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UC Santa Barbara’s former student government president recently filed a lawsuit against the university, alleging she was the victim of antisemitic abuse and harassment while campus leaders did nothing to protect her.
The lawsuit alleges Tessa Veksler, who is Jewish, was the “victim of repeated and systematic assaults and other abuse by a horde of antisemitic instigators on campus.”
“Tessa suffered this nightmare despite having repeatedly pleaded for help from UCSB administrators and representatives,” the complaint alleges. “But her pleas fell on deaf ears. And the assaults and abuse intensified, all with the full knowledge, consent, and even the active participation of one of the University’s representatives.”
The university’s media relations division did not respond to a request from The College Fix seeking comment. Most recently, attorneys for the university were granted extended time to respond to the lawsuit by Judge Christina Snyder. Their response is now due in April.
Veksler told The Fix she is not commenting on the case at this time.
Additionally, representatives from the World Jewish Congress, Jewish United Fund, and the National Council of Jewish Women did not provide commentary to The Fix upon request.
The controversy began after the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attack that killed 1,200 Israeli civilians.
Veksler, the student government president at the time, posted in her personal capacity that she stood in solidarity with the people of Israel and that being “a Jewish student on a college campus should not be a safety hazard.”
This prompted a group of anti-Israel UCSB students to begin “a relentless campaign of harassment against her, and transparently targeted her on the basis of her Jewish shared ancestral identity,” the lawsuit alleges.
It adds that in addition to online personal attacks, she faced a campaign to resign. The situation escalated when posters were hung on the multicultural center denouncing Israel and threatening her. Her office was immediately adjacent to the center.
As The College Fix reported at the time, one sign said: “You can run but you can’t hide, Tessa Veksler supports genocide.”
Other signs included: “Get these Zionists out of office,” “Zionists not welcome,” “When people are occupied, resistance is justified,” and “It was never about Hamas, never will be.”
Administrators condemned and removed the posters. Chancellor Henry Yang stated at the time the “signage has been removed and campus is conducting a bias incident review based on potential discrimination related to protected categories that include religion, citizenship, and national or ethnic origin. The posting of such messages is a violation of our principles of community and inclusion.”
Veksler, the daughter of refugees from the Soviet Union, posted in response to the poster campaign: “I am not afraid and I’m not going anywhere.”
Campus leaders temporarily closed the Multicultural Center due to the signs, prompting outrage from Black Studies faculty, who released a statement a few days later calling for a “day of interruption.”
Veksler was subsequently doxxed, called a “Zionist dog,” was threatened with “action,” a poster with her face was slashed with a knife, and she faced a hostile mob that included employees during her recall hearing, the lawsuit alleges.
Despite her formal complaint, campus administrators did little to address the attacks, even though the university has a written policy intended to prevent harassment, the lawsuit alleges.
“All of these threats and this harassment took place under the watchful eye of the University and its administrators. But the UCSB did nothing, despite its elaborate anti-discrimination Policy and Tessa’s repeated pleas for help,” the suit alleges.
But Yang at the time made a public statement that “there have been recent campus antisemitic incidents targeting Jewish students with hateful signs and messages. These reprehensible incidents are currently under investigation, but as a campus, we must be clear that antisemitism and discrimination of any kind, including any efforts to intimidate, harass, or discriminate against members of our community, will not be tolerated.”
Yang continued that “all such offenses will be reported, reviewed, and investigated, consistent with campus and UC policies, and federal law, and appropriate action will be taken through our established conduct codes and policies to hold responsible individuals accountable.”
The lawsuit alleges nothing was really ever done to that end.
In a statement to the Santa Barbara Independent, UCSB spokesperson Kiki Reyes said the university cannot discuss specifics of individual cases, but that “the campus engages in outreach and offers resources and support services to students in addition to conducting investigations.”
She said university police also meet with students who report issues to develop individualized safety plans.
“The campus thoroughly investigates all reports of discrimination and harassment and takes appropriate actions to hold perpetrators accountable. We will continue to do all we can to prevent and address antisemitism and support students affected,” Reyes said.
MORE: UCSB Black Studies faculty plan ‘day of interruption’ to protest protections for Jews
