UCLA cries foul over judge’s order to shutter campus if protesters bar Jews

The University of California, Los Angeles is protesting a judge’s ruling that it cannot hold classes if pro-Palestinian protesters are barring Jews from campus, saying complying will harm the school.

The ruling “would improperly hamstring our ability to respond to events on the ground and to meet the needs of the Bruin community,” UCLA spokesperson Mary Osako says.

US District Judge Mark Scarsi’s ruled earlier that the university is prohibited from providing classes and access to buildings on campus if Jewish students are blocked from it,  after three Jewish students alleged in a lawsuit that they experienced discrimination on campus during pro-Palestinian protests because of their faith and that UCLA failed to ensure access to campus for all Jewish students.

UCLA had argued that it has no legal responsibility over the issue because protesters, not the university, blocked Jewish students’ access to the school. The university also worked with law enforcement to thwart attempts to set up new protest camps.

Osako says UCLA is considering all available options moving forward.

“UCLA is committed to fostering a campus culture where everyone feels welcome and free from intimidation, discrimination, and harassment,” Osako says in a statement to The Associated Press.

Yitzchok Frankel, a UCLA law student who filed the lawsuit, celebrates Scarsi’s order.

“No student should ever have to fear being blocked from their campus because they are Jewish,” Frankel says in a statement. “I am grateful that the court has ordered UCLA to put a stop to this shameful anti-Jewish conduct.”