Jewish UCLA students beaten with sticks, pepper sprayed and knocked out by anti-Israel campus mob: lawsuit

The U.S. Department of Justice filed a lawsuit in May 2025 against the University of California system, accusing the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) of failing to address violent attacks targeting Jewish and Israeli students during anti-Israel demonstrations in April 2024. The lawsuit describes how masked agitators, including members of UC Divest and Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP), occupied Royce Quad, a central area of UCLA’s campus, and established an illegal encampment with barriers made from plywood and bicycle racks. Jewish and Israeli students were subjected to physical violence, including beatings with sticks, pepper spraying, and being knocked unconscious, with one student hospitalized for an open head wound. The demonstrators created exclusion zones, blocking Jewish students from entering academic buildings like Royce Hall and Powell Library, and enforced checkpoints requiring students to denounce their faith or identity to pass. Graffiti with slurs such as 'F— ISRAEL,' 'F— ALL Jews,' and 'Israelis Are Native 2 HELL' was displayed on campus buildings, according to the lawsuit. Faculty members are also accused of aiding the illegal activities by participating in the demonstrations. The DOJ claims UCLA took no meaningful action to stop the harassment until May 2025, despite repeated violations of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits discrimination based on race or national origin in higher education. The lawsuit highlights how demonstrators used human chains and wristbands to exclude Jewish students from campus spaces, creating a hostile environment that persisted for months. The incident occurred on April 25, 2024, following months of antisemitic and anti-Israeli protests across U.S. universities. The DOJ argues that UCLA’s inaction enabled a pattern of discrimination and violence against Jewish and Israeli students, violating federal civil rights protections. The case underscores broader concerns about rising antisemitism and free speech tensions on college campuses.