Trump administration says George Washington University violated law over Jewish students, faculty

WASHINGTON, Aug 12 (Reuters) - The Trump administration said on Tuesday it found George Washington University had violated federal civil rights law regarding Jewish, American Israeli, and Israeli students and faculty and will seek "immediate remediation" from the school.

The U.S. Department of Justice said in a statement that Washington, D.C.-based GWU had acted "deliberately indifferent to the hostile educational environment for Jewish, American-Israeli, and Israeli students and faculty" during pro-Palestinian protests in April and May 2024.

In a letter sent to university President Ellen Granberg on Tuesday, Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon said the Justice Department found members of the university community engaged in "antisemitic, disruptive protests," including by establishing an encampment at University Yard. Dhillon said these efforts were meant to "frighten, intimidate, and deny" Jewish, Israeli, and American Israeli students access to the university environment.

"The Department finds 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," Dhillon's letter said.

Shannon McClendon, a spokesperson for GWU, said the university is reviewing the letter, adding that antisemitism has "absolutely no place on our campuses or in a civil and humane society."

"We have taken appropriate action under university policy and the law to hold individuals or organizations accountable, including during the encampment, and we do not tolerate behavior that threatens our community or undermines meaningful dialogue," McClendon said in a statement.

Dhillon said the Justice Department intends to proceed with enforcement, but is offering the university the opportunity to resolve the matter through a voluntary resolution agreement. The university has until August 22 to indicate whether it has "interest in such a dialogue," according to the letter.

George Washington is the latest university to be targeted by the Trump administration, which has threatened to cut federal funds for universities over pro-Palestinian protests against U.S. ally Israel's war in Gaza.

Protesters, including some Jewish groups, say the Trump administration wrongly equates their criticism of Israel's military assault in Gaza and its occupation of Palestinian territories with antisemitism, and advocacy for Palestinian rights with support for extremism.