US government sues Harvard over anti-Israel protests, cites ‘hostile environment’

The Trump administration filed a lawsuit on Friday against Harvard University, accusing the institution of allowing a “hostile environment” towards Jewish and Israeli students during pro-Palestinian demonstrations on campus from 2023 to 2025.President Donald Trump has launched an offensive against major American universities, accusing them of giving free rein on their campuses to pro-Palestinian movements in the face of the Israeli offensive in the Gaza Strip, action which he equates with antisemitism.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.Pro-Palestinian demonstrators protest outside Harvard Yard during Harvard University’s class of 2024 graduation ceremony on May 23, 2024. Photo: AFP