Irvine’s Most Hateful

ASHLEY MICHELLE HORMAZA

In an appalling escalation of campus unrest, 47 people were hauled off in handcuffs at the University of California, Irvine after a pro-Palestine encampment turned into a violent takeover of a lecture hall on campus.

Ashley Hormaza,​​ Program Coordinator for the Office of Access, Outreach, and Inclusion in the School of Physical Sciences  at UC Irvine, was one of those arrested.

Hormaza shockingly chose to stay despite clear warnings from organizers that arrests were imminent. This was not just a protest – it was a brazen, hate-filled assault with antisemitic chants and Hamas propaganda being shamelessly circulated.

UC Irvine Chancellor Howard Gillman did not mince words, calling the takeover a “direct assault on the rights of other students.” 

Protesters’ demands “would require the university to violate the academic freedom rights of faculty, the free speech rights of faculty and fellow students, and the civil rights of many of our Jewish students.”

The protesters, including Hormaza, attempted to impose their extremist views on everyone else, essentially declaring that dissent would not be tolerated.

Even more horrifying, these radicals handed out pamphlets defending the brutal October 7 attack on Israel, attempting to rewrite Hamas’ internationally recognized status as a terrorist organization into a so-called “national liberation movement.” The absurdity of these claims is beyond belief, especially given Hamas’ long track record of violence and terror.

UC Irvine’s responded with the suspension of several students —yet their names remain hidden from the public eye. As for Hormaza, she has faced no reported consequences from the university for being arrested. That’s right – she is responsible for inclusion but specifically sought out a protest dedicated to excluding differing opinion.

The university is sending a dangerous message: that the consequences of such violent, extremist behavior will be kept under wraps. These students should not be allowed to slink away into anonymity; their peers, and future employers, deserve to know who they truly are. And staff members like Hormaza have shown they will actively participate in violent unrest knowing they can immediately return to their jobs.