As I walked through Turlington Plaza to drop off a midterm Friday afternoon, I noticed a few posters with Ernesto "Che" Guevara's infamous picture on them. Progressing through Turlington, I saw protesters holding signs condemning Che Guevara, calling him a terrorist instead of a hero.
What the protesters didn't mention, though, was the Batista regime that Che opposed and overthrew with other Cuban revolutionaries. Batista seized power and became a dictator in Cuba, one who was backed by the United States. He focused his energy on making friends with the Mafia and amassing great personal wealth at the expense of his people - a total of about $300 million.
Che did a number of great things for his people, and he was a very popular, well-respected and loved revolutionary of his time. He was a doctor, and he aided his people by being a physician for them.
He made it a mission of Cuba to raise literacy rates, and he did-from 60 percent to 96 percent in two years. He put in extra hours of field labor to increase production in Cuba, showing that he truly cared.
Reading quotes from Che show how much he truly cared about the people he fought for. "The true revolutionary is guided by a great feeling of love," and, "If you tremble indignation at every injustice then you are a comrade of mine," show that he cared. He was from Argentina and he fought for liberation in Cuba and Bolivia. He traveled around the globe, including to the U.S., to fight for the oppressed. When he was about to be killed, he said, "I'm thinking about the immortality of the revolution." He wasn't thinking about his own life, only the life of the oppressed he fought for.
You may not agree with the way Cuba is now, and Che probably wouldn't either since he was quoted as saying, "Cruel leaders are replaced only to have new leaders turn cruel."
But just because you don't agree with someone doesn't make him a terrorist. Che Guevara did more to fight for the oppressed around the world than possibly anyone else in the world, and to protest someone that the CIA killed 31 years ago is ridiculous. The College Republicans should be ashamed of themselves for sponsoring the protest.
Paul Murty is an English sophomore.
