Hillel Statement on UC Irvine Disruption

Hat tip Squid


Orange County Hillel, the Rose Project, and the Orange County Jewish Federation have issued a another statement regarding Wednesday night's disruption of a pro-Israel event at UC Irvine. Specifically, they take issue with a report by Campus Reform as to what transpired.


http://www.elabs10.com/functions/message_view.html?mid=4281152&mlid=116679&siteid=2010001851&uid=470b4f32ff

Clarifying Misstatements About Anti-Israel Incident at UCI

There are several critical inaccuracies in the Campus Reform account of what happened at UC Irvine on the evening of Wednesday, May 18 when a group of protestors demonstrated outside an event sponsored by the student organization Students Supporting Israel (SSI). 

The Students Supporting Israel event was not, as the Campus Reform article implies, shut down. According to eyewitnesses, including local Hillel professionals, the Jewish students were not in any way forced to retreat. When the police arrived, they ensured the SSI program could continue. One officer remained in the classroom with the students until the film was over and they concluded their program. 

The protestors were allowed to remain outside of the building.

When the SSI students were ready to leave, the officers moved the protestors to an area sufficiently distant from the exit, so that neither group was visible to one another. The police then escorted the SSI students to their cars and an Assistant Vice Chancellor stayed to assist the students. 

Hillel is working with the university police and administration to ensure this incident is appropriately resolved. 

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Here is their original statement on the incident:

http://www.elabs10.com/functions/message_view.html?mid=4279698&mlid=116679&siteid=2010001851&uid=2737c3787a

I should repeat that I was not present at the event. There have been some eyewitness accounts by involved students from Students Supporting Israel and College Republicans (who were in the area when the incident occurred.) There are also some videos that show protesters chanting various slogans.

As previously posted, here is the Facebook statement from Students for Justice in Palestine:

"Today we successfully demonstrated against the presence of IDF soldiers on campus. We condemn the Israeli "Defense" Forces, better defined as Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF), because they enforce Zionist settler colonialism and military occupation of Palestinian land by the Israeli nation-state. Not only does the IOF commit murders and several violences against the Palestinian people, including its use of Gaza as a laboratory for weapons testing, but it enforces militarization and policing all over the world. The United States send delegations of police forces to train in Israel by the IOF, such as the LAPD and NYPD for example.




The presence of IDF and police threatened our coalition of Arab, black, undocumented, trans, and the greater activist community. Thank you to all that came out and bravely spoke out against injuToday we successfully demonstrated against the presence of IDF soldiers on campus. We condemn the Israeli "Defense" Forces, better defined as Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF), because they enforce Zionist settler colonialism and military occupation of Palestinian land by the Israeli nation-state. Not only does the IOF commit murders and several violences against the Palestinian people, including its use of Gaza as a laboratory for weapons testing, but it enforces militarization and policing all over the world. The United States send delegations of police forces to train in Israel by the IOF, such as the LAPD and NYPD for example.


The presence of IDF and police threatened our coalition of Arab, black, undocumented, trans, and the greater activist community. Thank you to all that came out and bravely spoke out against injustice. ‪#‎UCIntifada‬stice. ‪#‎UCIntifada‬"

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Also previously posted is the statement put out by UCI Chancellor Howard Gillman:

DEAR ANTEATERS: 
 
Last night, an incident occurred on campus that we believe crossed the 
line of civility, prompting me to re-emphasize our position on free 
speech, safety and mutual respect. 
 
The incident centered on a film-viewing event sponsored by Students 
Supporting Israel. A group of protesters reportedly disrupted the event, 
blocking exit paths. Participants feared for their safety, calling on 
our police force for assistance. 
 
While this university will protect freedom of speech, that right is not 
absolute. As I mentioned in a campus message at the beginning of the 
academic year (freespeech.uci.edu [2]), threats, harassment, incitement 
and defamatory speech are not protected. We must shelter _everyone's_ 
right to speak freely - without fear or intimidation - and allow events 
to proceed without disruption and potential danger. 
 
We are thoroughly analyzing all reports and information regarding this 
incident and investigating whether disciplinary or legal actions are 
appropriate. 
 
The month of May is filled with cultural celebrations and remembrances 
that highlight the diversity of this brilliant campus. Please respect 
your colleagues' right to recognize their heritage and express opinions 
in a safe environment. 
 
FIAT LUX, 
 
  CHANCELLOR HOWARD GILLMAN [3] 

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Here is another eyewitness account which has been posted by Daniel Greenfield in Frontpage Magazine via Observer News and Politics.

http://www.frontpagemag.com/point/262925/jewish-student-terrorized-students-justice-daniel-greenfield#.Vz9dCFHrSr8.facebook

Without disputing the Hillel statement at this time, we need to see how the dust settles. There will be more eyewitness interviews that become public and the videos are there. 

Historically, I would add that Orange County Hillel, the Jewish Federation, and their financial arm, the Rose Project have not been helpful in our efforts to inform the community about incidents like these at UCI. Beyond that, we need to let the facts play out to determine which statements are accurate.