March 01, 2006

Islamists Protest Against U.S. Freedom of Speech at U.C. Irvine

Last night the United American Committee, and the College Republicans of University of California Irvine, held a panel discussion regarding the Danish Cartoons, including an unveiling of the cartoons themselves.

My friend Laura Wallick and I went in order to support free speech in America, and to support our friend, UAC founder Jesse Petrilla.

It turned out the event was so packed (capacity of the UC Irvine auditorium was 450) that we couldn't get in, which left us free to document the very interesting behavior of the crowd of Islamists protesting the event outside. One police officer we spoke to estimated the Islamist protesters as numbering about 1,000.

This image is merged from two smaller photos.

They had evidently decided that their PR approach was to accuse the College Republicans of "hate speech."

A very clever ploy. But how dare they, when all over the world, Islamists are cutting off people's heads, killing women and children, taking people hostage and murdering them, threatening genocide against Jews and carrying out genocide against Muslims in Darfur, and regularly broadcasting hate speech on TV in various Arabic countries? These protesters could easily have condemned those actions; then their pretense that they were in favor of peace, and against hate speech, might mean something.

Not one of the Islamist speakers I heard, said a single word against any of the actions I have just itemized. What was particularly shocking was that not one speaker I heard condemned the burning of embassies or the killing of people which took place during the cartoon riots.

On the contrary -- at least one speaker supported those riots as making her point. Bear in mind that the speaker was a college-age girl, who sounded very nice, until one listened to what she was saying. She said (from my handwritten notes):

They've seen what happened all over the world. What would make a group even show these cartoons except to stir up hate?

This speaker did not condemn the violence, the embassy-burnings, the deaths, which appeared to be intended to threaten the free world with violence unless we abandoned our free speech. Instead, she considered the cartoon riots a useful thing that should persuade the free world to abandon free speech; her view was that free speech should be surrendered in favor of speech deemed acceptable by Islam.

Look at those signs. "Islam -- The Religion of Peace" -- pretending ignorance of the worldwide jihadist murders. And right next to that a sign saying, "College Republicans The New KKK" -- comparing College Republicans to actual terrorists, the KKK. Another sign reads, "Unveiling Discrimination" -- when it is part of Sharia law that all non-Muslims must pay a special tax, have reduced legal rights, and be second-class citizens, or be killed, or convert to Islam. Who are they kidding with these hypocritical signs?

Or the fourth sign pictured above -- "Free Speech [does not equal] Hate Speech" -- when hate speech is broadcast daily in Islamic nations. And note that the sign opposes free speech of which Islam disapproves and defines as "Hate Speech" -- in this case, even the cartoons. In other words, you can say anything you want, as long as Islamists approve of it.

Make no mistake, this protest is against free speech, and against the U.S. Constitution which guarantees it.

Want to know what some of the other speakers said? Again, bear in mind that the speakers are for the most part college students attending U.C. Irvine.

They frame it as freedom of speech, but we have evolved above freedom of speech, beyond hate speech.

In other words, speech unacceptable to Muslims, say these protesters, is not to be permitted in America.

This is the same anti-Arab and anti-Muslim racism that they're propagating in there, that has given rise to Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo Bay, and the anti-immigrant racism that is spreading all across the U.S.

Of course, it isn't racism, because it has nothing to do with genetics. The event they protested was about defending our rights to free speech as guaranteed by our Constitution.

An event in support of free speech, these Islamists attack as "racism." It's as violent as they can get short of physical violence. The hate speech is theirs. These protesters want to see happen here, what the Islamists have done so successfully in England and France.

Laura and I walked to a Chinese restaurant and had dinner. When we came back, this is what we saw:

Given what appears to be the tacit approval by their speakers of Islamist violence in the cartoon riots, I don't think they were praying for world peace, or for peace, love and understanding.