Justice Department lawsuit says UCLA failed to protect Jewish employees from hostility

"The lawsuit, filed Tuesday in California, is the latest escalation in the Trump administration's campaign to punish top universities that it says have been soft on antisemitism. The suit accuses the University of California, Los Angeles of failing to discipline those who were involved in protests, including dozens who were arrested in 2024 for failing to leave a campus encampment."

"The new lawsuit alleges the harm to Jewish and Israeli employees "goes much deeper" than the situations that settlement addressed. "The United States will now do what UC has thus far failed to do: protect Jewish and Israeli employees" from antisemitic harassment, said the lawsuit, which was filed against the University of California, which consists of 10 campuses, but focuses on allegations against UCLA."

"Much of the federal complaint focuses on the 2024 protest encampment that federal officials say blocked Jewish employees and students from parts of campus and included antisemitic signs and chants. One night, counterprotesters attacked the encampment, throwing traffic cones and firing pepper spray."

The Trump administration's Justice Department filed a lawsuit against UCLA, alleging the university failed to protect Jewish and Israeli employees from antisemitic harassment during pro-Palestinian protests. The suit claims UCLA did not adequately discipline protesters, including those arrested for refusing to leave a campus encampment in 2024. This action follows a previous $6 million settlement UCLA reached with Jewish students and a professor. Federal officials argue the harm to Jewish employees extends beyond what the earlier settlement addressed. UCLA responded by stating it has implemented concrete security measures and policies to combat antisemitism on campus.

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