A federal judge has issued a ruling against the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), preventing the institution from allowing pro-Palestinian protesters to block Jewish students from accessing campus facilities. This preliminary injunction represents the first court decision addressing a university’s handling of protests related to the Israel-Hamas conflict in the U.S. this year.
The decision came in response to a lawsuit filed in June by three Jewish students at UCLA, who alleged that they were discriminated against during campus demonstrations against the Israel-Hamas war.
“Jewish students were excluded from portions of the UCLA campus because they refused to denounce their faith,” U.S. District Judge Mark Scarsi wrote in the ruling, highlighting concerns over the students’ constitutional rights. “This fact is so unimaginable and so abhorrent to our constitutional guarantee of religious freedom.”
The plaintiffs claimed that pro-Palestinian demonstrators set up a blockade, creating a “Jew Exclusion Zone” where Jewish students were prevented from entering certain areas unless they renounced their support for Israel.
“No student should ever have to fear being blocked from their campus because they are Jewish,” Yitzchok Frankel, a UCLA law student and plaintiff in the case, said in a statement. “I am grateful that the court has ordered UCLA to put a stop to this shameful anti-Jewish conduct.”
UCLA argued that it was not responsible for the actions of protesters and expressed concerns that the injunction could limit its ability to manage campus events. Mary Osako, a UCLA spokesperson, noted that the ruling could affect the university’s response to campus issues.
“UCLA is committed to fostering a campus culture where everyone feels welcome and free from intimidation, discrimination, and harassment,” Osako said in a statement.
The ruling follows an earlier order by Scarsi requiring UCLA to implement measures to protect Jewish students. This case highlights the ongoing challenges universities face in balancing free expression with ensuring the safety and inclusion of all students amid tensions over the Israel-Hamas conflict.
