An anti-racism rally Tuesday found speakers urging people to fight racism while some comments termed Louis Farrakhan as being racist.

The noon rally, sponsored by the Hillel Student Organization—an NIU Jewish group—came eight hours before black Muslim leader Farrakhan’s 8 p.m. speech in the Chick Evans Field House. About 200 people attended the event at the King Memorial Commons.

“This rally is inspired by the appearance of Minister Louis Farrakhan, but is not in response to him being here,” said Hillel President Joy Schreiber.

Michael C. Kotzin, director of the Jewish Community Relations Council in Chicago, said Farrakhan’s anti-Semitic comments are “bigotry in the first order.”

Farrakhan’s comments that the Jewish population brought the Holocaust upon themselves are “notions that are basic to his ideologies,” said Kotzin.

Although the rally was slated to be against racism, Demetricus Carlvin, Black Student Union’s minister of information, said the anti-Farrakhan theme hurt Hillel’s reputation more than Farrakhan’s.

“It turned into an anti-Farrakhan rally. It takes away the credibility of that organization,” he said.

Michael Sandberg, the Midwest Civil Rights director for the Anti-Defamation League, said the rally was against all forms of racism.

The crowd cheered as Sandberg called Farrakhan’s $12,000 honorarium “ironic” while citing his right to “free speech.

“In 1913, we began eradicating bigotry and prejudice. We find in 1990, that business—sadly—is better than ever.”

About 10 people made suggestions to combat racism under the noon time sun and unusually warm weather.

“Racism is winning at Northern,” said the Rev. Dave Schmidt from the Wesley Foundation. Farrakhan is not a threat to racism, said Schmidt. “The threat is the allowance for us to throw stones at one another.”

“I see myself as a recovering white racist,” said Schmidt. Being raised in a white society, Schmidt said he did not question his views as closely as he should have.

Brad Strauss, a member of the Student Association and Hillel, said the rally was not intended to be against Farrakhan, although some comments were directed toward him.