By Ricardo Roura
The Department of Justice (DOJ) announced this Tuesday, May 26, that filed a second lawsuit against the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) accusing her of deliberate indifference to a “hostile educational environment” toward Jewish and Israeli students.
The DOJ lawsuit alleges that UCLA violated Title VI of the Civil Rights Act for failing to protect its Jewish and Israeli students from harassment by protesters.
The DOJ referred to the protests and the encampment that was set up on the UCLA campus in April 2024 for the conflict between Israel and Palestine.
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The DOJ lawsuit requires reimbursement of all federal grant payments that were made to UCLA during the period in which it allegedly failed to comply with Title VI.
Additionally, the DOJ requested a court order that Prohibit UCLA from Illegal Discrimination and Harassment against Jewish and Israeli students.
“Earlier this year, we sued UCLA for subjecting its Jewish and Israeli employees to a hostile and anti-Semitic work environment“Deputy Prosecutor Harmeet Okay Dhillon said in a statement.
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“Now, the Department of Justice is holding UCLA accountable for its tolerance of the same.” infamous hostile educational environment against its Jewish and Israeli students“added the deputy prosecutor.
The ABC network reported that, in a statement, the rector of UCLA, Dr. Julio Frenk, rejected the arguments presented by the Department of Justice.
“Let me be direct: The suggestion that UCLA remained passive in the face of anti-Semitism is simply wrong.. Combating anti-Semitism is an upright imperative, rooted, for me, in my personal history that makes indifference unthinkable,” said the UCLA rector.
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The rector assured that, in the last year alone, the university took numerous concrete measures to combat anti-Semitismsuch as hiring an associate vice chancellor for campus and community safety.
“We reorganized our Office of Civil Rights, we appoint a person responsible for Title V“I and strengthened our policies to protect both freedom of expression and the safety of all members of the community,” added Dr. Frenk.
A university spokesperson mentioned that on May 14, the UCLA Initiative to Combat Antisemitism released a report supported by Frenk, which presents roadmap to address anti-Semitism and intolerance on campus.
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The lawsuit that the DOJ filed in February focused on the protest camp that was set up at the university in April 2024.
According to federal officials, the camp prevented the access of Jewish employees and students to certain areas of the campus and included anti-Semitic signs and chants.
One night, counterprotesters attacked the camp, throwing traffic cones and spraying pepper gas at protesting groups.
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The clashes lasted for several hours, which left more than a dozen people injuredbefore Los Angeles Police Department officers intervened.
The next day, about 200 people were arrested for refusing to vacate the camp.
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