Antisemitism at UCLA is a concern for all of us

Anti-Semitism at UCLA: A Broader Civil Rights Concern

Anti-Semitism at UCLA isn’t solely a Jewish issue. It poses a significant threat to everyone’s civil rights.

In the spring of 2024, when anti-Israel activists set up an encampment at the university, action should have been taken immediately. Instead, UCLA chose to erect a steel barrier around the encampment.

This barricade effectively prevented Jewish students from accessing dormitories and classes unless they renounced Zionism or Israel’s right to exist. Yet, the university remained inactive.

On top of that, the encampment attracted considerable media coverage. However, activists denied access to journalists. For instance, when a person sporting a press badge tried to enter via the Media entrance, they were quickly surrounded, assaulted, and pushed away by masked activists.

This incident was a striking infringement on the First Amendment.

It garnered the attention of U.S. press freedom advocates, who noted it as a clear violation of press freedom, reflecting poorly on a public institution like UCLA.

While activists certainly have the right to protest, excluding others is not acceptable. Universities are obligated to intervene when civil liberties are undermined, impacting minorities, journalists, or the broader public.

Moreover, UCLA seemed to offer implicit support to the encampment.

Governor Gavin Newsom has refused to permit the university to settle with the Trump administration, accusing the former president of attempting to “silence academic freedom.”

But, in reality, it’s UCLA that has silenced the essential freedoms of Jews, Israelis, and the general populace.

This justifies the Department of Justice’s decision to take legal action against UCLA.

Attorney General Pam Bondi recently stated, “UCLA administrators are accused of allowing vicious anti-Semitism to thrive on campus, injuring both students and employees.”

It certainly is a troubling situation. However, issues go beyond mere claims of civil liberties; the press was also subjected to violent suppression to stifle their rights.

History has shown us that when extremists target Jewish individuals, their aggression doesn’t stop there. A society that tolerates such attacks on Jews may soon permit violence against anyone who opposes the mob mentality.

As it stands, university officials in the UC system seem to downplay the seriousness of these matters.

Recently, the Daily Californian, the student newspaper at UC Berkeley, reported that some government officials dismiss the Trump administration’s civil rights claims as “nonsense,” suggesting they were merely intended to create “stress.”