UCLA, other campuses resolve Gaza protest discrimination complaints from Jewish, Muslim students

7 hours ago

By JOCELYN GECKER

The U.S. Department of Education said Friday it has reached an agreement with the University of California system resolving complaints from Jewish and Muslim students of discrimination and harassment during protests last spring over the war in Gaza.

The department’s Office for Civil Rights said it investigated nine complaints against University of California schools in Los Angeles (UCLA), Santa Barbara, San Diego, Davis and Santa Cruz. The complaints alleged the schools failed to respond effectively to antisemitic and anti-Arab harassment.

The civil rights office concluded the universities “appear not to have responded promptly or effectively” to allegations of discrimination and harassment that were brought to the administrations’ attention.

Under the agreement, the schools must step up reporting of complaints to the OCR office and review all complaints and reports of harassment from the past two academic years to determine if further action is needed. The agreement also calls for more training of university employees and campus police officers about their obligations under federal law.

A pro-Palestinian protester is beaten by counter-protesters during violent clashes at the protest encampment on the UCLA campus in Los Angeles early Wednesday morning, May 1, 2024. Administrators called in law enforcement officers after violent clashes broke out, a university official said early Wednesday. (Mark Abramson/The New York Times)

FILE – Police advance on demonstrators on the UCLA campus May 2, 2024, in Los Angeles. As pro-Palestinian protests escalate on college campuses around the country, critics of President Joe Biden’s handling of the Israel-Hamas war suggest this summer’s Democratic National Convention could be marred by protests and scenes of chaos that undermine his reelection. It raises the specter of a replay of 1968’s Democratic convention in Chicago, where a violent police crackdown created indelible scenes of chaos. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope, File)

1 of 46

Pioneer shuts out Panorama to win the Division 7-A regional football title

Expand

The University of California system said the agreement is one of several steps it is taking to ensure its campuses are respectful and welcoming to all.

“Ensuring an inclusive University environment requires sustained focus and action,” the system said in a written statement.

Colleges and universities nationwide saw tension and at times violence erupt on campuses after the onset of the Israel-Hamas war, with dueling campus rallies and widespread allegations of antisemitism and anti-Arab harassment.

The Department of Education has been investigating dozens of complaints that campuses violated Title VI, which bars discrimination or harassment on the basis of race, color and national origin at colleges and universities that receive federal funding. The department reached a similar agreement with Brown University in July.

Examples of harassment can include slurs, taunts, stereotypes, name-calling and racially motivated attacks or hateful conduct, according to the department’s website.

UCLA’s handling of dispersing its encampment in the spring drew widespread criticism. Chaos erupted after hundreds of protesters defied orders from campus police to leave the encampment. One night, counter-protesters attacked the pro-Palestinian encampment, throwing traffic cones and firing pepper spray, with fighting that continued for hours before police stepped in.

The investigation into UCLA stemmed partly from concerns of compliance related to about 150 reports the school received about rallies in October and November 2023 as well as a pro-Palestinian encampment in the spring, the department said.

“Of particular concern were reports of violence against students of Jewish ancestry … and of a violent assault by counter-protesters on pro-Palestinian protesters” at the encampment, the department said.

Monarch butterflies to be listed as a threatened species in US

At rallies, protesters chanted “death to Israel” and “no peace until they’re dead,” the department said. At the encampment, protesters maintained checkpoints that excluded Jewish students from the protest area and parts of the campus, prompting the school’s chancellor to issue a statement saying Jewish students on campus, among others, felt “a state of anxiety and fear.”

Muslim and Palestinian students experienced “unwanted filming, doxing, and being followed” on or near the UCLA campus, the department said. A task force report cited by the department said counter-protesters heckled people inside the encampment, saying things like, “you’re a jihadist,” and “you’re a terrorist.”

The four other UC campuses also had “widely reported incidents” of alleged harassment against students, the civil rights office said. UC Santa Barbara was notified of antisemitic vandalism at a dorm and signs posted at a student center that targeted Jewish students by name; UC San Diego and UC Davis also received complaints about students experiencing or witnessing antisemitic comments or actions by students and professors.

The Associated Press’ education coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP’s standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org.