A federal judge has permitted pro-Palestinian students to present their perspectives on a lawsuit filed against the University of California-Berkeley for alleged antisemitism.
The lawsuit was filed late last year by the Louis D. Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law, a nonprofit organization that supports the civil rights of Jewish people.
They argue that UC Berkeley failed to protect students and faculty against antisemitic discrimination and harassment because the school did not clear a pro-Palestine encampment or stop demonstrations.
The suit also focuses on the action of a student group, Berkeley Law Students for Justice in Palestine. The group was one of nearly two dozen that adopted bylaws that banned supporters of Zionism from speaking at their events.
The lawsuit states: "Anti-Zionism is different from criticism of Israel or opposition to the policies of the Israeli government. Anti-Zionism rejects the very right of Israel to exist and denies Jews the fundamental right to self-determination."
The new ruling by US District Court Judge James Donato allows six student “intervenors” to present additional defenses that the university cannot raise. That’s according to The Daily Californian.
An attorney representing the pro-Palestinian students groups argues the lawsuit is an attempt to make any criticism of Israel illegal, under the false claim that it is "antisemitic."
In June, the university filed a motion in the U.S. District Court, Northern District of California to dismiss the case, and a decision is pending.
