recruits at and we want them to stop what they\u2019re doing.\u201d\r\n\r\nAfter the recruiter left, Will Parish, the most costumed of the protesters, spoke against the CIA while in character as a high-pitched clown.\r\n\r\n\u201cAll I wanted to know was if, by Western standards, it\u2019s OK for me to tickle you in the butt if it\u2019s okay for you to torture people,\u201d Parish said. \u201cThat guy was an evasive asshole.\u201d\r\n\r\nThe protesters also distributed pamphlets detailing several instances of alleged CIA international abuses.\r\nFirst year zoology and film studies major Lindsey Parker said she heard about the event through Facebook and came to protest what she deemed as unacceptable practices by the CIA.\r\n\r\n\u201cWe claim to support a peaceful cause but then we do shady things like this,\u201d Parker said. \u201cThere are all sorts of barbaric acts that are going on.\u201d\r\n","author":"clowny","parent_id":210041,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","created":"2007-11-17 17:17:00","modified":"2013-11-11 00:50:16","fileurl":"\/usr\/local\/www-domains\/la.indymedia.org\/public\/uploads\/2007\/11\/cia_flee.jpg","image":{"original":"\/usr\/local\/www-domains\/la.indymedia.org\/public\/uploads\/2007\/11\/cia_flee.jpg"}},{"id":210110,"heading":"yup","article":"To Bob.\r\nare you serious?\r\nIt wasn't a lack of intelligence or failure to stop the events of Sept 11th\r\nOnly the ignorant or stupid still believe the myth of an attack by the 'Arab' nations.\r\n9-11 was treason at the top of the US government or as I call it an act by the Super government.\r\nThey need to hang.","author":"boB","parent_id":210041,"mime_type":"text\/plain","created":"2007-11-17 19:56:11","modified":"2007-11-17 19:56:11","fileurl":""},{"id":210119,"heading":"oh please...","article":"look, a fool blown smacko.\r\nOne who actually believes the kool aid of the Bush admin.\r\nCell phone calls?\r\nha ha ha ha ha ha ha.\r\nThey just weren't possible at the speed and altitude even if one was to believe the 'conversations' on these 'calls'.\r\nLOL","author":"boB","parent_id":210041,"mime_type":"text\/plain","created":"2007-11-17 22:40:24","modified":"2007-11-17 22:40:24","fileurl":""},{"id":210139,"heading":"spooks n flukes","article":"Well that was certainly a boot load of wanking and spray.\r\nThe cell phone calls were not possible at the speed and altitude in any of the reported hijacked aircraft. Not from cell phones and not from non existant seat phones. The entire *story* dissolves under examination. Stop being dull.\r\nNone of the passenger lists on any of the A\/C had any Arabic names.\r\nOBL is not only off of the FBI wanted list, he been dead for years. Yup.\r\nHa ha ha ha ha ha hah ...\r\nBig wankers.","author":"Yar!","parent_id":210041,"mime_type":"text\/plain","created":"2007-11-18 01:11:50","modified":"2007-11-18 01:11:50","fileurl":""},{"id":210223,"heading":"an EE degree? ha ha ha ha ha","article":"And with a degree in Electronics you don't know about the cell phone technology limitations ( which still exist for repeater towers and require locational fix but I guess that's not in your particular field, huh... ) and you are ignorant in this matter?\r\nWhere did you graduate?","author":"Got one also","parent_id":210041,"mime_type":"text\/plain","created":"2007-11-19 05:24:40","modified":"2007-11-19 05:24:40","fileurl":""},{"id":210330,"heading":"Great work","article":"This was a terrific action. Keep it up and encourage others to learn about this issue and to join in the struggle. The American people need to rise up against this expanding cancer of global empire. ","author":"sw","parent_id":210041,"mime_type":"text\/plain","created":"2007-11-21 08:21:24","modified":"2007-11-21 08:21:24","fileurl":""},{"id":210378,"heading":"cheers!","article":"ha ha!\r\nyeah!","author":"merp","parent_id":210041,"mime_type":"text\/plain","created":"2007-11-22 08:19:57","modified":"2007-11-22 08:19:57","fileurl":""},{"id":210481,"heading":"No kidding!","article":"Step right up and learn the trade!\r\nTorture\r\nSubversion\r\nAssassination\r\nPogroms\r\nPurges\r\n!!!!\r\nAnd don't forget the ever lucrative drug and arms trade!\r\nAsk the crack heads of LA! \r\nEqual opportunity secrecy and skullduggery!\r\nDon't let the law or even morality interfere with your true path!\r\nWe are looking for a few good snakes.\r\nBe someone!\r\n","author":"Sheepdog","parent_id":210041,"mime_type":"text\/plain","created":"2007-11-24 04:25:37","modified":"2007-11-24 04:25:37","fileurl":""},{"id":212396,"heading":"Watchlists & Purges","article":"Thanks to the 'national security' act, these individuals have done things in the name of the people of America that would make any sane person sick.\r\nAnd just a little reminder for the agents who think they are on the inside.\r\nThe Agency has no problem dealing with loose ends, in its own house, who become liabilities.\r\nLike Colby. \r\nAny place where the darkness hides the actions of a government, evil flourishes and comes to full bloom. To provide the hidden rulers with the power to create such horrors as the war in Vietnam. Which they were directly responsible for. And that is merely in Vietnam. The list of countries soaked in the blood from the CIA is world wide.","author":"Is that so wrong?","parent_id":210041,"mime_type":"text\/plain","created":"2008-01-09 10:00:43","modified":"2008-01-09 10:00:43","fileurl":""}]}