US Justice Department opens University of California antisemitism probe

By Brad Brooks and Kanishka Singh

(Reuters) - The U.S. Justice Department has opened a civil rights investigation into the University of California system to determine if it allowed a hostile environment toward Jews on any of its 10 campuses during protests last year.

The department said on Wednesday it would examine whether a "pattern of discrimination" against Jewish Americans existed during the pro-Palestinian protests.

The move is the latest by President Donald Trump's administration to probe universities where protests took place.

"This Department of Justice will always defend Jewish Americans, protect civil rights, and leverage our resources to eradicate institutional Antisemitism in our nation's universities," said Attorney General Pamela Bondi in a statement.

University of California spokesperson Stett Holbrook said the school was notified about the investigation and was "unwavering in its commitment to combating antisemitism and protecting everyone's civil rights."

Protests took place last year at many universities where demonstrators demanded an end to U.S. support for Israel due to the humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip.

Israel launched a war there after the October 2023 Hamas attack on Israel, during which militants killed about 1,200 people and seized about 250 hostages, according to Israel. Palestinian officials say Israel's offensive in Gaza has killed more than 48,000 people, destroying much of the enclave.

The Justice Department did not specify the UC campuses being investigated. The main pro-Palestinian protests took place at UC sites in Los Angeles and Berkeley.

There were allegations and incidents of antisemitism, Islamophobia and anti-Arab bias. In one of the most violent incidents, a mob attacked pro-Palestinian protesters at UCLA.

In late December, UC settled federal civil rights complaints of antisemitism and Islamophobia with the Education Department under former President Joe Biden.

Trump has signed an executive order to combat antisemitism and pledged to deport non-citizen college students and others who took part in pro-Palestinian protests while warning U.S. citizens of potential arrests and expulsions.

His administration has thus far not commented on whether it is taking equivalent steps to combat Islamophobia.

(Reporting by Brad Brooks in Colorado; Additional reporting by Kanishka Singh in Washington; Editing by Frank McGurty and Cynthia Osterman)

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