The Irvine 11 and the interruptions of Yang’s discussion were both forms of disruption, yet, the reaction to the Irvine 11 was significantly harsher. This indicates UCI’s discriminatory reaction to student activism and free speech, which is based in Islamophobia and anti-Palestinian racism.
The state of the Middle East today is almost unrecognizable compared to that of only 20 years prior. It’s a region that’s been destabilized by American influence and bombarded with a foreign military presence that’s done much more harm than good. It’s also a region that has somehow been forgotten in history — or at least in the American history syllabus — leaving students unable to grasp the reality of America’s place in the War on Terror.
