Israeli Ambassador to the United States Heckled At California University
February 9, 2010 @ 11:33 am
Jerusalem Post
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
Eleven people were arrested as Israeli Ambassador to the United States Michael Oren was repeatedly interrupted while trying to deliver an address Monday night at the University of California, Irvine.
Oren was speaking about US-Israeli relations and was interrupted nearly a dozen times.
A young man began with the first outburst, yelling, “Michael Oren! Propagating murder is not an expression of free speech!” The man’s yelling was followed by both heavy applause and objections.
The outburst closely resembled part of a statement released by the university’s Muslim Student Union (MSU) prior to and against Oren’s appearance, which said, “As people of conscience, we oppose Michael Oren’s invitation to our campus. Propagating murder is not a responsible expression of free speech.”
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It was not clear whether those disturbing the speech were members of the MSU.
After the fourth protester began heckling him, Oren left the podium, surrounded by security. He returned but was repeatedly harassed by students.