The U.S. Department of Justice has filed a lawsuit against the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), alleging that the administration turned a blind eye to, and at times encouraged, serious anti-Semitic acts.
Tuesday’s lawsuit is the latest example of a campaign under President Donald Trump to crack down on campuses where large pro-Palestinian protests have taken place.
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But critics have accused the Trump administration of trying to undermine free speech rights for activists who disagree with them.
The Justice Department said in a statement that the university created a “hostile work environment” for Jewish and Israeli workers amid protests against Israel’s genocidal war in the Gaza Strip.
“According to today’s complaint, anti-Semitic acts pervaded UCLA following the Hamas-led massacre in Israel on October 7, 2023,” the department wrote.
The lawsuit accuses UCLA of violating Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits employment discrimination based on a number of factors, including religion.
The Justice Department’s complaint says the “overall atmosphere of anti-Semitism” at UCLA was “so severe and pervasive” that it constituted a “hostile work environment” under the law.
The complaint cites Palestinian solidarity protests that took place on UCLA’s campus after Israel began its war in Gaza.
“Our investigation shows that UCLA administrators allowed vicious anti-Semitism to flourish on campus, harming students and employees alike,” said Attorney General Pamela Bondi.
But critics see the lawsuit as the latest chapter in an ongoing pressure campaign to force top universities to align with the Trump administration’s priorities.
Inside the student movement
According to the Gaza Ministry of Health and other sources, more than 75,000 people have died in Israel’s war in Gaza. Israel launched a genocidal military operation against Gaza in 2023 after Hamas-led attacks killed nearly 1,200 people in southern Israel.
Student protesters demonstrated on college campuses across the country in 2023 and 2024 amid reports of widespread human rights violations, including torture and starvation.
Trump was campaigning for re-election in 2024, at the height of his campaign to set up solidarity camps on school grounds. His campaign platform called for quelling protests as one of 20 national goals.
A bullet point on the platform reads: “Expel pro-Hamas extremists and make college campuses safe and patriotic again.”
President Trump has long accused the pro-Palestinian movement of creating an unsafe learning environment.
However, many protest organizers, some of whom were Jewish, refute claims of anti-Semitism. Instead, they said their mission was to highlight the grave human rights violations that the Israeli government continues to violate in the Gaza Strip.
Still, student camps faced repression from university authorities and law enforcement agencies. Thousands of students were detained in 2024, but many were ultimately released without charge.
That same year, one of UCLA’s camps was attacked by a group of right-wing Israeli supporters who brandished pipes and sprayed pro-Palestinian protesters with mace. Activists claimed that police allowed violence to occur before forcibly clearing the encampment the next day.
Last year, UCLA agreed to pay a $6 million settlement to three Jewish students and a professor who were accused of harm during protests.
The school claims it has taken multiple steps to address anti-Semitism on campus.
tension with university
Since taking office for a second term in January 2025, President Trump has sought to punish specific schools with high-profile protests, including Columbia University in New York City.
In March, the Trump administration froze federal funding to Columbia University and other schools saw contracts and grants suspended, sending a wave of uncertainty into the education sector.
President Trump also sent Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to arrest Columbia University student leader Mahmoud Khalil, a U.S. permanent resident, on the grounds that his protests threatened U.S. foreign policy.
Khalil and other foreign-born student protesters continue to fight deportation in the U.S. court system.
In July, the Trump administration reached a $220 million settlement with Columbia University, under which the prestigious university would comply with a list of demands in exchange for the restoration of federal funding. Other schools, including Brown University and Cornell University, have similar agreements.
But the schools, including Harvard, have so far refused to accept the demands or large settlements. They face ongoing investigation and punishment.
Last year, for example, the Trump administration pressured public university UCLA to pay more than $1 billion in settlements with a letter that also demanded changes to its hiring and admissions processes.
At stake is more than $500 million in frozen federal research grants to the school. The school has not so far agreed to pay that amount.
The Justice Department also issued a notice of violation against UCLA in July, saying its investigation found violations of the Constitution’s Equal Protection Clause and civil rights laws.
Supporters of the protests say the Trump administration’s efforts are a threat to the First Amendment, which guarantees free speech, the right to protest, and academic freedom.
