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UCLA Student Newspaper Protects Oct. 7 Supporters, and Attacks Jews
A mock Israeli checkpoint set up during a past ‘Israeli Apartheid Week’ at the University of California at Los Angeles campus. Photo: AMCHA Initiative.
At UCLA, a troubling pattern has emerged: individuals engaged in antisemitic discrimination are being recast as victims, while those targeted are portrayed as villains for speaking out.
Nowhere is this clearer than in the case of a staff member who resigned amid allegations that she actively excluded Jewish students from hiring decisions. Rather than holding her accountable or looking seriously into the accusations, UCLA’s student paper — the Daily Bruin — portrayed her as a martyr, while ignoring her actions regarding the Jewish community.
To compound the issue, the Daily Bruin’s coverage of a protest outside the home of UC Regent Jay Sures — where activists threatened him and vandalized his property — was presented with misleading context, making the demonstrators appear justified.
Undergraduate Students Association Council Cultural Affairs Commissioner Alicia Verugo stepped down from her job, after she was accused of directing her office to exclude Jewish students from employment. She claims she only resigned out of fear for her personal safety. Here are the facts, according to the Daily Bruin:
In a copy of the petition, which [Bella] Brannon provided to the Daily Bruin, Brannon accused Verdugo of directing their staff to not hire “Zionist” applicants to the commission. She cited screenshots that she said a member of Verdugo’s office provided to her.
“Lots of Zionists are applying,” Verdugo allegedly said in a message appended to the petition. “Please do your research when you look at applicants and I will also share a doc of no hire list during retreat.”
Verdugo justified Hamas’ atrocities on October 7, saying it was an “unprecedented” and “historic” moment. Furthermore, she did so in a publicly recorded event just days after the worst massacre of Jews since the Holocaust.
Yet, in the Daily Bruin’s coverage, these damning details were omitted. Instead, the article emphasized her support for UCLA’s BIPOC community, whitewashing her actions and shifting the focus away from her discrimination.
The section of the article reporting on her plan to use a member of the extremist anti-Israel group, Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP), as a defense witness is even more problematic. The journalists identify JVP as merely “critical of Israel.” That would be like describing the KKK as a group “critical of minorities” in a story about them using their nonexistent moral authority to defend a segregationist.
Instead of presenting the facts of what Verdugo had done, the Daily Bruin framed her as a victim of political pressure, allowing her to escape accountability.
This misleading portrayal is dangerous. It reinforces the insidious trend where Jewish students raising concerns about discrimination are smeared as aggressors, exacerbating campus hostility toward Jews and Israel at UCLA.
The contrast is glaring when compared to the Daily Bruin’s reporting on the harassment of UC Regent Jay Sures. Protesters accused Sures of being a “genocide enabler,” vandalized his property with red handprints — a symbol with deep ties to historical antisemitic violence — and ominously threatened him.
Yet, instead of condemning the harassment, the Daily Bruin’s article dedicated its final section to listing Sures’ affiliations with pro-Israel organizations, concluding with an uncritical quote from Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) attacking him.
The implication? That such harassment was, if not justified, at least understandable.
When a Jewish leader and his family are threatened, the Daily Bruin frames the narrative as an “underdog vs. powerful figure.” But when a student leader is caught discriminating against Jewish students and justifying the massacre of civilians, the paper downplays the charges and shifts focus to her supposed victimization.
This blatant discrepancy exposes a disturbing editorial bias: Jewish students who fight back against discrimination are ignored — or worse, smeared — as part of an imagined Zionist effort to silence free speech. Meanwhile, anti-Israel activists who face legitimate consequences for their actions receive glowing, sympathetic coverage; their ethical breaches are reframed as minor inconveniences imposed by an all-powerful Jewish establishment.
Thousands of UCLA students and alumni will now likely believe these politicized narratives. Fortunately, the university itself has demonstrated more professionalism, suspending both SJP and its graduate counterpart for their disgraceful treatment of Sures, his family, and his neighbors.
The Daily Bruin has a responsibility to correct the record. True journalism demands fairness, not selective storytelling that whitewashes antisemitism under the guise of political nuance. If the paper values integrity, it must fully acknowledge the scope of both controversies — and ensure future reporting treats discrimination with the seriousness it deserves, no matter the target.
