No Penalty for UCLA Student/Employee Posting Blatantly Antisemitic Comments on Facebook
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by Shiryn Ghermezian
The entrance of UCLA. Photo: Wikimedia Commons.
The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) slammed an antisemitic comment posted on social media by a student, but has decided not to punish its author, according to a nonprofit organization dedicated to combating antisemitism.
The student, who is also a university employee, posted the comment on the Facebook page of Jewish actress Mayim Bialik, a UCLA alumna, who had written about people on social media boycotting her because of her pro-Israel views, the AMCHA Initiative reported on Tuesday.
The student replied to Bialik’s post by making racist remarks addressed to Jews who immigrated to the United States from Europe:
YOU people invades our space and used your bogus gods to justify taking land that was never yours. I don’t know how that’s different from what’s happening in Palestine — you come into their land, crying persecution and diminished numbers, and instead of returning to your own homes in Poland, Germany and Russia, your people chose to invade another culture’s homeland, invoking your bulls–t sacred pacts with your gods and massacring an entire culture unless they bend to your will. GTFOH with all your Zionist bulls–t. Crazy ass f–king troglodyte albino monsters of cultural destruction.
UCLA spokesperson Ricardo Vazquez told the university’s newspaper, the Daily Bruin, that a decision has been made not to pursue disciplinary action against the student, on the grounds that the First Amendment protects private speech. He said UCLA is working to prevent similar incidents from happening in the future.
Following the incident, UCLA Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs Janina Montero sent an email to all students saying, “The hurtful and offensive comments displayed ignorance of the history and racial diversity of the Jewish people, insensitivity and a disappointing lack of empathy.” She condemned bigotry against Jews and other minorities, claiming it runs counter to the values of the university.
Liat Menna, president of Students Supporting Israel at UCLA, said she thinks Montero’s statement was lacking because it did not address the issue of anti-Zionism. She explained, “The demonization of Jewish students on campus is directly linked to the demonization of the Zionist identity.”
