Protesters who disrupted Israeli ambassador at UC Irvine charged by prosecutors
The Orange County district attorney’s office on Friday charged 11 defendants with conspiring to disrupt a meeting and a speech by the Israeli ambassador to the United States at UC Irvine last year.
The move comes after about 50 protesters rallied in front of the Orange County district attorney’s office Tuesday. Though some have criticized the students’ method of protest, many said that university punishment was sufficient enough for the “Irvine 11,” as the students came to be known.
In a statement, Orange County Dist. Atty.Tony Rackauckas said the case was filed because of an “organized attempted to squelch the speaker.” He also said the students “meant to stop this speech and stop anyone else from hearing his ideas, and they did so by disrupting a lawful meeting.”
“We must decide whether we are a country of laws or a country of anarchy,” he said. “We cannot tolerate a pre-planned violation of the law, even if the crime takes place on a school campus and even if the defendants are college students. In our democratic society, we cannot tolerate a deliberate, organized, repetitive and collective effort to significantly disrupt a speaker who hundreds assembled to hear.”
The Muslim Student Union, which denied planning to obstruct the speech, was suspended by the university. It was one of the first instances in recent memory in which the school recommended the ban of a student group for an action other than hazing or alcohol abuse. Individual students were also disciplined by the university.
The Feb. 8, 2010, incident sparked a debate about free speech at the campus after a group of students disrupted a speech by Michael Oren, the Israeli ambassador to the U.S. Oren was shouted down repeatedly, and supporters cheered as students were escorted away by police.
The students are accused of meeting with other members of the Muslim Student Union to discuss options to respond to the speech as far out as six days before the event.
According to prosecutors, students circulated e-mails and held multiple meetings to plan the disruption of the speech. One of the students is accused of sending an e-mail to the MSU-UCI message board announcing that “we will be staging a University of Chicago Style disruption of the Ambassador’s speech.”
Approximately 500 to 700 people had assembled for the meeting, authorities say.
Eight of the defendants are students at UC Irvine and the other three were students at UC Riverside. Each is charged with one misdemeanor count of conspiracy to disturb a meeting and one misdemeanor count of the disturbance of the meeting. If convicted, they could be fined and/or sentenced to probation with community service or six months in jail.
The students will be arraigned March 11 in Santa Ana.
-- Nicole Santa Cruz
EDITOR'S PICKS:
Unsurprisingly, censorship is an acceptable rule in Muslim countries. The concept of "free speech" is likewise completely alien to them. UCI and other public forums should develop policies to handle the expected culture clashes on U.S. soil. Either we stand behind our laws or our fundamental rights will collapse out of our fear of hurting someone's feelings. And students, especially aliens who voluntarily chose to study here, should be treated even more harshly than the general public for those violations, simply because they are here to learn.
Posted by: Thomas B. | February 04, 2011 at 07:00 PM
They need to be tried, convicted, jailed and then shipped back to where they came from.
Posted by: Philip | February 04, 2011 at 07:20 PM
It's un-american behavior. They need to know that.
Posted by: jiminboulder | February 04, 2011 at 07:22 PM
Protesting is a time honored way of making your voice heard. It is being heard even now, this long after the event. What now happens is that they go to court and deny nothing, in fact proclaim the actions that show their guilt, then accept their punishment, as did King, as did Gandhi, as have many others who acted out of conscious.
Or were they just being thugs, not allowing those with which they disagree to have civil discourse?
We shall see. Courageous or cowardly?
Posted by: Ken Murray | February 04, 2011 at 07:30 PM
Once again Zionist prevail. When will we as a country stop bowing to Israel on everything? Why do we allow Zionists that clearly do not want peace to commit war crime after war crime without any repercussions? Even when a Zionist (Judge Goldstone) issues a U.N. sponsored report stating the numerous war crimes they committed during the war with Hamas all the Jewish government does is cry and and complain about how they are being picked on. Really? You're being picked on by one of your own or is he just stating the truth? Anyway our weak minded congress sold out to the Jew lobbyist so they voted for a resolution stating that the report is "irredeemably biased and unworthy of further consideration or legitimacy." That resolution is ridiculous as Goldstone was sent to investigate the war crimes committed by both sides. But of course the Israeli regime has a hard time with the truth if it finally shows them for what they are "war criminals". How about we start showing Israel we mean business by not giving them anymore foreign aid. I am sure we can find a better use for the 10 billion dollars we give them every year.
Posted by: 4Real | February 04, 2011 at 07:33 PM
Long Live Israel !
Posted by: MDDS | February 04, 2011 at 07:35 PM
May justice be served! This was one of the more disgusting incidents I've seen in a long time.
