Ten of the so-called “Irvine 11” have been found guilty of two misdemeanors to conspire and disrupt a speech by an Israeli ambassador in February 2010.
The verdict, delivered by a state jury Friday, is the culmination of a trial that began Sept. 7. During the past three weeks, prosecutors argued that 11 UC Irvine students shut down Israeli Ambassador Michael Oren’s speech.
Student groups are concerned by the verdict, said Omar Elkabti, president of the UCLA Muslim Student Association. The case has set a precedent for restrictions against student protests, he added.
“Without a doubt, this is a threat to all student groups’ freedom,” Elkabti said.