California Judge: Muslim Ramming Jewish Woman With Shopping Cart is Free Speech

I suppose we should be thankful that a stone was not thrown at her, which qualifies as "peaceful protest" in the Middle East.

The Blaze reports that CA Judge Deems Case Where Jewish Woman Was Rammed With Shopping Cart 'Free Speech':

Back in June of 2010 a leader of a pro-Palestinian student group at University of Berkeley allegedly rammed a Jewish woman with a shopping cart as she staged a counter-protest to an anti-Israel “Apartheid Week” rally conducted by the Muslim Student Associationand Students for Justice in Palestine. The counter-protest was dubbed “Israel Wants Peace Week.”

Now, U.S. District Court Judge Richard Seeborg has deemed that the Muslim students who harassedJessica Felber and other Jewish students were simply engaging in protected political speech.

The ruling is reported in The Greeley Gazette, under that headline that CA judge rules Muslims harassing Jewish students engaging in “protected speech”:

On Thursday U.S. District Judge Richard Seeborg said the harassment, even if true, constituted protected political speech and dismissed the case against the university.

Seeborg said the university did not have any obligation to intervene in any dispute where a private individual on campus was allegedly interfering with another’s constitutional rights. He instead appeared to indicate that the incident was an outcome of Felber’s counter protest.

Felber and another Jewish student claimed the University did not do enough to prevent the harassment which included the Muslim group conducting checkpoints around the campus. Students were asked if they were Jewish while passing the checkpoints.

According to Seeborg:

“The incident in which Felber was assaulted with a shopping cart, for example, did not occur in the context of her educational pursuit,” Seeborg stated. “Rather, that event occurred when she, as one person attempting to exercise free speech rights in a public forum, was allegedly attacked by another person who likewise was participating in a public protest in a public forum.”

Jihad Watch founder Robert Spencer is quoted as saying that the judge’s decision equates Muslims assaulting Jewish students as protected speech:

This is an outrageous decision. The Muslim students were trying to silence the freedom of speech of the Jewish students. The judge says this is a ruling in favor of free speech, but actually the freedom of speech was being infringed and the judge is saying that is ok to protect the freedom of speech of the Muslim students. Don’t the Jewish students have freedom of speech as well?

I don't know about Seeborg's claim about the attack not being in the context of "educational pursuit." I'm sure the woman learned a lesson--and now, thanks to Judge Seeborg, so have we.

Technorati Tag: Israel and Free Speech.