Posted by: steve | February 04, 2011 at 07:36 PM
So what exactly happened to those jewish kids who interrupted the iranian president? Oh right... nothing.
Posted by: jlee | February 04, 2011 at 07:37 PM
"one of the first instances in recent memory"
That's TimesSpeak for "we didn't bother to research it but we ant to sound dramatic"
It's meaningless and its certainly not journalism
Posted by: Sorker | February 04, 2011 at 07:38 PM
Ahhh Orange County making Nazis proud. Again.
Posted by: Jack | February 04, 2011 at 07:40 PM
Over the past decade I've seen the imbecility of these college nitwits who absolutely refuse to tolerate messages they dont like... and it's growing more and more.. more emotional , more violent, more irrational, more deranged. I'm glad they're being charged. I hope they go to prison; If they dont like it, go to Egypt.
Posted by: VinceP1974 | February 04, 2011 at 07:45 PM
Lesson learned; criticize Israel, go to jail!
Posted by: Ryan Martinez | February 04, 2011 at 07:51 PM
YEA!!! I'm a Liberal, but have NO love for the lie that is modern Islam. On every continent in the world right now, we see MASSIVE and/or extraordinary displays of violence and repression from this so-called "Religion of Peace". And the uninformed amongst us who rightfully abhor unjust judgement and bias toward an entire group of people don't know or understand the history of the Muslim world. It's almost as bad as the history of Christianity.
And while people want to condemn Israel because they read CNN headlines about "occupation" and "repression" of Palestinians, they overlook the fact that the Palestinians have made their bed...and they must now lie in it. If they weren't murdering innocent Jews during the pogroms of the early 1900's, it was pledging allegiance to Hitler during WW2. There is a reason, or reasons, why the rest of the Middle East has mostly turned their backs on the Palestinians.
Posted by: Eric of Reseda | February 04, 2011 at 07:53 PM
Wait until they get the urge to act like terrorists. You think the world is safer because we tolerate and appease these radical elements. Our government is letting Egypt go to extremists and soon it will be our turn.
Posted by: william wedesweiler | February 04, 2011 at 07:59 PM
I am thrilled that the OC prosecutor is filing charges against these radical Muslim fanatic student thugs. I hope they get a severe penalty, including, one hopes, getting kicked out of school. Then they can spend all day studying the Koran and the hadiths.
Posted by: Hypatia | February 04, 2011 at 08:11 PM
wow. This is truly amazing.
I'm assuming that District Attorney Rackauckas has bigger aspiration and his fast track is though kissing up to the Jewish groups that want to make an example out of those Muslims; How dare they disrupt a war criminal.
really Mr. Rackauckas. you need to recheck your moral compass its totally messed up.
Posted by: socal_maverick | February 04, 2011 at 08:12 PM
Good day for justice and the rule of law.
Posted by: BillyBob | February 04, 2011 at 08:21 PM
We must stop Muslims now or we will face them in the streets in the future.
Posted by: Michael E | February 04, 2011 at 08:23 PM
In a Muslim country, they would be stoned or have their tongues cut out.
I hope they appreciate American justice.
Posted by: CaliPHOBE | February 04, 2011 at 08:23 PM
Well this is sad and shocking. Where are these students' free speech rights? Mubarak allows mass protests and plenty of free speech, but we jail a group of students for a simple, non-violent protest action??? I am so ashamed of that DA, and for the hypocrisy with which this case is being handled. Their arrest and charging with a crime for exercising their free speech rights is a frightening black mark on our society, and a blatant example of why we seem blind to full justice for all.
Posted by: f laman | February 04, 2011 at 08:40 PM
We must be ever vigilant of any organization that condones breaking the law or not supporting our Constitution. If found guilty each of these students should receive the maximum penalty allowed by law.
Unfortunately, the Muslim Koran dictates that all non-believers must be killed. It demands that Sharia law be the law of every nation. All American religions believe in live and let live by your choice.
What a shame that these young people will grow up in America with their religion's goal of converting or killing the rest of us.
Posted by: Bob Fox | February 04, 2011 at 08:48 PM
I guess OC is flush with cash for this sort of nonsense.
Posted by: Carol | February 04, 2011 at 08:49 PM
Israel is the only country in the world that should not be protested against since it is the country that has suffered the most. NO ONE should question Israel and its agenda.
Posted by: israelfirst | February 04, 2011 at 09:05 PM
So, where was this high and mighty D.A. during all those town hall meetings on health care that were disrupted by the Koch brothers funded tea-baggers...?
Posted by: Drew | February 04, 2011 at 09:15 PM
Muslims...so open minded, aren't they?
Posted by: Mister Chris | February 04, 2011 at 09:21 PM