A small group of Cambridge residents demonstrated outside Harvard Book Store on Tuesday, expressing dissatisfaction with what they described as censorship of the politician Robert F. Kennedy Jr. by local bookstores.
The group of around seven protestors displayed pro-Kennedy signs and donned pins with his slogan to “Make America Healthy Again.” On a busy day in Harvard Square, they invited some impassioned discussions with passersby, particularly regarding Kennedy’s controversial claims about vaccines.
Deborah Belle, a 54-year Cambridge resident, describes herself as “a passionate advocate for local bookstores” but says that in several bookstores in the area, including Harvard Book Store and Porter Square Books, “you cannot find any of Kennedy’s books or books about him.” She wrote a letter to the editor with the same complaint.
Belle acknowledged that she could ask the bookstore to order the book, but said that what she appreciates about local bookstores is when she discovers a book by browsing that she “never would’ve thought you’d be interested in, picked it up, leafed through it and bought it, and it changed my life.”
Belle said she spoke to the managers of Harvard Book Store and the Harvard Coop, and said “what they tell me is our buyers don’t think they’ll be read and people don’t want them.”
Belle described the group as former volunteers for the Kennedy presidential campaign who, since he withdrew Aug. 23 and endorsed former president Donald Trump, are now “all part of the movement for the unity government that Donald Trump is attempting to bring to fruition.”
Fellow Cambridge resident Susan Filene, “a farmer and a doctor,” supported Kennedy’s focus on regenerative agriculture and removing large corporate interests from farming and pharmaceutical practices. Now that Kennedy has dropped out of the race, Filene believes another Trump administration would be more likely to accomplish these goals than one run by current vice president Kamala Harris.
The group’s “goal is a landslide election in which the Trump unity ticket wins the majority of the popular vote and of course the Electoral College,” Belle said. The demonstrators notably did not display pro-Trump signs or memorabilia.
There is no mention of a “unity government” on Trump’s website, which is also unclear on the degree to which Kennedy policies have been integrated into the Trump campaign platform.
Kennedy has been most recently in the news for sharing intimate photos sent to him by a younger reporter, and for a yearslong reputation as a “serial cheater” during his marriages.
Belle criticized the alleged deplatforming of Kennedy by the mainstream media and the Democratic Party, which she claims “canceled their primary so he could not debate.”
“You would think local bookstores would rush into the breach and make information about Kennedy available,” said Belle, but “they are contributing to hermetically sealing people’s lives against the positive view that I have and many people have of RFK Jr.”
“It’s almost as if there were an agenda,” Belle said.
A stronger
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Wow. I actually used to admired the filenes and professor Belle. This is just sad and embarrassing.
A lot of nutcases have written a lot of books. You don’t find them at bookstores either.
Private bookstores are not public libraries. They are not under any obligation to sell these books.
I can’t laugh hard enough at this. Bookstores curate their offerings based on what they think will appeal to their customers, just like any other business. You can’t shame them into giving up precious shelf space to something that will just sit there. They offer to special order – that’s good enough.
I think they skipped the “think” part. Hopefully, the “vote” as well.
This is crazy. Why do these people think bookstores are obligated to offer these books? They are a business and have to sell things people will buy.
And of course now they fallen for the non-existent unity of a threatened and dangerous Trump Dictatorship Plan.
It is so sad seeing people that were once respected falling for the cults of Kennedy and Trump.
I’ve read all of the comments appearing here. Millions of well-informed Americans understand RFK’s noble and unprecedented agenda. Just go to Amazon and see thousands (actually tens of thousands) of 5-star reviews. One book has over 28,000 glowing reviews. RFK IS being censored and he is gaining more support every day.
Thank you Deborah and others for taking your time to shine a light on the censorship. Some of the comments here show that the silencing and disparagement have been successful. Did you know that Robert Redfield, former head of the CDC, (who Kennedy criticized immensely in his book on Fauci) just published an editorial confirming that everyone Kennedy has been saying about the chronic health epidemic, and the corporate capture of regulatory agencies, is true. Kennedy has been trying to get this information to us through his books—bookstores, please protect our interests!
@AMA If you believe a private store choosing not to sell a book is censorship, you misunderstand the term “censorship”.
The person in question exhibits concerning behavior:
He spread false claims linking childhood vaccines to autism
He has made unfounded allegations about the origins of HIV
He dumped a dead bear cub in Central Park
He decapitated a whale carcasses
He provided false information when registering as a candidate
He has been publicly denounced by his own family
He cozies up with an authoritarian.
These actions suggest potential mental health issues.
This “Kennedy worship” is only a thing MA. The rest of the country is not taken in by his crap. I think it is the inbreeding that makes these folks feel like royalty.
Millions of Americans think Robert Kennedy, Jr. is a dangerous kook. Millions of Americans have read Kennedy’s books. Yet there probably are very few people who have read Kennedy’s books who believe Kennedy is a kook or dangerous. Having his books available to browse in local bookstores might well open minds. Watching one of his speeches or long-form interviews on YouTube, many of which were suppressed for years, can also offer new perspectives. Take the Kennedy challenge. Open a book. Open a mind.
I listened to RFK for years on his radio program “Ring of Fire”for years and he was a solid progressive, but has turned into a real wacko. Genius can be fleeting, then destructive.
That said, he is no longer rational and gilding the lily with his prior successes makes is ludicrous.
Maddman1: interesting handle given your comment. There is a playbook against Bobby Kennedy, it is the playbook they use against anyone they don’t want you listening to. They start with little accusations, and build up. By the time they’ve called him wacko for the 100th time, you believe it. A film maker seeking to get straight and sober was helped immensely by RFK, Jr. He helped to save his life. Later on he read the same accusations you read. He believed them. Dropped the friendship. Then he read, in one of those same papers, that RFK, Jr. was a liar. He knew this couldn’t possibly be true. He picked up the phone, asked Bobby what was going on, went for a hike with him, and Bobby explained the playbook. This film maker then wrote this film. I strongly suggest watching it. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=guw1fLJs5EY
Not interested in spending a half hour listening to conspiracy theories.
Yes, he was a good guy. Not so much now. It’s simple, if you think about it.