campus: 'Dying' to raise awareness of victims
Jackie Amsden, Associate Staff Writer

A group of about eight SFU students collapsed and laid lifeless on the floor of the AQ last Wednesday to raise awareness about the war in Afghanistan.

During the mock death, or 'die-in action,' one student dressed up as Uncle Sam shouted at passers-by to ignore the bodies as he threw bread and crackers, representing corporate food aid, at the victims.

The organiser of the protest, SFU student Amie Anderson, explained that the group's goal was to force people to think about the current violence and destruction taking place around the world.

"We wanted to do an action that would engage students and make them confront the fact that civilians are being killed in Afghanistan - it's easy to ignore if you don't watch the news - but here they have to walk over the bodies."

In addition to the Afghan deaths, the students hope to bring attention to certain freedoms they believe are now being infringed upon as a result of the U.S. 'war against terrorism.'

Anderson, who wore duct tape over her mouth to make her point, said, "free speech and civil liberties are under attack [as evident] in the suppression of voices of opposition."

Although no additional 'die-ins' have yet been planned, students should not be surprised if they find themselves navigating around body parts the next time they're rushing between classes.

According to Anderson, who modelled the protest after several such events that have been taking place across Vancouver this past month, Wednesday's participants have already expressed eagerness to re-enact their demonstration.

Students interested in participating in these actions may e-mail sfudiein(at)hotmail.com.

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