WASHINGTON, D.C. — The U.S. Department of Justice announced Wednesday it has launched a civil rights probe into allegations of antisemitism at University of California campuses and will work with a new federal task force to assess whether UC has “engaged in a pattern or practice of discrimination” against Jewish professors, staff and other employees.
UC San Diego experienced extensive pro-Palestinian protests last year in conjunction with the Israel-Hamas war sparked by the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attack on Israel. A pro-Palestinian encampment at UCSD last May was cleared after five days, resulting in 64 arrests.
The DOJ’s employment discrimination investigation will be conducted pursuant to Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits employment discrimination on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, and religion. Under federal law, the department has the authority to initiate investigations against state and local government employers when it has reason to believe that a “pattern or practice” of employment discrimination exists.
The UC Office of the President said in a statement to City News Service that the university system is aware of the civil rights investigation.
“We want to be clear: the University of California is unwavering in its commitment to combating antisemitism and protecting everyone’s civil rights,” according to UC. “We continue to take specific steps to foster an environment free of harassment and discrimination for everyone in the university community.”
Attorney General Pamela Bondi said in a statement that the DOJ “will always defend Jewish Americans, protect civil rights and leverage our resources to eradicate institutional antisemitism in our nation’s universities.”
Leo Terrell, senior counsel to the assistant attorney general for civil rights, said that following the 2023 Hamas attacks in Israel, there has been an “outbreak of antisemitic incidents” at institutions of higher education throughout the U.S.
“The impact upon UC’s students has been the subject of considerable media attention and multiple federal investigations,” he said. “But these campuses are also workplaces, and the Jewish faculty and staff employed there deserve a working environment free of antisemitic hostility and hate.”
Last week, it was announced that a federal antisemitism task force planned to visit UCLA and USC in Southern California as part of a tour of 10 university campuses nationwide “that have experienced antisemitic incidents since October 2023.”
According to a DOJ statement, the Federal Task Force to Combat Anti-Semitism notified all 10 universities of the upcoming visits, saying the group “was aware of allegations that the schools may have failed to protect Jewish students and faculty members from unlawful discrimination, in potential violation of federal law.”
No timeframe was given for the visits. Nor were any specifics provided about the purported antisemitic incidents.
City News Service contributed to this article.
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Preceding provided by Times of San Diego, with which San Diego Jewish World trades stories under auspices of the San Diego Online News Association.