ALERT: Urge Orange County DA's Office to not Press Charges against 'Irvine 11'
(ANAHEIM, CA, 1/31/11) - The Greater Los Angeles Area office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-LA) today called on all people of conscience, especially Orange County residents, to immediately contact the Orange County District Attorney's office and urge that criminal charges not be pressed against the 'Irvine 11.'
The students, dubbed 'Irvine 11,' verbally protested Israeli Ambassador Michael Oren's speech at a University of California-Irvine (UCI) event on February 8, 2010 but then left peacefully with campus police officers. Oren was able to finish his speech after a short break.
Furthermore, the 'Irvine 11' students have previously undergone extensive but confidential administrative proceedings and might already possibly face sanctions by the university administration.
Additionally, the university imposed sanctions on the Muslim Student Union (MSU) at UCI. Sanctions include one-quarter suspension and a two-year probation.
Despite the university's actions, the Orange County District Attorney has subpoenaed six UCI Muslim students and compelled them to testify before a grand jury, leaving observers to understand felony charges might be levied upon the students.
SEE: UCI Students Could Face Grand Jury
"Such excessive and unprecedented steps by the Orange County District Attorney's office against the 'Irvine 11' not only chill free speech on college campuses but also send a public message that any legitimate criticism of Israel will be dealt in a heavy-handed manner," said CAIR-LA Deputy Executive Director and Staff Attorney Ameena Mirza Qazi.
IMMEDIATE ACTIONS REQUESTED:
1. Contact the Orange County District Attorney's office.
Tony Rackauckas, OC District Attorney
Phone: (714) 834-3600
Suggested Talking Points:
a. It is not appropriate for the DA's office to waste precious taxpayer dollars by
criminalizing students who only verbally protested a foreign official.
b. The DA's office appears to have caved in to pro-Israel groups who seek to silence all legitimate criticism of Israel.
2. If you are a UCI alum, faculty or student, please sign the online petition.
3. Join a coalition of activists in a march to the DA's office on Tuesday, February 1th at 12 p.m.
What's missing in the MSU announcement is any acknowledgement of wrongdoing or any contrition whatsoever. That indicates that they don't feel there was anything wrong with what they did and they will do it again.
Maybe next time UCI will acknowledge this and kick them off campus for good. I doubt it. .
Frankly, I don't have a dog in that hunt. Whether there is something deeper going on, I have no idea. If it is solely about the Feb 8 incident, then they have until Feb 8 to file charges. It does seem unusual to wait this long after the event. We'll just have to wait and see.
When there is a campaign to dismiss or not file criminal charges, there should be a clear position that
1) The defendants are innocent
2) The actions the defendants did commit are not a crime
3) The defendants regret their actions, and the charges are excessive for the nature of the offense and circumstances.
CAIR's statement is not clear on any of these points. It mixes the rhetoric of righteous outrage one would expect for (1), with the defensiveness of (3), and maybe a bit of (2). They can't all be accurate. CAIR should clarify or shut up.
Incidentally, the notion of "American Islamic Relations" is bogus. American citizens who are Muslim are Americans, not foreigners. Citizens of foreign republics and subjects of foreign princes are aliens, whatever their faith. But then, that is also why we should not have exchanged ambassadors with the Vatican. What's good for the goose, the gander cannot be blamed for seeking to partake of.
Look to Iran post the Shaw. Consider where the Egyptian protesters will be post Mubarak. If we do not learn from history, we repeat it. Carter and Obama and many here at UCI don't get it. I guess you deserve Sharia if you are unwilling to acknowledge let alone study your enemy.
As a point of fact, the MSU did not criticize any act of Israel, legitimate or not. Their intention was, as their planning meeting minutes and emails indicate, to shut down the ambassador's ability to defend or say anything about Israel. I think the way they put it was, " We can't just let him come in here and say whatever he wants. "
If they were objecting to some specific act or policy their defense would make more sense but everyone who was there that night know they just stood up and shouted, "Murderer" or something like that and the rest of them started yelling and cheering to break up the address. They read from little prepared notes but none of them made any sense.
The MSU defense is basically that they were ONLY criticizing Israel. This is the students' line and tragically it is the same one adopted by their adult professional advisors. .
I'm no expert, but I believe the reasons for the charges are more to do with lying to the administration and the attempted cover-up than the protest or disruption itself.
I'm not an expert either but lying to the UCI administration beforehand or lying about it afterward is not something the D.A. or the Grand Jury would get involved in.
However, disturbing the peace, disrupting the operation of the university and lying to the police about the conspiracy to do so or covering it up afterward is another matter.
My guess is that the Grand Jury (or someone on it) is upset with the police for not doing anything about these students particularly after they saw the evidence of the plan to do it and lie about it afterward. That may be why the police are taking another look at it.
These students should be sweating it out maybe they won't be so quick to try to shut down events they don't like the next time. .
This was just sent out from CAIR. FYI
ReplyDeleteALERT: Urge Orange County DA's Office to not Press Charges against 'Irvine 11'
(ANAHEIM, CA, 1/31/11) - The Greater Los Angeles Area office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-LA) today called on all people of conscience, especially Orange County residents, to immediately contact the Orange County District Attorney's office and urge that criminal charges not be pressed against the 'Irvine 11.'
