Justice on Campus

UC Irvine’s “Students for Justice in Palestine” Gets a Lesson in Actual Justice

For years, anti-Israel, anti-Semitic organizations at the University of California, Irvine have harassed Jewish students (as well as staff and faculty) with impunity. I’ve argued in the past, both online and in print, that it is the University’s obligation to act decisively in support of the right of Jewish and pro-Israel students to a harassment-free environment.

Absent any serious disincentive to change, the SJP and other anti-Israel campus organizations have, over time, escalated their improper behavior. From interrupting and drowning out pro-Israel speakers, to engaging in thuggish physical aggression, these hate groups represent an increasing threat to the critical role of the University as a site for open discourse, a marketplace of ideas.

Having been confronted yet again with evidence of such behavior (arising in this instance from the bullying of attendees and speakers at a pro-Israel campus event in May), UCI has finally decided that enough is enough. The administration has placed the SJP on a two-year probation, requiring free speech training for its members (hint: the First Amendment doesn’t empower you to deny others their free speech rights), pre-clearance for planned activities, and other conditions which, if unmet, may result in further penalties.

UCI’s action is a welcome step in the right direction. It is plainly the job the of administration to ensure that viewpoints can freely be promoted and exchanged on campus, and that those engaged in doing so do not face actual or implied threats of violence.

As an Orange County resident, a former UCI staff member, and the parent of a UCI student, I applaud the administration for finally confronting this growing threat, and I encourage them stand firm as the SJP pursues appeals. No campus should be a “safe space” for hatred.