First Amendment Rights at UCI?
Posted by: Jonathan Constantine | 05/14/2008 9:01 PM
Below is a photo of two Jewish students prohibited from practicing their right to free speech. While Muhammad al-Asi was giving his lecture on Monday, the two stood behind him with a sign titled "Caution Hate Speech Zone Ahead" and one with an antisemitic quote from al-Asi. Though both kept more than a comfortable distance from the MSU's speaker, administrators apparently wanted to protect al-Asi from any disrepute. I don't blame campus police, as they were just dutifully following orders from administrators.
Pictured below are more dubious explanations from administrators Sally Peterson and Edgar Dormitorio:
Update: As Gary Fouse pointed out in the comments section:
Pictured below are more dubious explanations from administrators Sally Peterson and Edgar Dormitorio:
Update: As Gary Fouse pointed out in the comments section:And while they (the deans) were running around like overpaid hall monitors, a group of school kids was standing off to the side by their bus listening to the vile words of Al-Asi.
And while they (the deans) were running around like overpaid hall monitors, a group of school kids was standing off to the side by their bus listening to the vile words of Al-Asi.
Whi was responsible for letting that happen?
Jon,
Please be more specific:
Were the sign holders making noise?
The pictures show them standing on the paved walkway; were they previously on the street, and thus putting themselves at risk of physical harm?
Were they blocking pedestrian or vehicular traffic?
The white barriers appeared to clearly define a no-go zone; the protesters appear in the third photo to be on the pavement outside that no-go zone; is this correct?
If so, I can't see any reason why the protesters were told to move - and the protesters should have peaceably stood their ground.
Have the lessons of the civil rights and free speech movements not been passed on to this generation?
"'It is the common fate of the indolent to see their rights become a prey to the active. The condition upon which God hath given liberty to man is eternal vigilance; which condition if he break, servitude is at once the consequence of his crime and the punishment of his guilt.' -- John Philpot Curran: Speech upon the Right of Election for Lord Mayor of Dublin, 1790. (Speeches. Dublin, 1808.) as quoted in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations"
In case anybody is wondering, I am pleased to see that there were protesters. I'd be curious to hear a headcount.
I was there. None of the protestors made noise or impeded Al-Asi's speech in any way whatsoever.
I was at the event as well. The police also kicked me off the stairs when I was taking pictures of the event. The stairs are very wide and there was nobody else on them yet they claimed they wanted to keep the stairs clear for "traffic." There was no impediment to traffic yet they kept anyone taking pictures or holding up placards to stay off the stairs.
What is worse to me is in the Monday, May 12, 2008 issue of the UCI student paper, New University, there is a one page advertisement Open Letter to the UCI Community from Anteaters for Israel and StandWithUs and the paper put in the following disclaimer at the top of the ad:
"This advertisement does not represent the views and/or the opinions of the New University Staff or its Affiliates or the University of California and is strictly a “Paid Advertisement” by the Said (sic) Group."
The exact same disclaimer headed another one page advertisement, The Apartheid Analogy is False and Breeds Conflict – Israel is Not an Apartheid State by the UCI Chapter of Scholars for Peace in the Middle East and supported by StandWithUs.
However, the two full page advertisement Never Again? The Palestinian Holocaust, sponsored by the Muslim Student Union at UCI and co-sponsored by Alkalima, Amnetstsy (sic) International, Pakistani Student Association, Society of Arab Students, Students for Peace and Justice, and Workers Student Alliance had NO disclaimer whatsoever!
That clearly indicates that the MSU ad is in accord with the “… views and/or opinions” of the University as it was published without the disclaimer the other ads had.
The University is the enabler of the growing Islamization of UCI.
Also keep in mind that the MSU receives funding from the university which comes out of student tuition fees. Thus, everything the MSU does is, in a way, supported by the university.
Gary Fouse
adjunct teacher
uci-ext
Jonathan,
Good work capturing that picture of the schoolkids by the bus. I am going to be writng to the OC Dept of Human Rights about this mess and that picture should be availbale for them. Ditto for the writer from the Daily whatever. I have his name and email, courtesy of Brian Levin casu-sb. I will get something out to both of them this week.
Good picture of the UCI "generals" directing their troops. What a joke!
That's not the true sign that has gone up at the school. The true sign is now known to every Jewish boy and girl:
THIS IS A JEW FREE ZONE! NO JEW NEED APPLY!
Gary,
Don't waste your time with the Human relations commission.
To B,
Thanks, but at least they'll know where one teacher at UCI stands.
I am kind of catching up with the positions of the different organizations.
"THIS IS A JEW FREE ZONE! NO JEW NEED APPLY!"
I wish we had this sign up at the United States Congress.