Defense calls Irvine 11 defenders of Constitution

SANTA ANA — As the Irvine 11 trial wound down Tuesday morning, defense attorneys called the 10 defendants accused of illegally protesting Israeli Ambassador Michael Oren’s 2010 speech at UC Irvine patriotic defenders of the Constitution.

They were likened to Martin Luther King Jr., Rosa Parks and Cesar Chavez for what the defense described as civil – but legal – disobedience.

“[They] are serving our society with their conscious,” said Jacqueline Goodman, one of the six defense attorneys.

She said that the students left plenty of time for Oren to finish his speech after they were escorted out of the ballroom at 6:25 p.m. on Feb. 8, 2010. Oren did complete his address but cut out a planned question-and-answer session.

Lisa Holder, another defense attorney, said the defendants’ shouted comments at Oren were certainly not polite but are protected by the First Amendment.

She said the students are on trial because of what they said, which was critical of Israel’s position on the Palestinian conflict, not for interrupting the speech.

“Ultimately what was disruptive was the message,” Holder said.

She called on the jurors to acquit the seven UCI and three UC Riverside students on two misdemeanor counts each of conspiracy to commit a crime and disrupting a public meeting. They face up to six months in jail if convicted.

“Ultimately you may be what stands between democracy and creeping fascism,” Holder told jurors.

Closing arguments will continue this afternoon.

Lauren Williams

Lauren.williams@latimes.com; Twitter: @lawilliams30