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Jonathan Groveman, a disabled Jewish veteran and resident of Davis, California, filed a lawsuit May 17 against the University of California, Davis for its allegedly ineffective response to a disruptive anti-Israel encampment that had been set up on the campus of UC Davis. on May 6.

Protesters demanded divestment from Israel, a “cultural boycott” of the Jewish state, and “the creation of a department of Palestinian studies and a major and minor program in Palestinian studies,” among other things. claims.

Groveman filed a lawsuit against UC Davis for the school's lack of effective response to the encampment, which cut off Groveman's access to campus. Groveman also visits campus for various events.

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In a statement to ABC10, Groveman said: “It is my right to counter-protest against the UCD encampment. And it is my right to do so on trails and ADA protected areas as a disabled U.S. military veteran. But the university allowing the university encampment to block ADA trails and erect barriers against me is violating my rights both as a disabled veteran and as a Jewish person.

“Additionally, this is not just about closing the ADA trail, it is a university-sanctioned assault near and around the camp that makes it unsafe for disabled veterans like me,” he said. he continued.

The university admitted on May 15, two days before Groveman's trial, that there had been no arrests of camp protesters on that date.

“There have been no arrests regarding the encampment or counter-protesters,” the UC Davis news team said. “There were a few heated moments and occasions when security personnel were called, including a brief encounter on the afternoon of May 14. Students, security personnel and others worked quickly to defuse these situations when they arose.

Groveman claimed he was attacked near the encampment, but that Davis police have so far refused to do “anything” to resolve the problem.

“I was hit with an umbrella multiple times, I showed up to the Davis Police Department, they said they never had it, but they did. They’re not doing anything to protect anyone who isn’t involved in the camp right now,” Groveman said. “I believe that almost everyone at this university who is not a member of this encampment has been discriminated against in one way or another.”

Groveman's specific complaint is that the disruptive behavior of anti-Israel protesters violated the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).

“If you're a disabled veteran like me and you want to ride the ADA trail, you can't. If you’re Jewish and you want to counter-protest, you can’t do it safely,” Groveman said.

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“Allowing extremists to take over the UC Davis campus center has transformed a premier university into a place that excludes Jews and people with disabilities from a place they call home,” he said. said David Rosenberg-Wohl, Groveman's lawyer.

“Rather than showing leadership to preserve a place for debate and learning, UC Davis administrators have shown appalling disregard for everyone except a few loud and angry people , and have abandoned their responsibility to the community at large,” Rosenberg-Wohl continued.

Campus reform has contacted the University of California, Davis for comment. This article will be updated accordingly.