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What was imagined to be a celebratory dinner at a dean’s dwelling for graduating UC Berkeley legislation college students on Tuesday was an offended confrontation over the Israel-Hamas warfare, free speech and accusations of anti-Muslim and anti-Jewish hatred.
A number of dozen legislation faculty college students have been invited to the Oakland dwelling of Faculty of Legislation Dean Erwin Chemerinsky and his spouse, legislation faculty professor Catherine Fisk, for the primary of three dinners they deliberate to host. The occasion, which occurred within the couple’s yard backyard with white-cloth-covered tables and college students seated amongst lemon timber, was to acknowledge the work of legislation college students and supply a chance to get pleasure from informal time with the 2 outstanding professors.
However the dinner rapidly devolved after a Palestinian American legislation scholar who was invited stood up in entrance of friends and tried to present a speech about Palestinians dying in Gaza and her want for the college to divest from companies concerned in Israel’s warfare and its occupation and blockade of Palestinian lands.
Chemerinsky approached the scholar together with his arms folded and shouted at her: “Please go away. No. Please go away. Please go away.” Fisk grabbed away the scholar’s microphone, whereas saying, “It’s not your own home. It’s my home. And I would like you to go away.”
The scholar who spoke, Malak Afaneh, mentioned that Fisk assaulted her and that her free speech rights have been denied.
Chemerinsky, who’s Jewish, says that the incident is the most recent in antisemitic assaults on him and that free speech doesn’t prolong to his dwelling. The college, which has been embroiled in months of protests over the Israel-Hamas warfare, is standing behind the dean.
“I’m appalled and deeply disturbed by what occurred at Dean Chemerinsky’s dwelling final night time,” UC Berkeley Chancellor Carol Christ mentioned in an announcement. “I’ve been in contact with him to supply my assist and sympathy. Whereas our assist at no cost speech is unwavering, we can’t condone utilizing a social event at an individual’s personal residence as a platform for protest.”
In an interview, College of California President Michael Drake referred to as the incident “very unlucky.”
UC Board of Regents Chair Wealthy Leib mentioned he condemned the scholar’s actions and referred to as it “deplorable…. The people that focused this occasion did so just because it was hosted by a dean who’s Jewish. These actions have been antisemitic, threatening, and don’t mirror the values of this college.”
The occasions have been caught on a number of movies by pro-Palestinian activists who have been current.
A video exhibits Afaneh, who was wearing a jean skirt, a white “divest” shirt with a black-and-white keffiyeh round her neck and a crimson hijab, getting up from her desk and standing in entrance of the seated friends. After providing the standard Islamic greeting in Arabic and translating it to English as “peace and blessings upon you all,” she says, “Tonight we’re gathered right here within the title of commemorating our closing few weeks as legislation college students. Tonight can also be the final night time of the holy month of Ramadan the place thousands and thousands of Muslims around the globe quick.”
“Please go away!” Chemerinsky says after the phrases “gathered right here.” The video exhibits him standing a number of ft away from Afaneh as he shouts. “That is my home. You might be my visitor. You’re my visitor. Please go away my home,” he says.
The clip then pans to Afaneh to point out that Fisk has approached her from behind and grabbed the microphone and Afaneh’s shirt. Fisk’s arm is on Afaneh’s proper shoulder and at occasions seems to the touch her neck.
“This isn’t your own home! It’s my home!” Fisk says. The video exhibits Fisk taking a look at one other girl who’s with the demonstrator and saying, “Get her to go away my home!”
An argument ensues amongst Afaneh, Chemerinsky, Fisk and the opposite girl, additionally a legislation scholar.
“You aren’t welcome,” Fisk says to Afaneh, suggesting she could name the police. Afaneh replies, “You’ll be able to name the police.” Fisk says, “I don’t desire to.” She then tries to take the microphone from Afaneh, who doesn’t let go of her grip and is pulled just a few steps up a small set of stairs.
“Forty thousand individuals are dying,” Afaneh says at one level to Fisk within the video, which is slightly below three minutes lengthy.
“I can’t cease that,” Fisk says.
A Palestinian-American scholar is saying she was assaulted and denied free speech rights when she tried to talk about the deaths of Palestinians throughout at legislation faculty dinner at UC Berkeley Dean Erwin Chemerinsky’s dwelling on Tuesday. The dean, who kicked out protestors, says they don’t have free speech rights on his personal property. A Jewish man, he has accused activists of being antisemitic. (Maryam Alhakim)
The video later exhibits Chemerinsky talking to a unique scholar, pleading for activists to go away. “There’s a genocide happening,” a scholar tells him. “Then don’t come right here!” Chemerinsky says.
9 activists organized the protest as half the legislation faculty’s College students for Justice in Palestine chapter. They left shortly after the argument, in accordance with each side.
In an interview Wednesday, Afaneh mentioned that she felt assaulted by Fisk and that she was contemplating submitting fees, however would first seek the advice of with legal professionals.
“The aggression with which she ran at me after I mentioned ‘as-salamu alaykum.’ She noticed my hijab and keffiyeh, and that was a danger for her,” Afaneh mentioned.
Fisk didn’t reply to an e-mail in search of remark. Chemerinsky, a constitutional legislation professional, launched an announcement Wednesday and responded to a reporter’s questions.
“The home is privately owned by my spouse and me. The mortgage is our names. It’s on a road in Oakland. It’s not owned by the college, on college property, or in any means paid for by the college,” Chemerinsky mentioned in an interview with The Instances. “It’s personal property, and the 1st Modification merely doesn’t apply there. Nobody has the proper to come back into my home, or yours, and disrupt a dinner. As a matter of constitutional legislation, that is completely clear.”
Chemerinsky has been a vocal critic of pro-Palestinian activists at Berkeley and a frequent goal of their exercise for the reason that Oct. 7 Hamas assault on Israel and Israel’s ongoing warfare in Gaza. Chemerinsky mentioned he’s being singled out as a result of he’s Jewish.
“Final week, there was an terrible poster, on social media and bulletin boards within the legislation faculty constructing, of a caricature of me holding a bloody knife and fork, with the phrases in giant letters, ‘No dinner with Zionist Chem whereas Gaza starves,’” he mentioned within the assertion. “I by no means thought I’d see such blatant antisemitism, with a picture that invokes the horrible antisemitic trope of blood libel and that assaults me for no obvious purpose aside from I’m Jewish.”
This isn’t the primary battle in latest months involving the legislation faculty. Within the fall, a professor ignited controversy when he printed an opinion piece within the Wall Avenue Journal titled, “Don’t Rent My Anti-Semitic Legislation College students.” College students and alumni petitioned Chemerinsky to take motion in response. Chemerinsky stood up for the professor, saying he was defending free speech even when folks discover it “deeply offensive.”
The dean mentioned dinners scheduled for Wednesday and Thursday would proceed.
“I hope that there will likely be no disruptions…. However we could have safety current,” Chemerinsky mentioned in the assertion. “Any scholar who disrupts will likely be reported to scholar conduct and a violation of the scholar conduct code is reported to the bar.”
Employees author Teresa Watanabe contributed to this report.
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