UCLA has reversed its decision to block a pro-Israel event featuring Jihad Watch founder Robert Spencer, following legal pressure from conservative student groups and a threat of a lawsuit. The event, which was originally scheduled to take place on Wednesday, was moved to a remote location at the last minute, prompting the organizers to cancel. However, after the Young American's Foundation and Mountain States Legal Foundation threatened legal action, the university reconsidered its decision and allowed the event to proceed. The event took place in a closed, recorded format, as proposed by the organizer and agreed to by UCLA.
UCLA has reversed its decision to block a pro-Israel event featuring Jihad Watch founder Robert Spencer, following legal pressure from conservative student groups and a threat of a lawsuit.
The event, which was originally scheduled to take place on Wednesday, was moved to a remote location at the last minute, prompting the organizers to cancel.
However, after the Young American's Foundation and Mountain States Legal Foundation threatened legal action, the university reconsidered its decision and allowed the event to proceed.
The event took place in a closed, recorded format, as proposed by the organizer and agreed to by UCLA.
Matthew Weinberg, chairman of the UCLA Young Americans for Freedom chapter, said he was "deeply disappointed" in UCLA's initial decision to block the event.
"All we wanted was a successful Pro-Israel event where people of all backgrounds and viewpoints can engage in the free exchange of ideas and hear a different perspective not heard across university campuses, and the school made that impossible," Weinberg said. "This is nothing but an act of pure cowardice."
UCLA officials initially told the group that "it would be too dangerous to host an event" that holds contrary views to agitators on campus who had established an anti-Israel encampment on campus.
YAF and Mountain States Legal Foundation pushed back on the school that not granting permission to host Spencer was an "unconstitutional use of the heckler's veto."
The conservative student group argued that legal pressure appeared to "prompt the university to reconsider" their plan to stall the event, but "unfortunately, this did not turn out to be the case."
"While the chapter boldly withstood these attacks, and things appeared to be moving forward, there was simply nothing they could do about the locked door, which administrators refused to open."
Fox News Digital reached out to UCLA for comment on Sunday, but did not immediately receive a reply.
A school official did tell the College Fix that "there is misinformation circulating that the Young America’s Foundation event at UCLA on Wednesday evening was canceled by the university."
"This is incorrect," the spokeswoman said. "The event took place in the designated location after it shifted to a closed, recorded event as proposed by the organizer and agreed to by UCLA."
Weinberg pushed back on the school's response, saying the event never took place, while lamenting to the outlet that UCLA's campus has become hostile to Jewish students.
"The beauty of this event is that all are welcome, and we highly encourage students with opposing viewpoints to come and ask Robert any questions they would like," he told the College Fix.
"After all, the only way to move forward and create peace is to have an open dialogue," he said.
"Bringing Robert Spencer allows us to present an alternative perspective on the Israel-Palestine conflict as well as the Israel-Hamas war that is not typically heard on college campuses," Weinberg said.
Spencer said in YAF's press release that schools such as UCLA are "radioactive wastelands" of left-wing politics.
"UCLA and other universities today are not institutions of higher learning; they are radioactive wastelands of hard-left indoctrination," Spencer said.
Anti-Israel protests have broken out on college campuses nationwide, notably in New York City and at UCLA and USC in Los Angeles.
Anti-Israel protests on Columbia University’s campus spiraled last month, when agitators were seen on camera with a poster outlining that Jewish students on campus would become Al-Qasam’s "next targets," referring to terrorist organization Hamas’ military wing.
That same weekend, a rabbi at Columbia warned Jewish students to leave campus immediately until the situation was quelled.
Protests also broke out on UCLA's campus last month, including agitators establishing an encampment demanding the elite public school cut financial ties with Israel.
Following a nine-hour standoff between radicals on campus, police were able to clear the encampment earlier this month and made hundreds of arrests.
Weinberg joined "Fox & Friends" following police dismantling the encampment, saying the school was "encouraging students to engage in violence."
"This is a disgrace," Weinberg said. "To me, this looks like a war zone," he said. "It demonstrates to me that the school is run by a bunch of cowards… It demonstrates to me the lack of moral clarity, and it also demonstrates to me the degradation of our society."
"They are encouraging students to engage in violence," he said. "I know some students on the undergraduate level whose professors said, 'Don't worry about class. Just go to the protests and stand against Israel.'"
Fox News Digital's Lindsay Kornick contributed to this report.
