Raleigh, NC—Declaring that sadly "a climate of hate is alive and well in the state of North Carolina," Janet Murguía, President and CEO of the National Council of La Raza (NCLR), will hold a news conference on the steps of the U.S. District Court in Raleigh, North Carolina before delivering a victim impact statement that she will present in the case of USA v. Christopher Szaz.

Calling the Szaz case the "result of a pattern and practice of hate speak and harassment unleashed in the debate over immigration reform," Murguía is calling on the court to make a larger statement to others who have committed, or may be prone to commit, similar crimes. "Free speech is not a license to make death threats. The First Amendment does not protect hate crimes," she said.

Since January, NCLR has been cataloguing hate speech and hate crimes against Latinos on its website www.WeCanStopTheHate.Org.

MEDIA ADVISORY

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