The students, dubbed 'Irvine 11,' verbally protested Israeli Ambassador Michael Oren's speech at a University of California-Irvine (UCI) event on February 8, 2010 but then left peacefully with campus police officers. Oren was able to finish his speech after a short break.
Furthermore, the 'Irvine 11' students have previously undergone extensive but confidential administrative proceedings and might already possibly face sanctions by the university administration.
Additionally, the university imposed sanctions on the Muslim Student Union (MSU) at UCI. Sanctions include one-quarter suspension and a two-year probation.
Despite the university's actions, the Orange County District Attorney has subpoenaed six UCI Muslim students and compelled them to testify before a grand jury, leaving observers to understand felony charges might be levied upon the students.
SEE: UCI Students Could Face Grand Jury
"Such excessive and unprecedented steps by the Orange County District Attorney's office against the 'Irvine 11' not only chill free speech on college campuses but also send a public message that any legitimate criticism of Israel will be dealt in a heavy-handed manner," said CAIR-LA Deputy Executive Director and Staff Attorney Ameena Mirza Qazi.
IMMEDIATE ACTIONS REQUESTED:
1. Contact the Orange County District Attorney's office.
Tony Rackauckas, OC District Attorney
Phone: (714) 834-3600
Suggested Talking Points:
a. It is not appropriate for the DA's office to waste precious taxpayer dollars by
criminalizing students who only verbally protested a foreign official.
b. The DA's office appears to have caved in to pro-Israel groups who seek to silence
all legitimate criticism of Israel.
2. If you are a UCI alum, faculty or student, please sign the online petition.
3. Join a coalition of activists in a march to the DA's office on Tuesday, February 1th at
12 p.m.
Orange County District Attorney
401 Civic Center Drive
Santa Ana, California92701
What's missing in the MSU announcement is any acknowledgement of wrongdoing or any contrition whatsoever. That indicates that they don't feel there was anything wrong with what they did and they will do it again.
ReplyDeleteMaybe next time UCI will acknowledge this and kick them off campus for good. I doubt it.
.
Anonymous,
ReplyDeleteFrankly, I don't have a dog in that hunt. Whether there is something deeper going on, I have no idea. If it is solely about the Feb 8 incident, then they have until Feb 8 to file charges. It does seem unusual to wait this long after the event. We'll just have to wait and see.
Miggie is right.
ReplyDeleteWhen there is a campaign to dismiss or not file criminal charges, there should be a clear position that
1) The defendants are innocent
2) The actions the defendants did commit are not a crime
3) The defendants regret their actions, and the charges are excessive for the nature of the offense and circumstances.
CAIR's statement is not clear on any of these points. It mixes the rhetoric of righteous outrage one would expect for (1), with the defensiveness of (3), and maybe a bit of (2). They can't all be accurate. CAIR should clarify or shut up.
Incidentally, the notion of "American Islamic Relations" is bogus. American citizens who are Muslim are Americans, not foreigners. Citizens of foreign republics and subjects of foreign princes are aliens, whatever their faith. But then, that is also why we should not have exchanged ambassadors with the Vatican. What's good for the goose, the gander cannot be blamed for seeking to partake of.
First of all, I reject the notion that charges were filed because of pressure from "pro-Israel groups", That would be unethical on the part of the DA.
ReplyDeleteNow it appears CAIR wants to exert similar pressure on the DA to dismiss the charges by sending out a mob of protesters.
Look to Iran post the Shaw. Consider where the Egyptian protesters will be post Mubarak. If we do not learn from history, we repeat it. Carter and Obama and many here at UCI don't get it. I guess you deserve Sharia if you are unwilling to acknowledge let alone study your enemy.
ReplyDeleteAs a point of fact, the MSU did not criticize any act of Israel, legitimate or not. Their intention was, as their planning meeting minutes and emails indicate, to shut down the ambassador's ability to defend or say anything about Israel. I think the way they put it was, " We can't just let him come in here and say whatever he wants. "
ReplyDeleteIf they were objecting to some specific act or policy their defense would make more sense but everyone who was there that night know they just stood up and shouted, "Murderer" or something like that and the rest of them started yelling and cheering to break up the address. They read from little prepared notes but none of them made any sense.
The MSU defense is basically that they were ONLY criticizing Israel. This is the students' line and tragically it is the same one adopted by their adult professional advisors.
.
I'm no expert, but I believe the reasons for the charges are more to do with lying to the administration and the attempted cover-up than the protest or disruption itself.
ReplyDeleteJust my two cents.
I'm not an expert either but lying to the UCI administration beforehand or lying about it afterward is not something the D.A. or the Grand Jury would get involved in.
ReplyDeleteHowever, disturbing the peace, disrupting the operation of the university and lying to the police about the conspiracy to do so or covering it up afterward is another matter.
My guess is that the Grand Jury (or someone on it) is upset with the police for not doing anything about these students particularly after they saw the evidence of the plan to do it and lie about it afterward. That may be why the police are taking another look at it.
These students should be sweating it out maybe they won't be so quick to try to shut down events they don't like the next time.
.