DOJ sues UCLA over alleged failure to protect Jewish, Israeli students
The Department of Justice has taken decisive action by filing a lawsuit against UCLA, accusing the university of disregarding incidents of discrimination and violence directed at Jewish and Israeli students. This legal move stems from a protest in 2024, during which demonstrators allegedly assaulted students with physical attacks, including beatings and pepper spray. Human rights attorney Brooke Goldstein has spoken out on the matter, highlighting how the issue of antisemitism has been manipulated for political ends.
Adding to the tumultuous landscape, an anti-Israel protester recently admitted to manslaughter in connection with the tragic death of a pro-Israel demonstrator. This week, the perpetrator was handed a sentence of one year in county jail.
The defendant, Loay Abdel Fattah Alnaji, aged 53, was involved in a 2023 altercation with Paul Kessler, a 69-year-old activist. The confrontation saw Alnaji hit Kessler in the head with a megaphone, causing Kessler to fall back and sustain a fatal head injury. He later succumbed to these injuries in the hospital.
This tragic encounter unfolded amid escalating tensions linked to the Israel-Hamas conflict and a noticeable rise in antisemitic sentiments in the United States and globally. Originally, Alnaji faced the possibility of a four-year prison sentence. However, his decision to plead guilty in May led to a reduced sentence.
Despite the guilty plea, prosecutors have expressed dissatisfaction with the sentence, arguing that a one-year term in county jail falls short of adequate punishment. They contend that Alnaji deserved a longer period of confinement in state prison, given the severity of the case.
Loay Alnaji in Ventura County Court on November 17 (Splash News for News Media)
“Mr. Kessler lost his life in a violent attack that took him from his family and his wife of 43 years,” Ventura County District Attorney Erik Nasarenko said in a statement. “Given the circumstances of this case and the death that resulted, we believe a state prison commitment was the appropriate and just sentence.”
Kessler’s widow wrote a victim impact statement that said, in part, “There are no words to describe the pain of losing a husband in such a sudden and violent way.”
“The grief is relentless. The silence in our house, the absence of his voice, his companionship, his love and the future we had planned together are losses I carry with me every day,” she continued, according to the district attorney’s office.
Jonathan Oswaks, a friend of Kessler’s who was at the rally with him when the incident took place, spoke to the Jewish Journal when news of Alnaji’s expected sentence was released, calling it “deeply frustrating.”
Loay Alnaji can be seen carrying the megaphone allegedly used to strike Paul Kessler, knocking the Jewish man to the ground. (Provided to News Media)
“I’m not a lawyer, but the way this was handled raises serious questions for me. It sends a troubling message about accountability,” he told the outlet.
Oswaks recounted moments from the event in his interview with the outlet, noting how the pro-Palestinian protesters vastly outnumbered them that day. He said after the pair had split up, people began approaching him and stood inches from his face yelling into his ear and using a megaphone.
Loay Alnaji has taught college students since 2003, per his bio on the Ventura County Community College website, and currently teaches computer science. (Ventura County Community College)
“When I tell you I had never experienced that level of hate in my life, I hadn’t,” he said. “I told them to get out of my space. They backed off briefly, then started again. I made it clear they needed to stay away, and eventually they did.”