Letter to the Editor: Responses to Feb. 27 presentation by Israeli speakers

On Feb. 27 at a presentation at Wellman 106, I witnessed behavior that has no place at UC Davis. A presentation, “Defending the Israeli Image,” sponsored by Chai-Life Club at UC Davis, Chabad of Davis and StandWithUs and led by two Israelis was repeatedly interrupted by hecklers and individuals whose intent was clearly to disrupt the proceedings.

One individual planted himself at the back of the room and continuously shouted slurs (“rapists, murderers”) and refused to allow the event to proceed. Although most of the individuals who could be described as opposed to the ideas presented confined their behavior to occasional hooting and jeers, six to eight individuals felt empowered to prevent any collegial exchange of ideas. Under the circumstances, the Israelis, a former member of the Israeli Defense Forces and a Druze woman showed grace and courage.

Disgracefully, campus security and the UC Davis Police did nothing to prevent this behavior. I was told that they were following orders to do nothing unless there was violence. They also refused to take the names of the disruptive individuals. Clearly this sets a chilling precedent for future campus public events where one individual could disrupt the event without any fear of consequences.

To me, this represents the antithesis of what should occur on a university campus. I call on the campus administration, particularly Chancellor Linda Katehi, to investigate what occurred at this event and take appropriate actions against those who behaved outside of the UC Davis code of conduct. I further call on Chancellor Katehi to take appropriate action to prevent similar occurrences in the future.

David Siegel M.D., MPH
Professor of Medicine, UC Davis School of Medicine