Jessica Costescu of the Washington Free Beacon reports one major public university’s questionable response to lawbreaking on campus.
UCLA failed to help prosecutors investigate the anti-Israel activists who set up an encampment last spring that blocked Jewish students from parts of campus, according to the Los Angeles City Attorney’s Office. Of the hundreds arrested, only two—both counterprotesters—are facing criminal charges, while a third was referred to an informal proceeding.
Chaos broke out at UCLA last May when anti-Israel protesters, holed up in a weeklong encampment, and counterprotesters clashed, leading police to arrest 205. But almost all of those were thrown out, in part because of the “university’s failure or inability to assist,” the city attorney’s office announced Friday.
“Most of these cases were declined for evidentiary reasons or due to a university’s failure or inability to assist in identification or other information needed for prosecution,” the office wrote.
The development comes as UCLA continues to argue that it didn’t have a responsibility to stop the encampment from excluding Jews from parts of campus. The University of California system is also facing a Justice Department investigation into whether it “has engaged in a pattern or practice of discrimination based on race, religion and national origin against its professors, staff and other employees by allowing an Antisemitic hostile work environment to exist on its campuses.”
University of California regent and United Talent Agency vice chairman Jay Sures told the Washington Free Beacon, “It’s absolutely pathetic” that the school hasn’t punished the encampment activists.
“Regardless of whether there was enough evidence to criminally prosecute those involved in the encampment, UCLA had enough evidence to take disciplinary student action. It’s absolutely pathetic that there’s been no discipline,” Sures, an outspoken defender of Israel and Jewish students, said. “UCLA must revamp, rethink, and retool the way student and faculty disciplinary processes are handled to ensure swift and appropriate action in the future.”
