UCLA Faces Claims of Antisemitism, Anti-Palestinian Bias
Credit: VCG / Visual China Group / Getty Images- A recent report released by the Task Force to Combat Antisemitism and Anti-Israeli Bias at UCLA found a “marked” rise in antisemitism and anti-Israeli bias after Oct. 7, 2023.
- Two reports from the UCLA Task Force on Anti-Palestinian, Anti-Muslim, and Anti-Arab Racism highlighted “harassment and punitive actions” against those advocating for Palestinian rights.
- The university is also facing multiple lawsuits from students and faculty over how they handled the pro-Palestinian encampment in the spring.
Two task forces established by the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) in response to heightened tension and protests on campus following Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attacks found unsafe campus conditions for Jewish, Israeli, Palestinian, Muslim, and Arab students.
In the aftermath of the terrorist attacks, pro-Israel protesters advocated for the release of Israeli hostages held by Hamas, while pro-Palestinian protesters called for the University of California to divest from companies supporting Israel.
Last spring, UCLA students in support of Palestine set up an encampment that turned violent when 100 pro-Israel counterprotesters tried to breach the barricade. Police tore down the encampment the following night and arrested more than 200 pro-Palestinian protesters.
Last month, the Task Force to Combat Antisemitism and Anti-Israeli Bias at UCLA released a report describing a “marked rise in antisemitism and anti-Israeli bias” at the university during the 2023-2024 academic year.
The UCLA Task Force on Anti-Palestinian, Anti-Muslim, and Anti-Arab Racism, had previously released two reports last documenting “long-standing incidents of harassment and punitive actions” against faculty and students who advocate for Palestinian rights, including the events surrounding the pro-Palestinian protest encampment.
Here’s an overview of what each UCLA task force found.
Report on Antisemitism and Anti-Israeli Bias
The 93-page report that focused on antisemitism and anti-Israeli bias at UCLA included responses from 428 faculty, staff, administrators, and students at all academic levels who identify as Jewish or Israeli. They were recruited through Jewish and/or Israeli-affiliated organizations on campus including:
- Hillel
- Chabad
- Bruins for Israel
- Jewish Voice for Peace
- The Jewish-Muslim Alliance
The task force says it did not include any definition of “antisemitism” or “anti-Israeli bias” and the word “Zionism” was not included in the survey.
The majority of the respondents reported that antisemitism and anti-Israeli bias at the university negatively impacted them during the past academic year, especially after the events of Oct. 7, 2023.
Around 40% said they had experienced discrimination based on “antisemitism or anti-Israeli bias.” Some examples they cited include:
- Campus groups and faculty promoting “propaganda vilifying Israel, Israelis, and Jews”
- Classroom environments that “often expressed anti-Israel sentiment”
- The “lack of pushback” from professors and the administration, which “allows this to get worse daily”
Respondents said UCLA has more of a problem with anti-Israeli bias (75%) than antisemitism (67%), but that both have worsened since Oct. 7, 2023.
One “source of antisemitism” 70% of respondents called out was the spring encampment on campus.
Just over 75% viewed the encampment as a “source of anti-Israeli bias.” Respondents described seeing anti-Israel imagery and messages on signs at the encampment and reported being denied entry through because they were Jewish.
Additionally, members of the Jewish community who participated in the survey reported more than 100 instances of physical attacks or physical threats, along with numerous instances of offensive comments or slurs, like protests calling for “death to Israel,” and vandalism, such as swastikas drawn on university property.
In total, 41% of respondents said they “considered leaving UCLA due to their experience of antisemitism or anti-Israeli bias.”
In a statement to BestColleges, a UCLA spokesperson said Hunt appreciates and is reviewing the report released by the Task Force to Combat Antisemitism and Anti-Israeli Bias at UCLA.
The statement highlighted “reforms and programs” launched this fall “to combat discrimination and enhance campus safety,” such as UCLA’s “Four-Point Plan for a Safer, Stronger UCLA,” which includes expanding the Office of Campus Safety and UCLA’s Dialogue across Difference initiative.
The university also says it’s working with campus offices and stakeholders, including UCLA Hillel, to “promote safety and protect civil rights.”
Report on Anti-Palestinian, Anti-Muslim, and Anti-Arab Racism
A report by the UCLA Task Force on Anti-Palestinian, Anti-Muslim, and Anti-Arab Racism outlines the campus response to the events after Oct. 7, 2023. It specifically focuses on the administration’s handling of the pro-Palestinian encampment, which it described as “nonviolent” and a “multiracial, multi-national, and gender diverse assembly.”
The report documents the harassment participants said they endured in the encampment, including racial and homophobic slurs and disruption during Muslim prayer times.
The report recounts the night of the encampment attack, describing how fireworks were aimed at the encampment, masked individuals destroyed barriers, and stink bombs were sprayed. Despite multiple calls for help, the report says law enforcement did not intervene for several hours and did not arrest any individuals who instigated the attack.
The report describes the administration’s response as “consistent anti-Palestinian, anti-Muslim, and Arab racism and pro-Zionist bias,” emphasizing that UCLA was only concerned with the safety of Jewish students, except for those involved in pro-Palestinian advocacy on campus.
The task force’s second report, released June 28, focused on the newly created Office of Campus Safety, which was established shortly after the pro-Palestian protest encampment was disbanded by law enforcement.
The task force took issue with increased police and private security on campus and said it had documented “aggressive policing actions” taken toward students.
“We have concluded that the militarization of our campus, the persistent attacks on students, faculty, and staff for supporting ceasefire, divestment and disclosure, the punitive measures deployed by the administration toward anyone even mildly critical of Israeli policies, have made UCLA less safe than ever for Palestinian, Arab, Muslim students and faculty, and for those in solidarity with Palestinians,” the report read.
In a statement to BestColleges, a UCLA spokesperson said interim Chancellor Darnell Hunt thanked the task force for sharing its perspectives in the report released this summer and addressed several points the group raised.
“He also expressed his commitment to consider their findings as the campus continues its ongoing efforts to better support an academic environment where all people feel safe, welcome, respected, and able to fully express themselves,” the statement said.
Student Lawsuits, New University Guidance
Students unhappy with how UCLA handled protests last school year have taken legal action against the university.
In August, Jewish students sued the university, claiming that UCLA helped facilitate the spring encampment that “harassed Jewish students” and prevented them from accessing “critical parts of campus.” A Los Angeles federal district court ruled in the students’ favor.
Students and faculty members arrested for participating in the pro-Palestinian encampment on UCLA’s campus also filed a lawsuit against the university, claiming the school violated their First Amendment rights to freedom of speech and freedom of assembly.
The complaint, filed Oct. 22, describes the encampment as “nonviolent” and “educational,” alleging the university targeted the encampment because of its pro-Palestinian stance.
At the beginning of the fall semester, the University of California released new guidance reinforcing policies that prohibit: setting up encampments and unauthorized structures, blocking the free movement of students, and masking that conceals identity.