The Justice Department accused George Washington University on Tuesday of violating civil rights law by “acting deliberately indifferent” to instances of antisemitism on campus.
In a letter to the Washington, D.C., university following an investigation, the DOJ said that Jewish and Israeli students and faculty were subjected to a hostile environment that was “offensive, severe and pervasive.” Citing clashes between pro-Palestinian protesters last spring and Jewish students, the agency said that the school failed to take appropriate action despite multiple complaints.
The Justice Department gave the school the opportunity to enter into a “voluntary resolution agreement,” threatening to “proceed with enforcement” if a resolution isn’t reached.
“The antisemitic, hate-based misconduct by GWU students directed at Jewish GWU students, faculty, and employees was, in a word, shocking,” said the letter, signed by Harmeet K. Dhillon, assistant attorney general of the agency’s civil rights division. “The behavior was demonstrably abhorrent, immoral, and, most importantly, illegal.”
George Washington University spokesperson Shannon McClendon said the school was reviewing the letter
“GW condemns antisemitism, which has absolutely no place on our campuses or in a civil and humane society,” McClendon said in a statement. “Moreover, our actions clearly demonstrate our commitment to addressing antisemitic actions and promoting an inclusive campus environment by upholding a safe, respectful, and accountable environment. “
The letter refers to incidents that took place over a year ago, when students staged pro-Palestinian protests at universities across the country, including rallies and encampments.
Since Israel launched its offensive in Gaza following the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks, more than 61,000, including thousands of children, have been killed in Gaza, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry.
In its letter, the DOJ said that from April 25, 2024, to that May, students engaged in protests including the establishment of an encampment. The department’s investigation found that there were “numerous incidents” of Jewish students being harassed, with one Jewish student saying that antisemitic protesters ordered them to leave the yard where the encampment was, the DOJ said.
The university’s assistant dean of students then told the student to leave because his presence was “antagonizing and provoking the crowd,” the DOJ’s letter said.
Another student said that they had held up an Israeli flag and was confronted by protestors who linked arms to restrict the student’s movements, the letter said. A nearby school police officer told the student to leave for their own safety. And in a separate incident, another Jewish student who was also holding an Israeli flag said that they were harassed by protesters who yelled expletives at them. Another officer similarly told the student to leave the area, the letter said.
McClendon said that the school took appropriate action, including during the encampment. “We do not tolerate behavior that threatens our community or undermines meaningful dialogue,” she said.
The Justice Department’s findings surrounding GWU follow a similar announcement in late July over UCLA. The civil rights division also said that UCLA had failed to “adequately” respond to complaints of harassment and abuse toward its Jewish and Israeli students on campus since the Oct. 7 attacks. Days later, UCLA announced that it had been notified that it would be losing federal research funding over alleged antisemitism. Then last week, the Trump administration proposed a $1 billion settlement with the school.
“As a public university, we are stewards of taxpayer resources and a payment of this scale would completely devastate our country’s greatest public university system as well as inflict great harm on our students and all Californians,” James B. Milliken, the president of the University of California school system, said in a statement.
Since Trump administration’s crackdown on pro-Palestinian student protesters and their schools, debate has erupted over free speech rights and the role of government in academia.
Stanford University’s student newspaper, the Stanford Daily, took legal action against the administration last week over two provisions in federal immigration law that it says officials have wielded against those with pro-Palestinian views, threatening deportation and the revocation of visas. They say in the lawsuit that the situation has led to censorship and violations of free speech rights.
“There’s real fear on campus and it reaches into the newsroom,” Greta Reich, the Stanford Daily’s editor-in-chief, said in a statement. “The Daily is losing the voices of a significant portion of our student population.”