Another horrible disruption of free speech.....

This incident is similar to the one at UC Irvine....

Outside UCLA School of Law on the evening of February 8, a tense, anticipatory group sat in a small circle, chatting and trying to stay warm. Inside, Daniel Taub, Principal Deputy Legal Advisor of Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs began the evening’s lecture.

Fifteen minutes in, a handful of the group’s members suddenly rose and filed into line in front of him. With gray duct tape over their mouths and signs taped to their stomachs reading “Turn Your Backs on War Crimes,” they stood in silence until police escorted them out.

The group was a collaboration between two UCLA student groups – Law Students for Justice in Palestine (LSJP), and undergraduate group Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) – and a local community organization, Women in Black.

“This [lecture] is the perspective of the Israeli government,” said Rachel Roberts, a member of LSJP. “The Israeli government shouldn’t be able to speak with no response” from the Palestinian side.

As protesters began to rise and take their planned places in the auditorium, turning their backs to Taub, some members of the near-full audience became visibly upset. A few teared up, while others expressed anger over the interruption. Requests to have the protesters removed by police who were standing by began echoing through the auditorium, and a suggestion from one audience member to allow the protesters 5-10 minutes of microphone time was ignored by protesters and ultimately lost in the back and forth.

Addressing the audience, Taub seemed disappointed as he pointed out the irony of the group “standing here with tape across their mouths as advocates of free speech” while blocking free speech.

Police escorted the protesters out after about five minutes, without incident.