Bias and distortion must no longer mislead the UCLA community. Journalism should illuminate the truth.
Seth B. Mendel is the West Coast Campus Advisor for the Committee for Accuracy in Middle East Reporting and Analysis (CAMERA)
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US State Department Revokes Visas of UK Punk Rap Act Bob Vylan Amid Outrage Over Duo’s Chants of ‘Death to the IDF’
Bob Vylan music duo performance at Glastonbury Festival (Source: FLIKR)
The US State Department has revoked the visas for the English punk rap duo Bob Vylan amid ongoing outrage over their weekend performance at the Glastonbury Festival, in which the pair chanted “Death to the IDF.”
The State Department’s decision to cancel their visas would preclude a planned fall concert tour of the US by the British rappers.
“The [US State Department] has revoked the US visas for the members of the Bob Vylan band in light of their hateful tirade at Glastonbury, including leading the crowd in death chants. Foreigners who glorify violence and hatred are not welcome visitors to our country,” Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau wrote on X/Twitter on Monday.
During a June 28 set at Glastonbury Festival, Bob Vylan’s Pascal Robinson-Foster ignited a firestorm by leading the crowd in chants of “Death, death, to the IDF,” referring to the Israel Defense Forces. He also complained about working for a “f—ing Zionist” during the set.
The video of the performance went viral, sparking outrage across the globe.
The BBC, which streamed the performance live, issued an on‑screen warning but continued its broadcast, prompting criticism by government officials for failing to cut the feed.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer and festival organizers condemned the IDF chant as hate speech and incitement to violence. The Israeli Embassy in London denounced the language as “inflammatory and hateful.”
“Millions of people tuned in to enjoy Glastonbury this weekend across the BBC’s output but one performance within our livestreams included comments that were deeply offensive,” the BBC said in a statement following the event.
“These abhorrent chants, which included calls for the death of members of the Israeli Defense Forces … have no place in any civil society,” Leo Terrell, Chair of the US Department of Justice Task Force to Combat Antisemitism, declared Sunday in a statement posted on X.
Citing the act’s US tour plans, Terrell said his task force would be “reaching out to the U.S. Department of State on Monday to determine what measures are available to address the situation and to prevent the promotion of violent antisemitic rhetoric in the United States.”
British authorities, meanwhile, have launched a formal investigation into Bob Vylan’s controversial appearance at Glastonbury. Avon and Somerset Police confirmed they are reviewing footage and working with the Crown Prosecution Service to determine whether the performance constitutes a hate crime or incitement to violence.
United Talent Agency (UTA), one of the premier entertainment talent agencies, dropped the duo, claming “antisemitic sentiments expressed by the group were utterly unacceptable.”
The band defended their performance on social media as necessary protest, stating that “teaching our children to speak up for the change they want and need is the only way that we make this world a better place.”
The post US State Department Revokes Visas of UK Punk Rap Act Bob Vylan Amid Outrage Over Duo’s Chants of ‘Death to the IDF’ first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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Dem House Leader Hakeem Jeffries Urges Mamdani to ‘Aggressively Address’ Antisemitism in NYC if Elected Mayor
Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY). Photo: Wikimedia Commons.
US House Democratic leader Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (NY) urged Democratic nominee for mayor of New York Zohran Mamdani to “aggressively address the rise in antisemitism” if he wins the general election in November.
“‘Globalizing the intifada’ by way of example is not an acceptable phrasing,” Jeffries said Sunday on ABC’s This Week. “He’s going to have to clarify his position on that as he moves forward.”
“With respect to the Jewish communities that I represent, I think our nominee is going to have to convince folks that he is prepared to aggressively address the rise in antisemitism in the city of New York, which has been an unacceptable development,” he added.
Jeffries’s comments come as Mamdani has been receiving an onslaught of criticism for defending the controversial phrase “globalize the intifada.”
