Columbus Go Home DC Full Story! Roy Beck, Tea Baggage, Undercover Feds, and Comprehensive European Reform!

Washington D.C. -- Prankster and Activist Robert Erickson incites tea baggers to shout "COLUMBUS GO HOME!", debates anti-immigrant zealot Roy Beck of Numbers USA, and discovers undercover federal agents in a new hilarious video, which unveils his plan for Comprehensive European Reform.

“Hi I’m Robert Erickson, you may remember me from my speech at last November’s Tea Party Against Amnesty.  I strongly believe illegal immigrants are responsible for some of the worst crimes in history and because of that we need to remove them from the country by any means necessary.

If you study your past, you’ll know that European Immigrants are responsible for worst crimes in human history – we’re talking about genocide, slavery and bringing diseases like small pox which was responsible for the death of millions of Americans.”

Apparently, many of the tea baggers, as well as Roy Beck, President of anti-immigration hate group Numbers USA, are in agreement with Robert’s anti-colonial sentiments.

More: Erickson fans on Facebook & Twitter |ThinkProgress| Earlier coverage: TCIMC video: Punking tea party | RawStory | ThinkProgress

Robert tells the story of an illegal immigrant responsible for killing a number of Americans, and trying to claim sanctuary here.  He asks tea baggers to look into the camera and tell this criminal what they think of him… once they begin Robert slips in a small detail: “his name is Columbus”

Many protesters actually join Robert in shaming Columbus for the “murders and the land theft” and demand that he be "brought to justice, and sent home". One by one they look into the camera and yell: “Columbus Go Home!”

Robert vs Roy - A clash of extremes

Robert scores an exclusive interview with Roy Beck at the rally for immigration reform on Sunday, after one of his bodyguards was arrested for assaulting a mime that was part of a group of women following him around to prevent him from picking any fights with the protesters.

"Illegal European immigration is one of the worst things we have going in this country, " Erickson tells Beck as the cameras roll. "It's not a new problem. It's been going on for hundreds of years."

Indeed, Beck agrees, apparently without realizing the he's the butt of the joke, "It helped finish off the Indians."

When asked what we should do with illegal Europeans Beck states: “We think that E-Verify ought to be used at every workplace…”  “European verify?” asks a straight faced Erickson.

Several minutes into the interview, once Beck realizes that Erickson is sarcastically advocating the deportation of all white Europeans, Beck brings the conversation to an embarrassing halt.

 

Comprehensive European Reform - Towards a just America

Touched by the deep conversations he has had with his fellow patriots throughout the week, Robert undergoes a profound change of heart, and makes a major announcement-a play on CIR:

“I have to admit, there’s no way we are going to deport them all, so its time we came up with a sensible, humane solution to this problem facing more than 200 Million illegal Europeans who are hiding out in the shadows of this great nation. I propose a path to citizenship, a plan that will be known as Comprehensive European Reform.

First, they will have to come out of the shadows and admit that the U.S. was founded upon genocide and slave labor, justified by creating a system of white supremacy which is perpetuated today through institutionalized and systemic racism

Second, they must work to dismantle these systems of oppression within themselves, and within the structures of power that perpetuate them.

Third, they must pay a $500 fee as reparations to Native and Black communities, then they can get in line with the tribal counsel like everyone else to apply for their citizenship, pending the consent of the original peoples whose land they are occupying.”

 

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Comments

I am VERY proud that I got to shake Robert's hand at the State Capitol  rally on 14 November '09! COLUMBUS GO HOME!

This guy's a bit of a one trick pony, eh?

One trick pony- agreed. The trick has it's place. It can help people who are typically racist think about their views in a different way. It could be really effective. Unfortunately, Robert has decided to make fun of average white america instead of talking to them eye to eye. There is serious potential for bridging and conversation, but Erickson seems to prefers to tear people down. Short sighted.

Roy Beck is average white America?

We are so screwed!

Nope.  Roy Beck is one person. 

Maybe his target audience is not groups with ties to the KKK.  I think most white people should be able to laugh along, assuming they subscribe to his plan for comprehensive European reform.

Robert is a fictional character that serves a speciic purpose.

I think this is a serious misunderstanding of what "average" is.  We need to quit assuming that average folks are right-wing, racist, xenophobic etc etc crazies if we are going to act like a serious force for social change.  Yes, "average white America" has a helluva long way to go when it comes to race.  But the people Robert makes fun of in videos like this - and to be clear, he's not only making fun of them, he's using their words to educate others - are not average white America and more importantly, they are more than likely not going to change.

On the other hand, people who are beginning to "get it" but haven't yet had the Aha Moment that springs them from average Americans to participants in a movement - that's who I see as the target of videos like this.  And, for better or worse, making fun of the Tea Party lets you reach thousands and thousands of those people because liberals help the videos go viral without realizing the joke's on them...

We need to use all tactics available, and that goes both for direct action and for education.  If you don't like this particular tactic, by all means create your own and run with it!