UCLA to pay ‘heavy price' for campus antisemitism, says US Attorney-General
UCLA announced on July 29 an agreement to settle discrimination complaints brought by Jewish students and faculty members.
Attorney General Pam Bondi demanded 'severe accountability' from the University of California at Los Angeles on July 29 after the Justice Department found the university violated federal civil rights laws by failing to stop antisemitic harassment on campus.
DOJ's Civil Rights Division said UCLA acted with 'deliberate indifference' to reports of abuse targeting Jewish and Israeli students
since the Oct 7, 2023, Hamas attack, according to a press release. Additionally, the department said the university failed to meet its legal obligations under the 14th Amendment's Equal Protection Clause and Title VI of the Civil Rights Act, in a notice of violation.
'This disgusting breach of civil rights against students will not stand: DOJ will force UCLA to pay a heavy price for putting Jewish Americans at risk and continue our ongoing investigations into other campuses in the UC system,' Ms Bondi said in the release.
A UCLA representative referred requests for comment to the University of California Office of the President, which didn't immediately respond to a query.
The Trump administration has pressured dozens of universities over alleged campus antisemitism since the Oct 7 Hamas attack, while also criticizing schools for biased hiring, diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs, lack of conservative voices, and transgender athletes in women's sports.
The DOJ continues to investigate other campuses in the University of California system, including Davis, San Diego, Santa Barbara and Berkeley.
Several universities are in talks with the Trump administration to reinstate funding following DOJ investigations, including Cornell University, Brown University and Northwestern University.
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UCLA also announced on July 29 an agreement to settle discrimination complaints brought by Jewish students and faculty members who assailed the school for allowing a 'Jew Exclusion Zone' on campus during pro-Palestinian protests in 2024.
University of California Board of Regents Chair Janet Reilly commented Tuesday on the US$6 million (S$7.72 million) settlement reached between students and faculty members who brought claims against the school for enabling antisemitic barriers that excluded Jewish students and faculty during the campus protests.
'Antisemitism, harassment, and other forms of intimidation are antithetical to our values and have no place at the University of California,' Ms Reilly said in a statement. 'We have been clear about where we have fallen short, and we are committed to doing better moving forward.' BLOOMBERG
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