US government sues Harvard over anti-Israel protests, cites ‘hostile environment’
The Trump administration is seeking to be released from its obligation to pay millions of dollars in federal funds to the university
In February, the Department of Justice filed a similar lawsuit against the University of California, Los Angeles.
In its new complaint, the DOJ said Harvard “faculty and leadership turned a blind eye to antisemitism and discrimination against Jews and Israelis,” accusing the university of failing to enforce its own rules against pro-Palestinian and anti-Israeli protesters.
“Harvard let anti-Israeli demonstrators occupy its libraries. Harvard allowed an anti-Israeli encampment to persist for twenty days in violation of university policy,” said the lawsuit, filed in a Massachusetts court.
“Harvard fostered and continues to foster a campus climate where hostile antisemitism and anti-Israeli conduct thrives,” it said.
