UT heckling arrest raises hackles — and concern over school policy

The Houston Chronicle ^ | May 7, 2005 | By JEFFREY GILBERT and TERRI LANGFORD

[demkicker]

AUSTIN - Note to hecklers at the University of Texas: When jeering, keep it clean or face possible arrest.

Ajai Raj, a 19-year-old English major, thought he was exercising his right to free speech when he quizzed conservative pundit Ann Coulter on her definition of marriage after a lecture she delivered at the LBJ Library.

Trouble was, he used profanity and then made obscene gestures while walking away from a microphone set up for the question-and-answer portion of Tuesday's event.

Moments later, university police were inside the library's auditorium, handcuffing Raj.

He first thought they were there to tell him to leave, Raj said. Instead, he was told he was under arrest.

"That's the scary part of it ... I asked them what for?" he said Friday. "I kind of recoiled a little bit. They said they didn't know actually. They were just following orders from I don't know who. They were just following orders."

University police say they were following the state's disorderly conduct statute, a Class C misdemeanor that prohibits abusive, profane and vulgar language and obscene gestures in public areas. But some question if Raj's behavior really violated the law.

Continued

[Doctor Raoul]

Robert Jensen's area of expertise is pornography for feminists.

The guy is one sick bastard, but Hannity and O'Reilly keep putting him on the tube.

[Gunrunner2]

Have you read the police report at thesmokinggun.com?

He did violate the law, and from a friend of mine that is a PhD candidate at UT and there, the guy wasn't peaceful nor quiet when asked to be. Belligerent and argumentative, all about him--deliberatly being insulting and disrupting and violating Ann's free speech rights.

[FormerACLUmember]

The creep was using vile profanity and had been repeatedly asked to stop disrupting the speech. Whining little liar.