Newspaper protesters curbed

A judge Tuesday imposed restrictions on demonstrators who have protested outside a Vietnamese-language newspaper in Little Saigon daily since late January.

The preliminary injunction prohibits protesters from threatening newspaper employees, vandalizing newspaper property, trespassing and interfering with customers and employees.

The demonstrators have argued that their protests are an act of free speech in opposition to Nguoi Viet Daily News’ decision to print a photo they said was sympathetic to communists.

But Orange County Superior Court Judge Derek Hunt was not convinced.

“Free speech is not an excuse to infringe on the rights of others,” he said, citing witness testimony that the protesters had shoved and chased reporters, urinated behind vehicles and shouted in people’s faces with bullhorns.

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-- My-Thuan Tran