We all know that yelling “Fire” in a theater is not permitted. That would be an effort to cause panic and catastrophe. What if you demonstrate against a speaker with the intent of disrupting his right to speak? That was the case of a group called ‘Irvine 11.’ The group was reduced to 10.
At a UCI(University of California Irvine) speech by the Israeli ambassador to the United States the group of pro Palestinian demonstrators made every attempt to stop the presentation. That was an act intended to deny the ambassador his right to speak. The jury found the accused guilty. Will they appeal this case? That remains to be seen.
Recall the religious group that was demonstrating at the funerals of soldiers killed in Iraq and Afghanistan. When the Supreme Court ruled in March that an antiwar church had a constitutional right to protest outside a military funeral, California lawmakers voted overwhelmingly to ban pickets within 1,000 feet of any funeral.
These decisions by the Supreme Court, in my opinon, are incorrect. Everyone should have the right of free assembly. Demonstrators infringe on that right.
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