The US Department of Justice on Tuesday said George Washington University in Washington, DC, ignored campus antisemitism in violation of federal civil rights protections, the latest in a federal crackdown on campus activism.
Harmeet K. Dhillon, assistant attorney general for civil rights at the Department of Justice, informed the university of the department’s finding in a letter to university president Ellen M. Granberg.
“Every student has the right to equal educational opportunities without fear of harassment or abuse,” Dhillon said in a statement. “No one is above the law, and universities that promulgate antisemitic discrimination will face legal consequences.”
The letter said that the university had been informed of discrimination against Jewish and Israeli students and was “was deliberately indifferent to the complaints it received, the misconduct that occurred, and the harms that were suffered by its students and faculty.”
The university “took no meaningful action” to counter campus antisemitism, the letter alleged.
The university’s handling of the harassment violated Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which bars discrimination in entities that receive federal funding, such as universities, including GWU, the letter said.
In one example cited in the letter, students at GWU set up an anti-Israel protest encampment on campus in the spring of 2024. The department’s investigation found that Jewish students were harassed, intimidated and assaulted by protesters, making them afraid to attend class.
One Jewish student said he was surrounded by protesters, threatened, and told to leave the area. An assistant dean told the Jewish student to leave because he was “antagonizing and provoking the crowd,” the letter said.
Protesters also shouted antisemitic slurs at other Jewish students while they were walking on campus, forcing them out of the area. Demonstrators surrounded a Jewish counter-protester who held up an Israeli flag to prevent him from moving and a campus police officer told the Jewish student to leave for his safety. Protesters shouted “Zionist go die,” Zionists go to hell,” and “Hamas are freedom fighters” at another Jewish student, the letter said.
Students demand their university divest from Israel at George Washington University in Washington, April 27, 2024 (AP Photo/Cliff Owen)
The Department of Justice said it intends to enforce the civil rights law against GWU, without providing specifics on the enforcement. The department offered to negotiate with the university to reach a “voluntary resolution,” setting an August 22 deadline for starting a dialogue.
The university confirmed that it had received the letter and was reviewing its contents for a response.
The university “condemns antisemitism, which has absolutely no place on our campuses or in a civil and humane society,” a university spokesperson told The Times of Israel.
“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 spokesperson said, adding that the university has collaborated with the campus Jewish community, Jewish organizations, and authorities to combat antisemitism.
The letter was the latest measure in the Trump administration’s crackdown on antisemitism and anti-Israel activism on campuses. The administration has put heavy pressure on universities, particularly Ivy League institutions like Harvard and Columbia.
Some Jewish community leaders have expressed concern about the crackdown, arguing that measures like arresting protesters threaten civil freedoms that also protect Jews.
Critics of the administration, such as New York Democratic Senator Chuck Schumer, have accused Trump of exploiting the problem of antisemitism to attack perceived opponents in higher education.
The administration and Jewish community groups have used legal means to pressure universities on behalf of Jewish students. Pro-Palestinian groups have also taken to the courts for activist students and faculty. Some universities, like GWU and Columbia, are being battered from both sides.
GWU is a private university with around 25,000 students that is located about a mile from the White House.
