University of California sued by Justice Department for "antisemitic" environment on UCLA campus in aftermath of Oct. 7, 2023 attack, prosecutors say
The Department of Justice is suing the University of California on allegations that UCLA fostered an "antisemitic hostile educational environment" in the aftermath of the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas terrorist attacks on Israel.
According to prosecutors, UCLA and the UC system displayed "deliberate indifference to race and national origin discrimination against Jewish and Israeli students" as pro-Palestinian protests, including an encampment, started on campus in the spring of 2024. The DOJ says the actions were in violation of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
"Universities have an obligation to maintain safe and inclusive campuses for all students," said First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli. "Universities that violate our nation's civil rights laws by repeatedly failing to shield Jewish students from antisemitism will be held accountable."
Pro-Palestinian protesters occupied the center of UCLA's campus for an encampment starting on April 24, 2024, blocking access to a library. A week later, on May 1, campus police intervened as things turned violent after university officials declared the encampment unlawful.
"Antisemitic hatred against UCLA's Jewish and Israeli students reached a point where students were physically assaulted, injured, excluded from campus, and deprived of educational opportunities because of their perceived Jewish or Israeli heritage," a DOJ news release reads.
The DOJ complaint mentions several instances of pro-Israeli counterprotesters being injured as violence broke out at the encampment, but did not state whether any pro-Palestinian protesters experienced similar injuries. It also cited antisemitic and anti-Zionist graffiti that marked the campus.
It's the second such lawsuit filed by the DOJ against the UC System, with the first being against UCLA itself. It alleged that Jewish and Israeli faculty were "physically threatened, forced to leave work, had their classrooms disrupted and even had to leave their jobs."
The DOJ has previously filed similar suits against other prominent institutions, including Harvard University and Columbia University.
UCLA Chancellor Julio Frenk responded with the following statement:
"Let me be direct: the suggestion that UCLA has been passive in the face of antisemitism is simply wrong. Combating antisemitism is a moral imperative — one rooted, for me, in personal history that makes indifference unthinkable. In the past year alone, we've taken numerous concrete actions to combat antisemitism. We recruited an associate vice chancellor for campus and community safety. We reorganized our Civil Rights Office. We appointed a Title VI officer. And we strengthened our policies to protect both free expression and the safety of every member of our community."