DOJ Lawsuit Accuses UCLA of Allowing Violent Antisemitic Attacks on Jewish Students
The Department of Justice sued the University of California, alleging UCLA allowed antisemitic attacks and harassment against Jewish and Israeli students after the October 7 Hamas attacks.
According to the complaint, anti-Israel protesters took over UCLA’s Royce Quad in April 2024, setting up barricades, checkpoints and antisemitic graffiti while physically blocking Jewish and Israeli students from classrooms, libraries and walkways.
The lawsuit says Jewish students were beaten, kicked, struck with sticks and sprayed with pepper spray. One student was knocked unconscious with an open head wound, while another was assaulted and told, “Hitler missed one.” A Native Jewish woman holding a sign reading “Hamas supporters are not welcome on native land” was also “violently assaulted” while UCLA police allegedly stood nearby and “did absolutely nothing.”
Protesters allegedly created militia-style checkpoints and “human phalanxes,” forcing students to denounce Zionism to pass through certain areas.
By the time police intervened, officials described the scene as a “war zone” involving fireworks, strobe lights and violent clashes.
The DOJ says UCLA violated Title VI of the Civil Rights Act through “deliberate indifference” to widespread harassment and discrimination. More than 100 complaints from Jewish and Israeli students were allegedly ignored, while internal findings cited in the suit say UCLA leadership repeatedly refused to enforce school rules and allowed the encampment to continue for days.
The lawsuit says nearly 60% of Jewish students avoided campus during the protests and more than 40% considered leaving UCLA.
Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon said the DOJ is holding UCLA accountable for allowing a hostile environment for Jewish and Israeli students. Federal prosecutor Bill Essayli said universities that fail to protect Jewish students from antisemitism “will be held accountable.”
