DOJ accuses UCLA of allowing activists to assault Jewish students, block them from campus during pro-Palestinian protests

The lawsuit, filed by the DOJ’s Civil Rights Division in the Central District of California, alleges UCLA violated Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 by failing to protect Jewish and Israeli students from antisemitic harassment and violence on campus.

According to the complaint, antisemitic incidents at UCLA escalated dramatically after Hamas terrorists attacked Israel on October 7, 2023. Federal officials allege Jewish and Israeli students were assaulted, excluded from campus spaces, and denied equal access to educational opportunities because of their heritage or national origin.

“Earlier this year, we sued UCLA for subjecting its Jewish and Israeli employees to an antisemitic hostile work environment,” said Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “Now, the Department of Justice calls UCLA to account for its toleration of the equally appalling hostile educational environment against its Jewish and Israeli students.”

The DOJ claims UCLA administrators showed “deliberate indifference” to the growing hostility on campus, despite receiving reports of harassment and intimidation targeting Jewish students. The complaint points specifically to the anti-Israel encampment that took over portions of UCLA’s campus in April 2024. Federal officials allege masked demonstrators physically attacked Jewish and Israeli students outside Royce Hall, accusing protesters of using sticks, pepper spray, and physical force against students attempting to access campus facilities.

According to the DOJ, demonstrators also formed so-called “human phalanxes” to prevent Jewish and Israeli students from entering academic buildings. “Universities have an obligation to maintain safe and inclusive campuses for all students,” said First Assistant US Attorney Bill Essayli for the Central District of California. “Universities that violate our nation’s civil rights laws by repeatedly failing to shield Jewish students from antisemitism will be held accountable.” UCLA was just one of several American campuses to witness this kind of mayhem.

The latest lawsuit follows a separate federal civil rights case filed by the DOJ in February alleging that UCLA also permitted a hostile work environment for Jewish and Israeli faculty and staff in violation of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. That complaint alleged the university engaged in a “pattern or practice” of discrimination by allowing antisemitic harassment to persist while failing to enforce viewpoint-neutral policies governing demonstrations, including time, place, and manner restrictions on campus protests.

According to the earlier lawsuit, tensions escalated near Royce Hall during anti-Israel encampments in 2024, where federal officials alleged Jewish individuals were barred from portions of UCLA’s main quad, Jewish professors were assaulted, and swastikas were graffitied on university property. The complaint also alleged Jewish and Israeli faculty members were physically threatened, classrooms were disrupted, and workspaces were covered with what the DOJ described as “disturbing images.”

Federal officials further alleged that some Jewish professors faced harassment and ostracism from both students and colleagues. At the same time, university employees and supervisors allegedly failed to report incidents as required, and in some cases participated in the conduct themselves. The DOJ said the alleged environment became so severe that multiple Jewish and Israeli employees either took leave, worked remotely, or resigned to avoid continued harassment.

Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon previously said the allegations would represent “a mark of shame” for UCLA if proven true and vowed the department would work to ensure the university maintains a workplace free from antisemitic harassment.

UCLA Chancellor Julio Frenk also informed the campus community over the summer that the federal government had suspended research funding tied to the university’s handling of violent Gaza encampments and demonstrations following the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack on Israel, in which roughly 1,200 people were killed, and over 240 were kidnapped and held hostage.

The current lawsuit follows a broader federal investigation into antisemitic incidents at UCLA. The DOJ said investigators previously concluded the university failed to meet its obligations under federal civil rights law in responding to complaints from Jewish students. Federal officials also allege UCLA falsely certified compliance with Title VI requirements while continuing to receive federal funding and grants despite allowing discriminatory conduct on campus.