Protesters lined Low Plaza and 116th street on Friday to rally against a speech by conservative author and Columbia alum David Horowitz, who was on campus as part of Islamo-Facism week.

Islamo-Facism awareness came to Columbia’s campus this week as part of David Horowitz’s campaign to, quote, confront the two Big Lies of the political left: that President Bush created the war on terror and that Global Warming is a greater danger than terrorism. Horowitz delivered the keynote address on Friday despite threats of a protest. Though the speech in Lerner Cinema did not draw a large crowd, security was tight.

Chris Kulawik (CUCR president): As I open this last event of the week, I only ask you for one thing, civility.

Jonathan Glicksberg (CC Student): I think that some people might have thought that if they showed up they would endorse what he was saying, and if they thought that they didn't agree with him, they wouldn't show up.

Outside Lerner, people from the city came to protest Horowitz’s idea on Islamo-Facism and the word’s connection to Islam, the culture, and the religion.

David Horowitz: There is absolutely nothing in this week that I've devised, Islamo-Facism Awareness Week, that could be remotely interpreted as an attack on Muslims, particularly since it's a defense of Muslims.

Horowitz’s speech was part of a series of events centered on supporting and the battle for women’s rights in the Middle East. An oppression panel was held Wednesday night.

Opression Panelist: Women have achieved comparity with men in universities in Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, Algeria, in Iran, Arabia, Kuwait and Tunisia women outnumber men. These educated women are very impatient for change and increasingly they are making their presence known and my message this evening is that we must find effective, intelligent, tactful ways to help them in any way we can.

The College Republican’s Islamo-Facism week is just one branch of the effort that is being held on 200 university campuses across the country.