Michelle Malkin Defends Racial Profiling in Speech

Drawing more than 250 people to Dwinelle Hall last night, syndicated columnist Michelle Malkin took an unconventional stance in her speech as she justified America's Japanese internment policy and post-Sept.11 racial profiling practices.

Calling these policies necessary for national security during wartime, Malkin, an author and Fox News Channel commentator, said "civil libertarians" use the "internment card" too much, drawing on Japanese internment to counter current racial profiling practices.

"Misguided guilt about the past continues to hamper our ability to prevent future terrorist attacks," she said.

Drawing on her research of government documents, exhibits and textbooks, Malkin said that nearly half of World War II internees were European, which she said is glossed over in textbooks.

Malkin also said there was a serious threat of Japanese invasion, pointing to intercepted intelligence messages describing Japanese government officials in Los Angeles, San Francisco and Honolulu monitoring military shipments into West Coast.

Malkin tries to fill in what she said is left out of school books in her controversial new book, "In Defense of Internment: The Case for ‘Racial Profiling' in World War II and the War on Terror."

Malkin was met with nearly 75 students and activists gathered in front of Dwinelle Hall holding fliers and picket signs, some not only protesting her visit but also the Bush administration and budget cuts.

"It's harmful to spread this type of ideology, to justify racial profiling," said Evonne Lai, co-chair of the Asian Pacific Council, who was protesting Malkin's book.

Some students were skeptical of the facts presented in her book.

"The thesis of Malkin's book is not only factually incorrect but dangerous -dangerous in our current political situation and incredibly insensitive to the victims of this denial of justice," said junior Matt Tokeshi.

Dozens hoping to hear Malkin speak, including many demonstrators, were shut out of the full auditorium.

With chants of "shame" seeping in from outside of the room and protesters banging on the door, Malkin had to stop her speech periodically to be heard.

"The real shame is that people are too close-minded to consider the evidence I have," Malkin said, adding they "don't understand what a liberal education truly is."

Malkin emphasized she did not advocate "rounding up all Arabs and Muslims and tossing them into camps."

The inconveniences of profiling should not be any reason to hinder national security, she said. Inconveniences are preferable to being "incinerated at an office desk by a flaming, hijacked plane," she said, which elicited cheers from the audience.

"Wartime profiling has nothing to do with prejudice," she said. "It's a matter of life and death."

Malkin also said she should not be classified as a "right-wing pundit," adding she is critical of the Bush administration's profiling measures.

"There are profiling measures already built into our laws ... that were not being implemented," she said. "I think the Bush administration bears responsibility for these failures."

Some students from Berkeley College Republicans, which sponsored the event, said Malkin presented enough evidence to back up her claims.

"I do agree with her point on racial profiling," said Amaury Gallais, president of BCR. "It's a very important practice that we need to put in place in order to improve our national security."

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