USA Accusation of anti-Semitism: US government sues Harvard University
The US government is toughening its stance in the dispute with the elite Harvard University. The Department of Justice has sued the university for discriminating against Jewish and Israeli students, according to a statement from the agency. Following the Hamas terror attacks in October 2023, the university had tolerated "anti-Semitic mobs" and failed to adequately protect threatened students.
20.03.2026, 19:12
SDA
Justice Minister Pam Bondi said in the statement that the lawsuit underlines the government's goal of demanding more commitment from universities and no longer tolerating discrimination. "Since October 7, 2023, too many of our educational institutions have allowed anti-Semitism to run rampant on campus - including Harvard." At the end of February, the Department of Justice filed a similar lawsuit against the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA).
Cancellation of funding was unlawful
The conflict is part of a larger dispute between the Trump administration and several top universities. The White House accuses parts of the university landscape of having a left-liberal orientation and inadequate measures against anti-Semitism, while at the same time attempting to exert political influence via funding.
Harvard has come under particular pressure. State research funding was temporarily withdrawn from the university, but a federal court declared this to be unlawful and ordered the funds to be released.
It was only at the beginning of February that Trump sharply attacked Harvard: his government was demanding one billion US dollars (around 865 million euros) in compensation from the university and no longer wanted any relations with it in future. The accusation at the time also included anti-Semitism.
