Justice Department Sues UCLA Over Antisemitism Allegations
The 81-page complaint says a 2024 encampment and protests after the 7 October 2023 Hamas attack created a hostile work environment for Jewish and Israeli employees and seeks enforcement of anti-discrimination policies and damages.
Overview
The Justice Department filed an 81-page lawsuit against the University of California alleging UCLA failed to protect Jewish and Israeli employees from antisemitic harassment and a hostile work environment, the complaint says.
The complaint focuses on pro-Palestinian protests in 2023 and 2024 and on a 2024 campus encampment that federal officials say included antisemitic signs and chants and followed the 7 October 2023 Hamas attack on Israel.
The Justice Department alleges UCLA tolerated the encampment and failed to discipline participants, while university officials said they have created an Office of Campus and Community Safety and launched initiatives to combat antisemitism, a university statement said.
Federal filings and reporting describe arrests ranging from dozens to more than 200 related to the encampment, injuries to more than a dozen people during clashes, and a prior settlement of roughly $6 to $6.5 million with Jewish students and a professor.
The lawsuit asks a judge to force UCLA to enforce its anti-discrimination policies and to award damages to affected employees, and it adds to ongoing federal scrutiny and other lawsuits involving the university.
Analysis
Center-leaning sources frame this as a legal and political escalation, foregrounding DOJ allegations and the Trump administration’s broader campaign against campuses. They prioritize enforcement details, prior settlements and judge rulings, use loaded verbs like "escalation" and "failed to protect," and omit direct voices from protesters, stressing institutional conflict over grassroots motives.
Sources (11)
FAQ
The Justice Department's 81-page complaint alleges that UCLA administrators allowed "virulent anti-Semitism to flourish on campus" by routinely ignoring antisemitism complaints from employees[2]. The lawsuit specifically cites pro-Palestinian protests and a 2024 campus encampment following the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack, claiming these included antisemitic signs and chants that created a hostile work environment for Jewish and Israeli employees[2]. Federal officials further allege that UCLA tolerated the encampment and failed to discipline participants[2].
The lawsuit asks a judge to force UCLA to enforce its anti-discrimination policies and to award damages to affected employees[2]. The federal complaint also seeks enforcement of anti-discrimination policies more broadly and damages related to the hostile work environment allegations[2].
No. This lawsuit escalates previous legal pressure on the University of California system[2]. In August 2025, the Trump administration had already demanded that UC pay nearly $1.2 billion to settle civil rights investigations into UCLA related to complaints of antisemitism against students and employees, along with allegations of race-based affirmative action and recognition of transgender people's gender identities[2]. Multiple civil rights investigations have been launched since 2025 into the UC system or individual campuses[2].
Federal filings and reporting describe a prior settlement of roughly $6 to $6.5 million with Jewish students and a professor related to campus incidents[2]. Additionally, federal filings report that arrests ranged from dozens to more than 200 related to the campus encampment, and injuries occurred to more than a dozen people during clashes[2].
History
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