On March 5, over 200 people filled the Islamic Institute of Orange County’s multipurpose room to join a coalition, consisting of religious leaders and political activists, in support of the Irvine 11 who have been wrongfully charged for exercising their freedom of speech and assembly. The 11 students disrupted a speech by Israeli ambassador Michael Oren last year and are now facing criminal charges from the district attorney.
The panel of speakers consisted of Reem Salahi, a Pasadena lawyer representing the 11, Rachael Roberts, a representative of Jewish Voices for Peace, among others. The speakers encouraged those who came to make their voices heard, urging “Stand with the 11″ and offered talking points for letters to the editor or calls to radio talk shows. Speakers and supporters not only defended the Irvine 11’s right to protest but also emphasized that any decision to prosecute the students is a form of selective prosecution.
Susan Schroeder, the D.A.’s spokeswoman, said the charges are about the law and the facts, not specific groups. If that is the case, why did she go on to say, “If the speaker was Martin Luther King and the people disrupting him were students who are members from the Ku Klux Klan, and they were shutting down Martin Luther King’s speech and preventing him from speaking, we would’ve filed charges.” If she is trying to claim the charges are based on facts, not prejudice, then why did she compare the Irvine 11 to the Ku Klux Klan? Or better yet, why did she compare Michael Oren—the public face and defender of Israeli apartheid in the United States—to Martin Luther King, Jr. who fought apartheid in the South?
Despite the fact that University of California, Irvine’s Muslim Student Union was suspended for an entire quarter and is currently on probation, university discipline does not seem to be enough. The students face up to six months in jail or probation if convicted.
Community supporters will not be silenced by charges or by bigoted remarks. A protest is planned for March 11, the day the Irvine 11 are to be arraigned. Demonstrators plan to gather outside the Santa Ana courthouse dressed in all black, with tape over their mouths, not only signifying that the protest is being carried out peacefully, but also emphasizing that they cannot practice their first amendment rights in fear of being prosecuted as the Irvine 11 did.
