The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) filed a lawsuit against the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) on May 26, 2026, alleging that the university created a "hostile educational environment" for Jewish and Israeli students during and after pro-Palestinian protests that followed the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack on Israel. The 53-page lawsuit, filed in the Central District of California, claims UCLA violated Title VI of the Civil Rights Act by being "deliberately indifferent" to antisemitic harassment and assaults directed at Jewish and Israeli students.
The complaint details incidents where masked protesters blocked Jewish students from entering campus areas, assaulted students with Israeli flags, and formed barriers around an anti-Israel encampment. Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon stated that the DOJ is holding UCLA accountable for its failure to address the hostile environment for Jewish and Israeli students, following a previous lawsuit regarding antisemitism directed at Jewish employees.
The lawsuit alleges that demonstrators physically assaulted Jewish students and created checkpoints that restricted access to campus based on political agreement. It also claims that UCLA administrators did not adequately respond to over 100 complaints regarding antisemitism and anti-Israeli bias, opting for a "do-nothing de-escalation strategy" despite knowing the risks to Jewish students.
The DOJ seeks court intervention to compel UCLA to reform its anti-discrimination procedures and recover federal funds awarded to the university. The lawsuit follows earlier findings by the DOJ that UCLA had violated Title VI by not adequately responding to severe harassment against Jewish and Israeli students. This case is part of a broader scrutiny of antisemitism at universities in the wake of the Israel-Hamas conflict.
