התעלמות מאנטישמיות באוניברסיטאות בארה"ב

UC Berkeley and the UC system are accused of letting anti-semitism go unchecked. Jewish advocacy organizations allege that student groups prohibit speakers who support a Jewish state. NTD's David Lam speaks with the attorney who's suing the university. Ken Marcus, Chairman of the Louis D. Brandeis Center and former Assistant Secretary of Education for Civil Rights, thank you for joining us. Thank you. Former nonprofit organization is suing UC Berkeley and the UC system, claiming that it has longstanding unchecked anti-semitism on campus. So how did this start? We take no pleasure in bringing the lawsuit. We would prefer that they simply comply with their legal requirements. This lawsuit is about the failure of the University of California to address anti-semitism on its campus, certainly over the last year and a half. Starting with the decision by nine student organizations to exclude Zionists from speaking on any topic whatsoever before their organization. And I understand that you receive many complaints from students. So what are the students saying? We're hearing from students around the country, Jewish students are afraid now because they are feeling such an immense amount of hate since the Hamas atrocities of October 7th. Now think about that. In the wake of these atrocities in which Jewish Israelis were tortured, burned alive in some cases, raped, murdered, their corpses in some cases desecrated. In the wake of that, a groundswell of support for the perpetrators. The Berkeley situation is in one sense typical or representative of what we're hearing all around the country, but it is also one of the worst. And some students don't feel protected on college campuses, including a Jewish student who was hit on the head during a rally. Can you tell us about this? The student who was hit on the head with a water bottle was at the University of California at Berkeley, the sexual survivors group. And think about this for a moment. We're talking about women who were brutally victimized once. And then they were told that they couldn't stay in a survivors group because as Jews, they support the state of Israel. They were victimized a second time. And then third, the university that they were members of failed to take their allegation seriously, meaning that they were victimized three times. That was at the University of Vermont. It was also at the State University of New York at New Paltz. And what are the demands that you're seeking from the UC? They need to establish policies and procedures that ensure that all of their students receive equal protection. That includes Jewish and non-Jewish students. And they need to spell out the rules in a way that is clear and prevents the sort of problems they've had lately. Ken Marcus, chairman with the Louis D. Brandeis Center, thank you so much for your time. Thank you. In a statement to NTD, UC Berkeley said the claims are inconsistent with the university's efforts to confront anti-Semitism, adding that quote, student organizations have the First Amendment right to choose their speakers.