10 UC Irvine anti-Israel activists face charges, including refusal to disperse, resisting arrest
The charges stem from a May 15 protest that took place at the school.
The prosecutor said that ‘criminal activity which transcends peaceful assembly will not be tolerated. ... my prosecutors are continuing to review evidence against the remaining 40 arrestees.’
10 activists who were arrested at an anti-Israel protest at the University of California, Irvine, are facing charges.
The protest in question occurred on May 15, when the activists caused chaos on campus and refused to disperse, despite being warned by police to do so. UC Irvine’s Chancellor Howard Gillman said that the school’s leadership called the police as the last resort after repeatedly trying to get the students to peacefully disperse.
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Almost 50 demonstrators were arrested in total.
On Sept. 18, Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer charged 10 of the demonstrators for their refusal to disperse. Among the group of activists now facing legal consequences for their actions are two faculty members at UC Irvine: Jonathan Brook Haley, lecturer at the School of Humanities, and Tiffany Herard, an Associate Professor of Global and International Studies.
Herard was charged not just for her refusal to disperse, but also with resisting arrest and threatening a police officer.
The group of 10 also includes four students from the school. All 10 are required to be in court on Oct. 16 to have their cases heard.
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“The right to peaceful assembly is a constitutional right and we encourage protestors to exercise their right to peaceful assembly on any issue,” Spitzer said. “However, criminal activity which transcends peaceful assembly will not be tolerated. ... my prosecutors are continuing to review evidence against the remaining 40 arrestees.”
Irvine Mayor Farrah Khan, on the other hand, denounced the university’s decision to end the protest, alleging that the activists’ disruptive takeover of the campus was not a “threat”: “It’s a shame that peaceful free speech protests are always responded to with violence. Taking space on campus or in a building is not a threat to anyone.”
Campus Reform has reached out to Mayor Khan and to UC Irvine for comment. This article will be updated accordingly.
