Last week, I posted an article announcing that 4 UC Irvine professors would be holding an anti-Israel event on campus October 30.
I had initially decided not to bother attending especially since pre-registration for this BIG EVENT was required. This morning, I had nothing better to do, and I learned that a couple of friends of mine were planning to sit outside just to see what was going on, so I decided to join them. We made no effort to enter the room. Nor did we try to set up a counter-protest. We just whiled away the time chatting with each other. We even broke for lunch!
I am guessing there were about 75 people attending. Several of the attendees were older Jewish community members. Several of them came outside during the presentation and commented that they just couldn't listen to any more. Some went back inside hoping to participate in the Q and A. One local rabbi who serves the UCI campus set up a little poster inviting people to come and talk about Israel.
After it was over, some Jewish attendees came out and complained not just about the fact that it was a one-sided event, but that the Q and A was designed in such a way that questions had to be written on cards and passed up to the front where about three were chosen.
Oh yes! Sounds like the old deep-6 the other side's questions tactic. I know it well.
In addition, one lady informed me that she was asked to turn off her cell phone because recording was not allowed in order to protect the students (from whom?). She complied.
I informed the lady in question that this was a public event at a public university, and that she had every legal right to videotape, photograph, or otherwise record the event as long as there was no disruption. I also suggested that she write a letter of complaint to the chancellor of UCI as I had done years before when campus police wrongly sided with students sponsoring an anti-Israel event on campus and asked that I turn off my camera. Even though I only intended to videotape the speaker and not the students, I followed the directions of the officers but wrote a letter to the administration the next day. The campus police apologized to me and assured me that the force would be advised of the correct policy.
Other than that, there was nothing else to report.
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