A controversy has erupted at the University of California, Berkeley, involving Dean Erwin Chemerinsky and his wife, Professor Catherine Fisk, following a private dinner event at their home. The event, intended for graduating law students, was disrupted by a protest led by a Muslim law student, Malak Afaneh, who is also the head of Berkeley Law's SJP (Students for Justice in Palestine) and was responsible for the 2022 antisemitic BDS bylaw adopted by eight student groups. Afaneh, planning to file a discrimination complaint, accused Professor Fisk of physical assault during the protest, an incident captured in a viral video. The incident has sparked a debate over free speech rights, with critics arguing that the students' actions, while protected on public campuses, do not extend to private property. Dean Chemerinsky, a prominent constitutional law expert, expressed sadness over the incident, emphasizing that his home was not a forum for free speech and highlighting the limits of First Amendment rights in this context. The situation has led to discussions on academic freedom, the limits of protest on private property, and the implications for free speech on university campuses.
A UC Berkeley Muslim law student plans to file a discrimination complaint against the university after accusing a law professor of physically assaulting her as she attempted to protest a dinner event. https://t.co/ydPX4mVOtn
Free speech rights are being called into question after assault allegations and tense moments at a private dinner party at the home of University of California Berkeley faculty. Here's what happened. https://t.co/zdZvF58fRj
Heated argument breaks out after PaIestine activists ruin a party being hosted by Jewish professors at UC Berkeley. Diversity chickens coming home to roost for the chosenites. https://t.co/BziVL32wl6
An American free speech watchdog issued a statement in support of the dean of Berkeley Law School who silenced a pro-Palestinian activist trying to make a speech at his private home / @MaltzJudy https://t.co/hGBvtcOwbO
Echo chambers only serve to stunt the developing mind. In the wake of antisemitism on too many college campuses, I’m fighting to restore free speech. https://t.co/EheQW9uJvR
I've had differences with Dean Chemerinsky. But I join many others in condemning this attempted disruption of his dinner event w/students and takeover of his property. Neither First Amendment nor any other law gives people the right to do such things. https://t.co/bfMp9AYdjx
Erwin Chemerinsky Gets Hoisted With His Own Petard; Do Not Pity Him https://t.co/PbP6zt88BD
How and why are #adjunct faculty specifically targets in assaults on academic freedom? Join now as Lisa Hofmann-Kuroda discusses! https://t.co/ziKhHJ9cQp
Edwin Chemerinsky, who is Jewish, said he was “saddened” by the protest but told students his home was “not a forum for free speech.” https://t.co/08l0hn6mGK
He’s also unfit to be a lawyer and should be disbarred. The racist was bragging about how he would lie under oath about his DEI practices. They can both rot in hell. Chemerinsky is hardly a sympathetic character. In fact, she probably came out the way she is in no small part bc… https://t.co/qVck6zP7fY
In addition to being the dean, Erwin Chemerinsky happens to be a top constitutional law expert. He's not infallible, but responding with "You're wrong because the National Lawyers Guild said so" is cringe. That response alone is enough to demonstrate she's unfit to be a lawyer. https://t.co/GQzMpBonGo
How do we understand and situate the current attacks on universities in the U.S.? Tune in now to hear from @profdannyshaw! https://t.co/ziKhHJ9cQp
When Stanford Law students shouted down Judge Duncan, the school tapped Erwin Chemerinsky to teach them about free speech. But he just taught an entire course on the First Amendment at Berkeley Law, so what are they going to do about the ignorance of their students? https://t.co/zb5DA4C9SL https://t.co/DFVjIFktso
We are LIVE! Tune in now for this engaging conversation on academic freedom. https://t.co/ziKhHJ9cQp
In Defense of Academic Freedom: Defamation, Intimidation, and Suspension -- Featuring: Danny Shaw, Lisa Hofmann-Kuroda; Moderators: Bassam Haddad, Mariam Durrani https://t.co/0JDzt37M2k
WATCH how @BerkelyLaw SJP head Malak Afaneh disrupted the dean’s backyard dinner for students, refusing to leave. Afaneh was responsible for the 2022 antisemitic BDS bylaw at the law school which 8 student groups adopted. @StateBarCA https://t.co/2lx6BNiD1E https://t.co/CO3NTSadYi
Peaceful protest on public campuses is protected speech. Disruptive protest and trespassing on private property is not. The First Amendment doesn’t protect seriously disrupting events on public college campuses, much less at someone’s backyard dinner party. https://t.co/4ZrK49EGit
Starting in ONE HOUR! Tune in to this critical conversation on the assault on academic freedom with @profdannyshaw & Lisa Hofmann-Kuroda in a conversation with @4Bassam and @mariamdurrani. Watch here or https://t.co/n1uil03F6y https://t.co/zopBdleXI8
Meanwhile at UC Berkeley... What was billed as a fun get together for graduating law students turned into an episode of Curb Your Enthusiasm with a Muslim student protesting Israel and the homeowners very upset about it. https://t.co/HNHtEAvpsm
Watching a student attempt to lecture Dean Chemerinsky about the First Amendment was particularly absurd. https://t.co/C0wzRczkLq
Imagine thinking that disrupting a social event at a law school dean house makes you look good, and his professor spouse look bad for trying to restore order. Erwin doesn't deserve this, but he's invited this behavior by letting Berkeley Law student groups get away with banning… https://t.co/5sUiBlSiV9
Chemerinsky has encouraged universities like his own to dodge the civil rights laws and bring students like this to campus. Now he is reaping what he sowed. Very entertaining! https://t.co/QSrmKk20tH
