Nine people suing UCLA over its handling of pro-Palestinian protests are asking a judge to let them keep their identities secret, saying they fear harassment, doxxing, violence and even deportation if their names become public.
The request, filed Friday in Los Angeles Superior Court ahead of a Sept. 11 hearing, comes in a lawsuit brought by 33 plaintiffs against the University of California Board of Regents.
The suit alleges UCLA violated the civil rights of students, faculty, journalists and community members during the 2024 campus demonstrations over what the plaintiffs describe as an ongoing genocide in Gaza.
The lawsuit also challenges UCLA’s investments in companies the plaintiffs allege profited from the conflict. It accuses the university of constitutional violations and assault and battery.
Among the named plaintiffs are Thistle Boosinger, Faraaz Qureshi and Jakob Johnson.
They allege UCLA police and private security contractors failed to protect demonstrators when people they identify as members of far-right extremist groups attacked the pro-Palestinian encampment. Boosinger says she suffered a hand injury after being struck with a metal rod.
The nine plaintiffs seeking anonymity want to proceed under pseudonyms, arguing that revealing their identities in publicly accessible court records would expose them and their families to retaliation.
“Plaintiffs seek leave of court to proceed under pseudonyms because public disclosure of their identities … would expose them and their families to a substantial risk of harassment, doxxing, retaliatory violence and deportation,” their attorneys wrote.
The plaintiffs include current and former UCLA students and faculty, legal observers, journalists and members of the public who were on campus during demonstrations between April 30 and May 2, 2024, and on June 10, 2024.
Their attorneys also argue the Trump administration has led a “coordinated, targeted effort to suppress political activism,” citing a September 2025 executive order that they say designated antifa as a domestic terrorist organization.
Court filings describe several plaintiffs’ fears if their identities become public. One nursing student said he worries his activism could damage his career in Los Angeles’ medical community and believes he can no longer rely on First Amendment protections.
An untenured faculty member said a student called for the professor to be fired over pro-Palestinian materials in an office, while a senior colleague allegedly accused the professor of antisemitism.
Another plaintiff, an international student, said she fears losing both her student visa and scholarship if identified and alleges UCLA previously delayed her graduation by placing a hold on her academic record.
In earlier court filings, attorneys for the UC Regents said UCLA acted reasonably when violence erupted between pro-Palestinian and pro-Israel demonstrators, arguing university officials called in law enforcement to clear the encampment immediately “for the safety of the campus community.”
