These students were found guilty of conspiring to prevent the Israeli Ambassador to the US Michael Oren from exercising his right to free speech, but--since the speaker continued speaking--didn't he prevent them from exercising Their rights to free speech?
From KABC Los Angeles, CA
Prosecutor Dan Wagner told jurors the students acted as censors to block the free flow of ideas and infringed upon the rights of 700 people who had gone to the Irvine campus to hear Oren.
"In this country, you get to protest. That's a vital component of our society," said Dan Stormer, the defendants' civil rights attorney.
"We can't allow a group of people to shut down the free speech of our society. We can't allow them to use the 'heckler's veto,'" said Orange County District Attorney Tony Rackauckas.
"I hope that America will not allow the death of democracy, but will give life to dissent," said Shakeel Syed, executive director of the Islamic Shura Council of Southern California.
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