A dozen student groups organized a “No War Criminals at NYU” rally to denounce former US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger for his role in shaping US policy towards Chile, Cambodia, and the Vietnam War as he delivered a speech at NYU's Stern School of Business on the 45th anniversary of receiving the Nobel Peace Prize.
About 100 demonstrators with posters reading “Prosecute Kissinger” and “War Criminal” gathered in front of the building where the event took place, NYU’s student newspaper Washington Square News reports.
Some of the protesters managed to infiltrate the audience at the invite-only event, where Kissinger spoke about his diplomatic experience and his career highlights. His speech was interrupted several times with insults. Security escorted out disruptors following each outburst.
“You are responsible for the murders of thousands of Latin Americans, including people who are close to my family!” one of the guests shouted at him before being removed.
Other slammed Kissinger as “a war criminal,” and accused him of committing genocide, being “as bad as the Nazis” and “having blood on [his] hands.”
“You deserve to answer to war crimes, to crimes against humanity. You deserve to go to jail and rot in hell,” another member of the audience yelled at the former US diplomat.
Kissinger remained quiet throughout the outbursts. He reminisced about being a diplomat during the Cold War and about his service in the US Army, fighting in his native Germany; as a German Jew he had fled with his family in 1938 at age 15. He also shared some insight on the Israel-Palestine conflict, Donald Trump’s presidency and artificial intelligence.
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While highly regarded in diplomatic circles for having pioneered détente with the Soviet Union and US recognition of the People's Republic of China, his detractors blame him for the US decision to bomb Cambodia and for supporting Augusto Pinochet's military junto in Chile.