Young Americans for Freedom to host North Korean defector, plant Israeli flags in Hubbard Park
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The University of Iowa's Young Americans for Freedom chapter will place 200 Israeli flags in Hubbard Park next week as the group gears up to host a North Korean defector.
The flags will be placed in a key part of campus on Monday, Nov. 13 in honor of the 200 Israeli hostages captured by Hamas at the outset of the war between Israel and Hamas. The display will run for 12 hours, from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m.
At 6 p.m., the Young Americans for Freedom will host a moment of silence before taking the flags down.
The YAF gesture comes less than a week after students marched through Iowa City, including to the doors of the President's residence, to call for peace. Students at the Iowa City Community School District also participated in a protest on Friday in support of Palestinians.
Community members have made their voices heard as well, with weekly rallies calling for Palestinian freedom. Members of the local Jewish community have also rallied for peace, denouncing Zionism and attempting to unite the community on both sides of the conflict.
North Korean defector Yeonmi Park to speak Tuesday in Iowa City
The chapter will host speaker Yeonmi Park, a North Korean defector who has gained fame as an outspoken opponent of her home country on Tuesday. The Young Americans for Freedom organization says Park is "a voice for oppressed people around the world." She was named one of the BBC's Top 100 women in 2014.
"Despite encountering substantial opposition from both the student body and the surrounding community —including the destruction of posters, erasure of chalk messages, and online threats — Young Americans for Freedom remains steadfast in their dedication to advocating for Israel and amplifying Park's voice," the organization said in a release.
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The UI's YAF chapter has faced backlash this year after hosting conservative speaker Matt Walsh, who screened his documentary "What is a Woman?" and Chloe Cole who "detransitioned" and spoke about the negative effects of transitioning at a young age. Those guests spurred significant protests outside of the Iowa Memorial Union and resulted in brief clashes with police.
Students also washed away chalk advertising the events and ripped down and knocked over posters, YAF Chair Jasmyn Jordan told the Press-Citizen earlier this year.
Jordan testified at a Washington D.C. hearing Wednesday, Nov. 8 for freedom of speech on college campuses, saying she has been called a 'Nazi' and a 'white supremacist' because of the conservative guests the group has hosted on the UI campus.
“Students who hold opposing views are often subjected to frequent, violent threats and other forms of harassment with no accountability,” Jordan said at the hearing, according to a report from the Iowa Capital Dispatch.
More: Detransitioned Chloe Cole shares transgender journey as protesters, police clash on UI campus
Park is set to speak at 7 p.m. in the Main Lounge at the Iowa Memorial Union. The event is free and open to the general public.
“Tyranny always comes in the name of compassion and equality of outcomes,” Park said in the release.
Ryan Hansen covers local government and crime for the Press-Citizen. He can be reached at rhansen@press-citizen.com or on X, formerly known as Twitter, @ryanhansen01.
This article originally appeared on Iowa City Press-Citizen: UI Young Americans for Freedom to host Yeonmi Park, vigil for Israel
