A federal judge has ordered the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) to devise a plan that safeguards Jewish students on campus.

“Meet and confer to see if you can come up with some agreeable stipulated injunction or some other court order that would give both UCLA the flexibility it needs. But also provide Jewish students on campus some reassurance that their free exercise rights are not going to play second fiddle to anything else,” U.S. District Judge Mark C. Scarsi demanded on Monday.

Scarsi’s ruling comes after three Jewish students sued UCLA for infringing on their rights during a week-long anti-Israel protest last spring. The lawsuit, backed by the nonprofit Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, accused UCLA of discrimination for restricting Jewish students’ access to Royce Quad, where anti-Israel protesters had set up an unauthorized encampment.

UCLA’s defense team maintained that the barriers set up at the Quad were intended to contain the protest and prevent clashes rather than keep Jews out. They also claimed that the university had learned from past incidents, citing improved responses to subsequent antisemitic protests.

However, the effectiveness of these measures remains questionable. In June, pro-Hamas agitators enacted another encampment and harassed the school’s Chabad rabbi, resulting in 26 arrests.

Following the ruling, UCLA Vice Chancellor Mary Osako reaffirmed the university’s commitment to maintaining a safe campus.

“UCLA is committed to maintaining a safe and inclusive campus, holding those who engaged in violence accountable, and combating antisemitism in all forms,” Osako said. “We have applied lessons learned from this spring’s protests and continue to work to foster a campus culture where everyone feels welcome and free from intimidation, discrimination and harassment.”

UCLA has one week to provide the court with a reasonable execution plan or face legal penalties for violating the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

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