Mamdani first defended the phrase during an appearance on the popular Bulwark Podcast. The progressive firebrand stated that he feels “less comfortable with the banning of certain words.” He invoked the US Holocaust Museum in his defense, saying that the museum used the word intifada “when translating the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising into Arabic, because it’s a word that means ‘struggle.’”
The Holocaust Museum repudiated Mamdani in a statement, calling his comments “offensive.”
Mamdani has continued to defend the slogan despite ongoing criticism, arguing that pro-Palestine advocates perceive it as a call for “universal human rights.”
Mamdani, the 33‑year‑old state assembly member and proud democratic socialist, defeated former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo and other candidates in a lopsided first‑round win in the city’s Democratic primary for mayor, notching approximately 43.5 percent of first‑choice votes compared to Cuomo’s 36.4 percent.
The election results have alarmed members of the local Jewish community, who expressed deep concern over his past criticism of Israel and defense of antisemitic rhetoric.
“Mamdani’s election is the greatest existential threat to a metropolitan Jewish population since the election of the notorious antisemite Karl Lueger in Vienna,” Rabbi Marc Schneier, one of the most prominent Jewish leaders in New York City, said in a statement. “Jewish leaders must come together as a united force to prevent a mass Jewish Exodus from New York City.”
Some key Democratic leaders in New York, such as US Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and Gov. Kathy Hochul, have congratulated and complimented Mamdani, but have not yet issued an explicit endorsement. Each official has signaled interest in meeting with Mamdani prior to making a decision on a formal endorsement.
The post Dem House Leader Hakeem Jeffries Urges Mamdani to ‘Aggressively Address’ Antisemitism in NYC if Elected Mayor first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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Israel Eyes Ties With Syria and Lebanon After Iran War
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar attends a press conference with German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul (not pictured) in Berlin, Germany, June 5, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Christian Mang
Israel is interested in establishing formal diplomatic relations with long-standing adversaries Syria and Lebanon, but the status of the Golan Heights is non-negotiable, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said on Monday.
Israeli leaders argue that with its rival Iran weakened by this month’s 12-day war, other countries in the region have an opportunity to forge ties with Israel.
The Middle East has been upended by nearly two years of war in Gaza, during which Israel also carried out airstrikes and ground operations in Lebanon targeting Iran-backed Hezbollah, and by the overthrow of former Syrian leader and Iran ally Bashar al-Assad.
In 2020, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, and Morocco became the first Arab states to establish ties with Israel since Jordan in 1994 and Egypt in 1979. The normalization agreements with Israel were deeply unpopular in the Arab world.
“We have an interest in adding countries such as Syria and Lebanon, our neighbors, to the circle of peace and normalization, while safeguarding Israel‘s essential and security interests,” Saar said at a press conference in Jerusalem.
“The Golan will remain part of the State of Israel,” he said.
Israel annexed the Golan Heights in 1981 after capturing the territory from Syria during the 1967 Six-Day War. While much of the international community regards the Golan as occupied Syrian land, US President Donald Trump recognized Israeli sovereignty over it during his first term in office.
Following Assad’s ousting, Israeli forces moved further into Syrian territory.
A senior Syrian official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Syria would never give up the Golan Heights, describing it as an integral part of Syrian territory.
The official also said that normalization efforts with Israel must be part of the 2002 Arab Peace Initiative and not carried out through a separate track.
A spokesperson for Syria‘s foreign ministry did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.
The 2002 initiative proposed Arab normalization with Israel in exchange for its withdrawal from territories including the Golan Heights, the West Bank, and Gaza. It also called for the establishment of an independent Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital.
Throughout the war in Gaza, regional power Saudi Arabia has repeatedly said that establishing ties with Israel was conditional on the creation of an independent Palestinian state.
Israel‘s Saar said it was “not constructive” for other states to condition normalization on Palestinian statehood.
“Our view is that a Palestinian state will threaten the security of the State of Israel,” he said.
In May, Reuters reported that Israel and Syria‘s new Islamist rulers had established direct contact and held face-to-face meetings aimed at de-escalating tensions and preventing renewed conflict along their shared border.
The same month, US President Donald Trump announced the US would lift sanctions on Syria and met Syria‘s new president, urging him to normalize ties with Israel.
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