Los Angeles (VINnews)-The University of California, Los Angeles has agreed to pay more than $6 million to settle a discrimination lawsuit filed by Jewish students and faculty who say they were barred from accessing campus buildings during last year’s pro-Palestinian protests.
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The settlement, announced Tuesday, stems from a June 2024 lawsuit alleging that UCLA allowed protesters — including non-students — to erect a sprawling anti-Israel encampment that effectively turned parts of the campus into no-go zones for Jews. According to the plaintiffs, the university not only tolerated the occupation, but reinforced it by erecting metal barricades and failing to intervene as Jewish students were harassed and turned away from classrooms, libraries, and study spaces.
Most strikingly, the lawsuit claimed that UCLA officials initially disavowed any obligation to ensure the safety or access of Jewish students during the protests — a position that sparked national outrage.
The $6.13 million settlement includes damages to the plaintiffs, $2.33 million in donations to Jewish organizations, and legal fees. But beyond the monetary award, UCLA agreed to a permanent court injunction prohibiting the university from enabling or facilitating the exclusion of Jewish students or faculty from any part of campus.
Pro-Israel advocates say the case highlights the growing trend of university administrations capitulating to aggressive, often antisemitic activism under the guise of “pro-Palestinian” protest.
“This wasn’t just a free speech issue — it was a civil rights violation,” said one of the plaintiffs. “UCLA created an environment where Jewish students felt unsafe and unwelcome on their own campus.”
Critics say the university’s failure to act decisively during the protests emboldened those who openly called for Israel’s destruction and targeted Jewish students regardless of their views on the conflict.
The settlement is one of the largest of its kind and marks a major victory for Jewish students in the ongoing battle against campus antisemitism.