The Los Angeles Area office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-LA) today raised concerns regarding a recent announcement by the University of California that it will pay to settle a federal lawsuit that stemmed from the false narrative that the student-led anti-genocide encampment at the UC Los Angeles (UCLA) created a “Jew Exclusion Zone,” despite the fact that Jewish students and individuals participated in the encampment and protest.
The settlement also states that UCLA is prohibited from allowing the exclusion of Jewish students from programs, activities, and areas on campus “based on religious beliefs concerning the Jewish state of Israel,” effectively conflating anti-Zionism or legitimate criticism of Israel with antisemitism.
The encampment was established in April 2024 by anti-genocide protesters—including Muslim, Arab, Palestinian, and Jewish students, faculty, and community members—as part of a nationwide movement opposing Israel’s ongoing genocide in Gaza and calling on universities and colleges to divest from investments tied to Israeli apartheid.
UCLA also asked the court to enforce a dangerous injunction that would further silence legitimate criticisms of Israel. The injunction would serve to further chill speech on campus and punish students and faculty who have already faced punitive action by UCLA and the UC system for speaking out against genocide.
In a statement, CAIR-LA Legal Director Amr Shabaik, Esq., said:
“We are deeply concerned about UCLA’s recent settlement announcement, which recycles the demonstrably false narrative that the anti-genocide encampment was a ‘Jew Exclusion Zone.’ This settlement actively erases the voices of the many anti-genocide and anti-Zionist Jewish students, faculty, and community members who led and participated in the protest—even holding and observing a Passover Seder in the middle of the encampment.
“UCLA did not meaningfully fight against the lawsuit, and it, once again, failed to defend its own students and faculty against dangerous and inflammatory accusations against anti-genocide protesters. The university’s statement claims it is ‘committed to cultivating an environment where all are afforded the opportunity to live, learn and teach safely and peacefully,’ but this settlement does not take purposeful action toward upholding that commitment. UCLA cannot claim to foster a safe campus for all students while, at the same time, actively perpetuating this deeply harmful narrative.”
CAIR-LA commends attorney Thomas Harvey, Esq., for his efforts to intervene in the case on behalf of five intervenors—four of whom are Jewish—who moved to defend against the false claims that the UCLA encampment was a “Jew Exclusion Zone” and enabled antisemitism. CAIR-LA calls on the court to hear the motion and allow the intervenors to oppose the dangerous settlement and injunction.
CAIR-LA is Southern California’s largest Muslim civil liberties and advocacy organization. Its mission is to enhance the understanding of Islam, protect civil rights, promote justice and empower American Muslims.
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