For immediate release: Tuesday, October 11, 2011, National Lawyers Guild
New York, NY: University administrators may be violating American students’ First Amendment rights when they curtail criticism of Israel, according to the National Lawyers Guild. Prompted by growing reports of censorship by student activists and the Irvine 11, David Gespass, President of the National Lawyers Guild, issued a letter to over 100 university administrators around the country clarifying their duty to protect the rights of Arab and Muslim students.
“The First Amendment creates no exceptions for criticism of Israel,” said Gespass, President of the National Lawyers Guild, in the letter. “Criticism of Israel and Zionism is constitutionally protected speech targeted at a political ideology, policy, or viewpoint. It reflects a healthy environment in which dissent and debate may thrive.”
The conviction of the Irvine 11 is a testament to the degree that Islamophobia has grown in the West. Moreover, it is a testament to how unwilling the United States has become to question its relationship with Israel.