VIRAL VIDEO: A UC Berkeley law professor had students over to his house for dinner. It was interrupted by a protest. The protester is now claiming assault against the man's wife. https://t.co/FSu00Iftx8
This longer video of the confrontation at Dean Chemerinsky and Professor Fisk’s home shows in more detail just how insufferable these students are. And Chemerinsky has confirmed it’s a private residence (see below), which, as you can see, they were asked to leave repeatedly. https://t.co/ojbaK1fnuM
“While our support for Free Speech is unwavering, we cannot condone using a social occasion at a person’s private residence as a platform for protest,” UC Berkeley Chancellor Carol Christ wrote in a statement emailed to https://t.co/CAWa6gLcrI. https://t.co/vmux2oVDaB
'Please leave!' A Jewish UC Berkeley dean confronts pro-Palestinian activist at his home https://t.co/HzojeRjnV1
Par for the course. Rabidly anti-semitic cartoons about a Jewish dean at a law school, followed by students claiming free speech rights to hold a protest in the deans house. Again, standard. Here "Zionsit" is just code for a Jew who hasn't protest-koshered himself.…
UC Berkeley Defends Law Dean Chemerinsky in Wake of Viral Video https://t.co/ViAjyHMioG
“First amendment”? Need to repeat year one. A private residence social occasion outside college activity. If they stayed for more than five minutes after this video interaction, should be slam dunk criminal trespass charge. If stayed for two minutes should still be chargeable. https://t.co/oKdfSpuNpw
The irony is that Erwin Chemerinsky is the same UC Berkeley School of Law who hired Chesa Boudin https://t.co/pXkpUnK6WN
I'm not a fan of Erwin Chemerinsky's politics or his view of the con law issues I care about, but from everything I know about him he's a good person full of goodwill. What the radical students did in his home is indefensible. Check out @JoshMBlackman's post on it.…
I have no independent knowledge of what happened at Dean Chemerinsky's dinner, and Twitter isn't the right forum to weigh in much on in-building issues, but I found this perspective interesting. https://t.co/fD1CBUvsKI https://t.co/PG7okx4aae
Erwin Chemerinsky is far left wing scum who hates America. He is getting exactly what he wished on others. 🎻 https://t.co/loat723Ax3
UC Berkeley Defends Law Dean in Wake of Viral Video https://t.co/jE3HbhLxAa
Well, maybe Chemerinsky was hoisted by his own petard, and Berkeley law students were persuaded by his “Rethinking State Action” article. https://t.co/X40mUqcvSV https://t.co/riLUOGoghj
It is deeply depressing that some students graduating from one of the top law schools in the country sincerely believe they have a First Amendment right to grandstand on someone else’s private property. Entitlement off the charts. Knowledge of the law in the gutter. https://t.co/sHvqWqhg1F
Statement from Dean Erwin Chemerinsky - Berkeley Law https://t.co/Lp5sQA7I4n
There is no First Amendment right to show up and yell on someone else’s private property. How does a law student not know this?!? https://t.co/sVIrxbeD2E
Yes, this is the same Erwin Chemerinsky who was caught on camera talking about discrimination in faculty hiring. “If I'm ever deposed, I'm going to deny I said this to you.” https://t.co/JGxGVkmsCs https://t.co/zKtzBbEZ92
Good example set by Dean Chemerinsky. https://t.co/HgIDaFGvOZ
Erwin Chemerinsky, by the way, is the guy who was caught on hidden camera last year bragging that he and Berkeley Law would continue to find ways to evade affirmative action bans. He described how these evasions work in practice. These people all deserve each other. https://t.co/rNaTdwnVE1
"Antisemitism, Academic Freedom, and Board Leadership" Join @goacta for a webinar featuring @LHSummers, @PamelaParesky, Eli Noam, and Nadine Strossen. Moderated by @PoliakoffACTA. Tomorrow, Thursday, April 11 at 12:30pm Eastern. Register here: https://t.co/VvEn5eZVX2
The awful irony of this is that Chemerinsky has been the biggest defender on free-speech grounds of the pro-Hamas protests and of the law groups' having anti-Zionist loyalty oaths. To show their appreciation, these feral children came to the man's home to hijack his dinner. https://t.co/5899DiK3Np
UPDATE: Statement from Dean Chemerinsky: “I am enormously sad that we have students who are so rude as to come into my home, in my backyard, and use this social occasion for their political agenda.” Two more “dinners will go forward on Wednesday and Thursday. I hope that there… https://t.co/OStMDilrgs https://t.co/5mL4OkxFUR
UPDATE: Statement from Dean Chemerinsky: “I am enormously sad that we have students who are so rude as to come into my home, in my backyard, and use this social occasion for their political agenda. Two more “dinners will go forward on Wednesday and Thursday. I hope that there… https://t.co/W4NFOkIegu https://t.co/5mL4OkxFUR
Free speech makes free people—and free people need a free press. FIRE and @TheFP are thrilled to host a debate as big as Texas tomorrow at 7 PM, ft. @BariWeiss, @nickgillespie, @AnnCoulter, @cenkuygur, @SohrabAhmari Get your 🎟️ before they're gone! ⬇️ https://t.co/JORTvv6HvN https://t.co/N0B2gcFUyL
TOMORROW @ 1PM! Universities preach free speech yet silence their most vulnerable voices. For adjuncts @profdannyshaw & Lisa Hofmann-Kuroda, having their academic platforms seized was the price of speaking out for #Palestine. Hear them share their truth and experiences in a… https://t.co/r4h0ecMPWN
Catherine Fisk, a professor at Berkeley Law, ASSAULTS a Muslim Hijabi law student, while her husband Erwin Chemerinsky, DEAN of Berkeley Law screams LEAVE OUR HOUSE. In the end, violent white supremacists with fancy degrees. These elite institutions are 🤬 cc: bayareapym https://t.co/leocbbxhWj