This post was updated Oct. 25 at 12:17 a.m.

Conservative commentator Ben Shapiro criticized UCLA for teaching left-wing policies and allegedly condoning antisemitism in a Monday speech.

Shapiro, a conservative political commentator and UCLA alumnus, headlined a Young America’s Foundation’s lecture in Ackerman Grand Ballroom. Shapiro is attending four college campuses across the country with the YAF – a nonprofit conservative youth organization – aiming to provide intellectual diversity and “break up the left’s monopoly on ideas,” according to its press release.

In a statement posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, the UCPD said it implemented a special security plan to ensure the event could proceed. UCLA’s Time, Place and Manner policies state that decisions on whether to allow an event to happen on campus are made in a viewpoint-neutral manner.

Yitzchok Frankel, a member of YAF at UCLA and one of the plaintiffs who sued UCLA in May for allegedly allowing antisemitism on campus, introduced Shapiro. In his speech, Shapiro also criticized the encampment and its demands, calling the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement – which pro-Palestine groups on campus support – antisemitic.

[Related: Jewish students file lawsuit against UC Regents, UCLA admin for discrimination]

“You don’t seem to have a word about the atrocities committed by Hamas,” he said in the speech. “The only people you seem to care about are the Jews, and that’s for one reason and one reason only, and that’s because you don’t like Jews.”

Shapiro, a former Daily Bruin staffer, also spoke about his time as an Opinion columnist at the newspaper. He said that, despite writing several “provocative” columns that were accepted, the Bruin refused to run two columns criticizing Al Talib, UCLA’s Muslim newsmagazine, another UCLA Student Media publication.

The Bruin then fired Shapiro, he said.

A focal point of Shapiro’s speech was combating what he described as the indoctrination of students by politically left-leaning professors at UCLA.

The event also included a Q&A session, where audience members asked Shapiro about his opinion on several topics.

In response to a student – who said they identified as politically “center-left” and asked him how students could bridge the divide between polarized political groups on campus, Shapiro said to speak to students in the middle of the political spectrum whose views have not yet been set. He added that the university should establish ground rules for these conversations, including ensuring the promotion of free speech.

“On campus, I think the ground rules have fallen apart, and some of those ground rules include things like freedom of speech rather than silencing of dissent, or you don’t get to push people around on the quad,” he said.

Another student, who identified as having conservative beliefs, said he finds it difficult to support the electoral college as he believes the system invalidates those who align themselves with the minority party.

Shapiro responded that while he believes the argument against the electoral college is not unconvincing, trying to abolish it – which would require a constitutional amendment – is a futile effort.

During the Q&A session, a student questioned Shapiro on how he could morally condone the actions of the Israeli military in the Gaza Strip. The student cited the fact that over 40,000 people, including children and civilians, have died in Gaza since Israeli military began its ground operations in October 2023 in response to Hamas’ attack on Israel.

Shapiro responded by saying he celebrates the actions of the Israeli military in Gaza, adding that he believes Israel has gone to “extraordinary efforts” to prevent citizen casualties.

Israel’s siege of the Gaza Strip has also led to 41,595 Palestinian casualties as of Sept. 29, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.

A line stretching from outside Ackerman Union to Moore Hall formed before the event, filled with people hoping to pick up unclaimed tickets.

Dylan Schmidt, a first-year biology student, said he hoped to attend the event to hear Shapiro’s opinion on the Israel-Hamas war. Schmidt added that it is important to invite potentially controversial speakers like Shapiro to campus to promote an open dialogue, though he would have liked to see more students turning up to the event.

After the event, attendees said it was powerful to hear someone they had only heard from online in-person.

Jacob Lima, a first-year psychology student, also said although he had not previously heard of Shapiro, allowing a conservative to come to campus is important for promoting healthy dialogue.

“It’s very important for there to be all types of a spectrum of people, from conservative to non-conservative,” he said. “It’s very important for everyone to get a place in time, even if it’s right or wrong.”

Contributing reports by Sanjana Chadive, senior staff.