Erwin Chemerinsky, Dean of the UC Irvine Law School, has an opinion piece in the LA Times today discussing the disruption by students and others of a school sponsored speech by Michael Oren, Israeli Ambassador to the United States.
Prior to the speech, campus officials had asked officials of the Muslim Student Union about rumors of an organized effort to disrupt the speech by having multiple audience members rise and shout down the Ambassador. The officials of the Muslim Studen Union denied any such planned activity.
Unfortunately, this is exactly what occurred. After the first disruptions, the audience was admonished that such behavior was not acceptable within the university and that those who engaged in such conduct would be arrested and face student disciplinary proceedings. Despite these warnings, 11 individuals rose and shouted so that the ambassador could not be heard. At one point he left the stage, but thankfully was persuaded to return and deliver his address.
Eleven individuals were arrested, and those who are UCI students are facing disciplinary action.
As Mr. Chermerinsky states, free speech is not without limits under our constitution and to disrupt an event in such a manner is illegal. If others wished to express their own views there were avenues for them to do so:
They could have handed out leaflets, stood with picket signs, spoken during the question-and-answer session, held a demonstration elsewhere on campus or invited their own speakers.
We aren't allowed to shout fire in a crowded movie theater and it is also not allowed to exercise your opinion while an audience member of a speech by disrupting the speaker of a planned event sponsored by the school. 11 people just found that out the hard way.