   
Support the Irvine 11
, , 22 February 2010
Urgent Appeal: Condemn the arrest of students who protested Israeli Ambassador's address at UC Irvine.
Eleven students were arrested last Monday (February 8th) after persistently interrupting and challenging Israeli Ambassador Michael Oren during a controversial lecture on Israel-US relations at UC Irvine, California. The individuals were removed from the lecture hall by Irvine police after interrupting Oren on numerous occasions, with their comments including references to Zionism.
The protests continued after Oren took a 20 minute break after the first series of challenges, with other students leaving the lecture hall during the talk in order to stage a protest outside.
Oren's address was also met with applause by some members of the audience, with UCI Chancellor Michael Drake claiming to be embarrassed by the students' outburst.
The students were arrested by Irvine Campus police under the charge of disrupting a public event. The police response has been deemed disproportionate, given that the students protested in a non-violent manner and made no incitement to violence.
For more information, including testimonies from the students involved, please visit http://www.irvine11.com/.
The Right to Education Campaign supports the eleven students who were arrested for their vocal opposition to the presence of Israeli state representatives on campus. This is in accordance with the Campaigns policy of boycott, divestment and sanctions.
REQUESTED ACTION.
Please send your appeals to the following addresses to protest the treatment of the Irvine 11.
Chancellor Michael Drake
Telephone: (949)824-5011
Email: chancellor@uci.edu
Acting Dean of Students Rameen Talesh
Telephone: (949)824-5181
Email: deanstu@uci.edu
Activism News: CALL TO ACTION: Right to Education International Week of Action - 15th-22nd November 2010 (14 September 2010)
Studies & Research: R2E Fact Sheet (30 April 2009)
In The Media: Israel makes meeting another Arab a crime (23 September 2010)
Activism News: Shortage of classrooms lead to a sharp increase in dropout rate among Palestinian students in Jerusalem (21 September 2010)
Closure of Educational Institutions: Children in Gaza attend school in shipping containers (21 September 2010)
Activism News: Over 500 Academics Have Endorsed the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel (20 September 2010)
Closure of Educational Institutions: Due to Gaza closure, 40,000 students refused from UNRWA schools (15 September 2010)
|
|  | 
|
