Video: Jewish students ‘blocked’ from entering US campus by Palestine activists

Amid escalating tensions over pro-Palestine student protests at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), several Jewish students claimed that they were blocked from entering the campus and attending classes by demonstrators.

One of the students, Eli Tsives, posted a video on Instagram showing pro-Palestinian activists blocking his way to the campus even as he shows them his identity card.

“They didn’t let me get to class using the main entrance! Instead, they forced me to walk around. Shame on these people!” Tsives says. The students responded by stating that they were not willing to engage with him.

Responding to them, Tsives says, “We paid tuition, this is our school”. The activists are seen lining up in front of Tsives, preventing his entrance.

Another video on X shows a Jewish student being denied entry to the library. The post said pro-Palestinian activists had taken over the access area near the library and students had to get approval before being let in.

The video shows a student being denied entry after he says that he is a Zionist. Zionism is Israel’s national ideology that calls for the creation of a Jewish state.

“So you won’t let me in because I’m Jewish?” the student is heard saying. To this, the activist replies, “No… we have a couple of Jewish students here. Are you a Zionist?”

After the student replies in the affirmative, the activist says, “Well yeah, we’re not gonna let Zionists in.”

Last week, scuffles broke out between pro-Israeli and pro-Palestinian demonstrators at UCLA as protests calling for a ceasefire in Gaza spread across US campuses. Several pro-Palestine UCLA students also set up a Palestinian solidarity encampment on campus.

This has led to counter-protests by pro-Israeli demonstrators. On Sunday, demonstrators from both sides broke through a barrier that was set up to separate the two factions and pushed and shoved each other. The situation was eventually brought under control by baton-wielding campus police.