UCLA Student Barred from Entering Class by Anti-Israel Protesters

A video has surfaced showing a UCLA student being prevented from entering his class by a group of anti-Israel protesters. The incident has prompted the university to take action, including increasing campus security and initiating a student conduct investigation.

A University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) student was prevented from entering his class on Monday by a group of anti-Israel protesters, according to a video posted on social media.

The video, posted to Instagram by Eli Tsives, shows him attempting to walk through a group of masked individuals, one of whom is wearing a "Free Palestine" sweatshirt, to reach a building entrance.

"You guys have closed the entrance. We are UCLA students. I have my ID right here. I'm being blocked off, not by the security guard, but by you three," Tsives says in the video as he walks up to a fenced area with a security guard present.

The masked individuals refuse to move, and Tsives is forced to walk around to find another entrance.

"This is what they do. Everybody, look at this. Look at this," Tsives says in the video. "I'm a UCLA student. I deserve to go here. We pay tuition. This is our school, and they're not letting me walk in."

The incident has sparked outrage among some students and faculty members, who say it is a violation of academic freedom.

"This is a clear violation of our First Amendment rights. Students should be able to attend class without being harassed or intimidated by protesters," said one student who asked not to be named.

UCLA Vice Chancellor of Strategic Communications Mary Osako issued a statement on Tuesday, condemning the incident and saying that the university is taking action to prevent similar incidents from happening in the future.

"This kind of disruption to our teaching and learning mission is abhorrent, plain and simple," Osako said. "As such, we've taken several, immediate actions: Our student conduct process has been initiated and could lead to severe disciplinary action including expulsion or suspension. The barriers that demonstrators used to block this student's access to class have been removed, and we have staff located around Royce Quad to help ensure that they will not go up again. We have also engaged law enforcement to investigate."

Osako added that the university remains committed to free speech and academic freedom but that it will not tolerate violence or intimidation.

"While the demonstration remains largely peaceful, our campus must remain a place where we treat one another with respect and recognize our shared humanity — not a place where we devolve into violence and bullying," Osako said.