US Justice Department sues University of California, alleging antisemitism

WASHINGTON

The US Justice Department sued the University of California on Tuesday, alleging that Jewish and Israeli faculty and staff at its Los Angeles (UCLA) campus were subjected to a "hostile" work environment.

The complaint, lodged in federal court, alleges that following the Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas-led attack on Israel and subsequent war in Gaza, antisemitic incidents became pervasive on the campus.

According to the department, the university engaged in a “pattern or practice” of discrimination by failing to prevent and correct discriminatory and harassing conduct directed at Jewish and Israeli employees.

“Based on our investigation, UCLA administrators allegedly allowed virulent anti-Semitism to flourish on campus, harming students and staff alike,” Attorney General Pam Bondi said in the statement.

"Today’s lawsuit underscores that this Department of Justice stands strong against hate and anti-Semitism in all its vile forms."

Filed nearly seven months after the Justice Department demanded sweeping policy changes and more than $1 billion from the university, the lawsuit marked a sharp escalation in the protracted clash between the Trump administration and one of the country’s largest and most prominent public university systems.