The University of California, Los Angeles has been ordered by a federal judge to draw up plans that will protect Jewish students going forward following months of pro-Palestinian protests earlier this year.
A federal judge on Monday told the school and the three Jewish students who sued it that they have one week to come up with a plan, enforceable by a court, that would allow all students to feel safe and ensure equal access to the campus if protests erupt again over the war in the Middle East .
“Meet and confer to see if you can come up with some agreeable stipulated injunction or some other court order that would give both UCLA the flexibility it needs ... but also provide Jewish students on campus some reassurance that their free exercise rights are not going to play second fiddle to anything else,” U.S. District Judge Mark C. Scarsi said.
The students who sued UCLA in June claimed they experienced discrimination on campus. Specifically, they alleged that a pro-Palestinian encampment that had formed on school grounds in April violated their civil rights by illegally blocking them from parts of the campus.
One of the students, Yitzchok Frankel, said in the lawsuit that he was invited to help host a lunch gathering but passed because he did not feel safe.
“Under ordinary circumstances, I would have leapt at the chance to participate in this event,” Frankel said. “My Jewish identity and religion are integral to who I am, and I believe it is important to mentor incoming students and encourage them to be proud of their Judaism, too.”
Scarsi's directive marked the first time a federal court has intervened over UCLA's encampment and comes as the University of California Regents said they will not tolerate illegal encampments and will enforce rules involving campus protests.
Law enforcement ordered more than 1,000 protesters to dismantle their encampment in May. Counterdemonstrators had attacked the encampment which led to at least 15 protesters suffering injuries.
In June, 27 pro-Palestinian demonstrators were arrested after they tried to set up a new encampment. The individuals were cited for willful disruption of university operations and issued a 14-day order to stay away from campus.
UCLA spokeswoman Mary Osako said the school is “committed to maintaining a safe and inclusive campus, holding those who engaged in violence accountable, and combatting antisemitism in all forms.”
“We have applied lessons learned from this spring’s protests and continue to work to foster a campus culture where everyone feels welcome and free from intimidation, discrimination and harassment,” she said in a statement.
Mark Rienzi, president and chief executive of the Becket Fund, which represented the students, told the Los Angeles Times he was pleased with Scarsi's decision.
“We asked for an injunction and the judge has said he is in favor of one after we talk with UCLA,” Rienzi said. “We need an order so Jewish students can be protected.”
The demonstrations at UCLA were part of a larger movement at several universities across the country.
The protests caught many university administrators off guard and without a plan. Some school officials negotiated with demonstrators while others called the cops.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
The first major detainment of protesters took place at Columbia University in New York. Since then, more than 3,100 people have been arrested or detained, according to a New York Times tracker .
Most of the people detained were charged with trespassing or disturbing the peace. Since then, however, many of the charges have been dropped, the news outlet reported.
Most Popular
Comments / 0