Since JUnit version 4 the Assume class allows for skipping tests that do not fulfill certain requirements. This basically works in gradle - more precisely in methods that are annotated with @Test and @Before.
However, it does not work in a static setup method that is annotated with @BeforeClass. There are a few real-world examples on the internet. Also, eclipse’s JUnit runner is able to deal with it correctly.
gradle reports the test as failed, because it throws an org.junit.AssumptionViolatedException.
I believe that it should skip all tests of that class instead.