DOJ’s Civil Rights office sues UCLA over alleged antisemitic hostile work environment

The Justice Department’s Civil Rights division sued the University of California, Los Angeles Tuesday over allegations it provided a hostile work environment for Jewish and Israeli faculty and staff.The lawsuit accuses UCLA of engaging in a “pattern or practice of discrimination in violation of Title VII against Jewish and Israeli employees at UCLA by failing to prevent and correct discriminatory and harassing conduct,” according to the Justice Department.
The department claimed that UCLA failed to act when Jewish professors were assaulted during protests in 2024 while they went to their classes in Royce Hall, and that swastikas were also allegedly graffitied onto buildings. 
“Based on our investigation, UCLA administrators allegedly allowed virulent antisemitism to flourish on campus, harming students and staff alike,” Attorney General Pam Bondi said in a statement. “Today’s lawsuit underscores that this Department of Justice stands strong against hate and antisemitism in all its vile forms.”
The university told the New York Times in a statement Tuesday that the school has “taken concrete and significant steps to strengthen campus safety, enforce policies and combat antisemitism in a systemic and sustained manner.”
“We stand firmly by the decisive actions we have taken to combat antisemitism in all its forms, and we will vigorously defend our efforts and our unwavering commitment to providing a safe, inclusive environment for all members of our community,” UCLA Vice Chancellor Mary Osako added.
The lawsuit comes after the Trump administration sought a $1 billion settlement with the school last year to conclude its case against the school regarding its handling of antisemitic protests and incidents on its campus.

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