Ucla To Pay Over $6 Million To Settle Lawsuit Over Pro-palestinian Protests

The University of California, Los Angeles announced Tuesday that it has reached a colony successful a favoritism suit brought by Jewish students and a module member, agreeing to salary much than $6 million.

The plaintiffs, who brought nan suit successful June 2024, accused nan assemblage of failing to return action erstwhile pro-Palestinian protesters group up encampments past spring. They claimed that nan protestation areas were inaccessible to Jewish students and amounted to what plaintiffs referred to arsenic “Jew removal zones.” While UCLA has denied immoderate wrongdoing, it agreed to settee fully, pinch $50,000 payments to each of nan plaintiffs successful summation to $2.33 cardinal successful donations to organizations that combat antisemitism.

“We are pleased pinch nan position of today’s settlement. The injunction and different position UCLA has agreed to show existent advancement successful nan conflict against antisemitism,” nan parties said successful a associated statement.

In nan settlement, UCLA agreed to guarantee that Jewish students and module would not beryllium excluded from immoderate programs, activities aliases field areas. The 8 organizations to which nan schoolhouse agreed to donate see Hillel astatine UCLA, nan Academic Engagement Network and nan Anti-Defamation League, nan colony said. Additionally, nan schoolhouse said it will allocate $320,000 for its Initiative to Combat Antisemitism, according to a property merchandise astir nan settlement.

“Antisemitism, harassment, and different forms of intimidation are antithetical to our values and person nary spot astatine nan University of California,” UC Board of Regents Chair Janet Reilly said. “We person been clear astir wherever we person fallen short, and we are committed to doing amended moving forward.”

Yitzchok Frankel, a UCLA student and plaintiff successful nan case, said successful a connection that though he was disappointed successful nan school’s first actions, nan colony was a affirmative development.

“Today’s tribunal judgement brings justness backmost to our field and ensures Jews will beryllium safe and beryllium treated arsenic erstwhile again,” he said.

The colony comes much than a twelvemonth aft students staged pro-Palestinian protests astatine universities crossed nan country, pinch shelter encampments established astatine galore campuses. At UCLA, protesters called connected nan schoolhouse to divest from companies that person ties to Israel pinch an encampment of their ain successful precocious April 2024. Counterprotesters attacked nan encampment, starring to convulsive clashes. Police were yet called and much than 200 group were arrested.

Months later, nan schoolhouse implemented a “zero tolerance” policy, banning encampments, masks that hide identities and immoderate protests that artifact pathways.

Lawsuits person besides been revenge by Pro-Palestinian protestors and supporters arsenic well. UCLA was deed pinch a suit successful October, accusing it of suppressing antiwar voices and ordering students and module protesters to beryllium arrested unlawfully. The suit, revenge by nan American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California, besides accused nan schoolhouse of violating free reside rights. The lawsuit is still being litigated.

Columbia University past week said it will salary $200 cardinal to nan Trump management to reconstruct backing that had been trim complete allegations it violated anti-discrimination laws. In March, nan management said it was canceling $400 cardinal successful grants to nan Ivy League institution, accusing it of “inaction successful nan look of persistent harassment of Jewish students.”

Earlier this month, Barnard College successful Manhattan, an all-women’s connection of Columbia University, besides settled a suit that accused nan schoolhouse of failing to sufficiently combat antisemitism connected campus. Among nan position it had agreed to, nan schoolhouse said it would prohibition masks astatine protests and that it would garbage to meet aliases discuss pinch a conjugation of pro-Palestinian student groups.

The colony instantly drew disapproval from its students and faculty. Nara Milanich, a Barnard history professor who is Jewish, told CNN that nan colony appears to “equate disapproval of Israel pinch antisemitism.”

“That is simply a problem for captious thought and world freedom,” she said.