Civil Rights
DOJ sues UCLA over alleged ‘deliberate indifference’ to antisemitism
The University of California at Los Angeles is being sued by the U.S. Department of Justice for allegedly failing to protect Jewish and Israeli students from a discriminatory campus environment. (Photo from Shutterstock)
The University of California at Los Angeles is being sued by the U.S. Department of Justice for allegedly failing to protect Jewish and Israeli students from a discriminatory campus environment.
In a federal complaint filed Tuesday, the DOJ accused UCLA of violating Title VI of the Civil Rights Act by demonstrating a “deliberate indifference” to antisemitic incidents that happened on campus after Hamas attacked Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, Bloomberg Law reports.
In one incident in April 2024, the DOJ alleges that anti-Israel protesters built an encampment and assaulted Jewish and Israeli students, but the school “took no serious action” for more than a week.
First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli for the Central District of California said in a statement published by Bloomberg Law “universities that violate our nation’s civil rights laws by repeatedly failing to shield Jewish students from antisemitism will be held accountable.”
Julio Frenk, the chancellor for UCLA, also provided a statement to Bloomberg Law. Frenk described the allegations as “simply wrong.” As part of its response to the incidents, UCLA recruited an associate vice chancellor for campus and community safety, reorganized its civil rights office and appointed a Title VI officer, he said.
The DOJ has targeted UCLA in other actions, including a lawsuit alleging that the university failed to protect Jewish and Israeli employees from a hostile work environment, Bloomberg Law reports.
Write a letter to the editor, share a story tip or update, or report an error.
