Protester Fined For HLS Disruption

A protester who rushed toward former Contra leader Adolfo Calero, ending his speech at the Law School last fall, pled guilty in Cambridge District Court last Thursday to charges of disturbing a school and being a disorderly person.

Judge Arthur Sherman levied fines of $200 on Joshua Laub, a senior at Tufts University.

Laub, 22, waived his right to appeal the decision to a jury trial as part of a joint recommendation from Assistant District Attorney Clea Andreadis and Laub's lawyer, Ronald P. Locke.

Originally Laub had hoped the district attorney would agree in plea-bargaining to grant him a continuance without a finding, leaving him without a criminal record, Locke said. But the prosecutor refused, so Laub decided to plead guilty, he added.

During the trial, Andreadis testified that Laub Yelled, "Kill them! Kill them! Kill them!" as he rushed toward Calero. In court Laub disputed that account.

Asked outside the courtroom what he did yell, Laub said with a smile, "Death to the fascist pig!"

Locke, who volunteered his services to defend Laub, said he was contemplating a suit against Harvard because he believed his client was punished more severely than usual.

He attributed Laub's "harsh treatment" to Harvard's attitude toward protesters who have interrupted controversial speakers on campus and Laub's membership in the Maoist International Committee Against Racism (INCAR).

Locke said Laub would remain a member of INCAR and "work on this issue and others."