UCLA must pay 6 million dollars after lawsuits over antisemitism on its campus

The University of California in Los Angeles (UCLA) agreed to pay more than USD 6 million to settle a series of discrimination lawsuits filed by Jewish students and professors.

Under this agreement, the institution admits to having allowed the creation of a "Jewish exclusion zone" during student protests against Israel in 2024. The agreement was announced this Tuesday and, if approved by a federal judge, will be in effect for the next 15 years.

The total amount reaches 6.13 million, most of which is directed to the plaintiffs in the case. More than USD 2 million will be allocated to organizations fighting against antisemitism in the city of Los Angeles, including UCLA Hillel, the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), the Jewish Federation of Los Angeles, the Jewish Graduate Organization, and the Orthodox Union.

University authorities did not act to prevent harassment of Jewish students.

The lawsuit was filed after the university's Board of Regents and UCLA's director, Gene Block, admitted before Congress that no action was taken against protesters who blocked access to the campus in the spring of 2024.

During the protests, encampments were set up on campus that led to violent clashes with the police, with more than 200 arrests after the assembly was declared illegal.

One of the most reprehensible moments occurred when protesters, many wearing clothing that praises terrorists, prevented a Jewish student from entering the university grounds, an incident that was recorded and went viral.

During the protests, encampments were set up on campus that led to violent clashes with the police, with more than 200 arrests after the assembly was declared illegal.

The plaintiffs suffered harassment for being Jewish

The plaintiffs were young people such as Yitzchok Frankel, a law student who suffered harassment for wearing a kippah, and Eden Shemuelian, who was unable to attend orientation events due to the hostile environment.

The president of the organization that promoted these lawsuits, Mark Rienzi, denounced that security agents allowed the use of barriers and "approved wristbands" to control entry, excluding Jewish members of the university community.

"This case was filed because the plaintiffs were victims of inconceivable antisemitism at a public university," Rienzi stated. "That submission to antisemites is unacceptable. We should never see that again in the United States."

The Trump administration supported the lawsuit

In August 2024, federal judge Mark Scarsi granted a preliminary injunction in favor of the plaintiffs and strongly criticized the university.

In a 16-page order, he wrote: "In the year 2024, in the United States, Jewish students were excluded from parts of UCLA's campus for refusing to renounce their faith. It is an unimaginable and abominable fact that deserves to be repeated."

A subsequent report by UCLA's interim chancellor in October confirmed that antisemitism had been tolerated on campus. The court settlement reiterates that conclusion by explicitly defining that any exclusion based on religious beliefs about Israel will be considered antisemitism.

The Department of Justice of Trumpsupported the case in March 2025, and the Office for Civil Rights of the Department of Education also opened an investigation.