Trump administration sues Harvard again over accusations of antisemitism | Trump administration
The Trump administration renewed its attack on Harvard University on Friday, filing a lawsuit in Massachusetts alleging the Ivy League institution violated the civil rights of Jewish and Israeli people in the wake of the war in Gaza.
The case was shared with the public by New York TimesHe accuses Harvard of allowing anti-Israel protesters to operate on campus “with impunity” following the 2023 Hamas terrorist attack on Gaza and Israel’s massive military intervention.
Donald Trump said last month he was seeking a $1 billion payment from Harvard over perceived anti-Semitism, and Friday’s development was the latest in a series of legal attacks on one of the nation’s most prestigious universities since he returned to the presidency last year.
In September, a federal court ruled that the Trump administration unlawfully canceled $2.2 billion in federal research grants as part of the president’s hostility and punished Harvard for defying his directives to end diversity, equity and inclusion programs and “leftist” ideological doctrine even as other institutions fell in line and made huge financial deals.
The lawsuit, filed Friday in the US federal court for the District of Massachusetts, has reignited a fight that appeared to have been resolved by a September ruling, the Times reported.
The 44-page court filing said Harvard “turned a blind eye to anti-Semitism and discrimination against Jews and Israelis” by strictly enforcing policies against other forms of prejudice but allowing anti-Israel protests, such as a three-week “encampment” of pro-Palestinian demonstrators in 2024, to proceed virtually unchecked.
The report stated that Jewish and Israeli students were “repeatedly denied access to educational facilities by anti-Semitic demonstrators” and were also “harassed, physically attacked, followed, and spat on.”
Claiming that Harvard’s response was “do nothing,” the report said, “Fearing for their safety, Jewish students wore baseball caps to hide their yarmulkes or hid out of sight.”
“Harvard has fostered and continues to foster a campus environment where hostile anti-Semitism and anti-Israel behavior thrive,” the lawsuit states.
Trump has previously accused Harvard of being “strongly anti-Semitic” and doing a “horrible job” of dealing with the protests.
Inside a statement Last April, Harvard’s president, Alan Garber, denied the president’s allegations but acknowledged that the university had work to do.
“Harvard takes this seriously. We will continue to fight hate with the urgency it requires, fully complying with our obligations under the law. This is not just our legal responsibility. It is our moral obligation,” he said.
Harvard also countered, accusing the administration of trying to “seize control of academic decision-making.” Garber insisted that he “will not surrender the university’s independence or its constitutional rights.”
In its latest filing, the government is asking the court to rule Harvard in violation of Title VI, which prohibits discrimination based on race, color or national origin in any program or activity that receives federal financial aid.
If successful, it could block the distribution of up to $9 billion in future grants and allow it to try to recoup money already given. Time reported Last May, federal money for research funding would account for 11% of the university’s operating income in 2024, and other estimates put Harvard receiving up to $800 million directly from the government each year.
University leaders warned that without federal money, many important science and medical research programs would fail, including in the areas of cancer and heart disease:stand in the middle of the flow”.
The lawsuit filed against Harvard on Friday is the second time the Trump administration has sued Harvard in a month. A. application to ministry of justice Last month, the university was said to have failed to comply with an obligation to provide data showing that affirmative action was no longer part of its admissions protocols.
Last year, the president’s executive order banning Harvard’s foreign student population from entering the United States was blocked by a federal judge in Boston.
The Guardian has contacted Harvard for comment.
