The U.S. Department of Justice announced Tuesday that George Washington University was in violation of federal civil rights laws by “acting deliberately indifferent” to instances of anti-Semitism on campus.
In a letter from Assistant Attorney General Civil Rights Division Harmeet K. Dhillon to GWU President Ellen M. Granberg, the DOJ stated that the department had finished its probe of the allegations against the university and found that GWU’s response to incidents of anti-Semitic discrimination and harassment of Jewish and Israeli students that “despite actual notice of the abuses occurring on its campus, GWU was deliberately indifferent to the complaints it received, the misconduct that occurred, and the harms that were suffered by its students and faculty, in violation of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 .. The antisemitic, hate-based misconduct by GWU students directed at Jewish GWU students, faculty, and employees was, in a word, shocking. The behavior was demonstrably abhorrent, immoral, and, most importantly, illegal.”
The allegations stem from an encampment that students created in GWU’s University Yard, in the middle of campus: “The purpose of the agitators’ efforts was to frighten, intimidate, and deny Jewish, Israeli, and American-Israeli students free and unfettered access to GWU’s educational environment. This is the definition of hostility and a ‘hostile environment.’ [DOJ’s] investigation found numerous incidents of Jewish students being harassed, abused, intimidated and assaulted by protesters. To be clear, Jewish students were afraid to attend class, to be observed, or, worse, to be ‘caught’ and perhaps physically beaten on GWU’s campus.” The letter offered “the opportunity to resolve this matter through a voluntary resolution agreement.”
The letter refers to campus protests in April and May 2024, where students staged pro-Palestinian protests at universities across the country, including rallies and encampments; however, some Jewish students experienced alleged anti-Semitism on several university campuses.
GWU spokesperson Shannon McClendon said in a statement: “GW condemns antisemitism, which has absolutely no place on our campuses or in a civil and humane society. 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. “
GWU is one of dozens of American universities that have been targeted by the Trump administration with civil rights and constitutional investigations in connection to protests over Israel’s war in Gaza. Trump has been cracking down on institutions of higher learning over a slew of allegations, from not protecting Jewish students to illegally enforcing diversity, equity and inclusion policies.
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