UCLA ordered by court to develop plan to protect Jewish students
“UCLA tried to force me to choose between being a student or being a Jew,” a third year law student said.
University of California, Los Angeles must develop a plan with Jewish plaintiffs to protect them from anti-Israel or antisemitic encampments and protests the coming semester, a Western Division California Central District Court ruled on Monday according to the Plaintiffs’s representation.
UCLA must consult with the Becket and Clement & Murphy law firms and submit a plan to Judge Mark Scarsi by August 5.
The ruling came in response to a June 5 legal complaint by three Jewish UCLA students against the university regents, arguing that the university had facilitated the establishment of protests and an encampment which restricted movement and endangered the students. The students argued that they were unable to properly attend classes and were excluded from accessing areas of the campus due to their Jewish identity.
“It’s disgusting that a prestigious American university would aid and abet antisemitic agitators who harass and segregate Jewish students,” Becket president Mark Rienzi said in a statement. “UCLA’s behavior needs to change, and we look forward to working out an appropriate plan that protects Jewish students on campus.”
UCLA had argued on July 8 that is had attempted to deescalate tensions on campus and safely dismantle the April 25 encampment. The university said that it had sought to manage the tensions on campus despite pro-Israel counter-protests on April 28 and an attack on the encampment on May 1. Ultimately, the administration had police clear the tents and temporary structures on May 2.
The university contended that it had demonstrated that it was far from indifferent to the problems facing students like the plaintiffs, and the supposed harm that they claimed would manifest in the future was vague. UCLA said that it had no policy of prohibiting access to areas of campus to Jewish students, so addressing the institution for injunctive relief was incorrect.
The students’ representatives said that UCLA itself had installed encampment barricades and had appeased the protesters who had enforced rules that limited access to campus area based on ideological leanings, such as Zionism. The students said that this effectively excluded Jewish students, denying them equal access to facilities.
In some instances, students were discouraged by campus from approaching the encampment area.
“UCLA tried to force me to choose between being a student or being a Jew,” third year law student and father of four Yitzchok Frankel said in a statement with the Becket firm. “I appreciate the chance to have my day in court, and I look forward to being able to return to campus safely next month.”
Failure to protect Jewish students
UCLA was accused by the students of failing to provide a safe and inclusive learning environment for the estimated eight percent of its student body that were Jewish.
The plaintiffs alleged that protests, which emerged soon after the October 7 Massacre, featured antisemitic and violent rhetoric and chants. According to the court filing, on October 12 it was claimed that protesters chanted in Arabic “slaughter the Jews.”
On November 8 at a Law School protest, some demonstrators allegedly chanted “death to Israel” and “death to Jews.” At a Students for Justice in Palestine-led protest the same day, activists beat a pinata bearing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s image and were told by a protester with a megaphone “beat that f**king Jew.”
Graffiti of Swastikas and curses of Zionist were found multiple times on campus, the filing detailed.
On November 10, Chancellor Gene Block denounced hateful behavior and antisemitic language that had occurred that week on campus.