Harvard must face lawsuit over anti-Semitism on campus, US judge rules
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Jewish students have accused the Ivy League school of letting its campus become a bastion of anti-Semitism.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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NEW YORK - Harvard University must face a lawsuit by Jewish students who accused the Ivy League school of letting its campus become a bastion of rampant anti-Semitism, a federal judge ruled on Aug 6.
US District Judge Richard Stearns in Boston found plausible accusations that Harvard was deliberately indifferent toward Jewish and Israeli students who said they feared for their safety after facing severe and pervasive harassment.
The judge also said he was “dubious” that Harvard could claim that some of the pro-Palestinian or anti-Jewish activities were protected by the US Constitution’s First Amendment.
“To conclude that the (complaint) has not plausibly alleged deliberate indifference would reward Harvard for virtuous public declarations that for the most part, according to the (complaint), proved hollow,” Mr Stearns wrote.
“The facts as pleaded show that Harvard failed its Jewish students,” the judge added. He did not rule on the merits.
Students sought an injunction
Harvard and its lawyers did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
A lawyer for the students, Mr Marc Kasowitz, said in an interview after the decision that Harvard’s conduct necessitated changes sought in the lawsuit.
“Jewish students on campus were treated horrendously by other student groups, by administrators and by faculty who were very, very pro-Hamas and very, very antisemitic,” he said.
The lawsuit filed in January is one of many accusing major universities of allowing and encouraging anti-Semitism, including in on-campus pro-Palestinian protests, following last October’s outbreak of war in Gaza between Israel and Hamas.
It was filed eight days after the resignation of president Claudine Gay,
Students accused Harvard of selectively enforcing its anti-discrimination policies to avoid protecting Jewish students from harassment, ignoring their pleas for protection, and hiring professors who advocated anti-Jewish violence and spread anti-Semitic propaganda.
The students said they were maligned as “murderers” and “colonisers,” and subjected to offensive chants such as “from the river to the sea.”
They also objected to a Harvard Law Review editor being allowed to resume work as a teaching fellow after he assaulted a Jewish student at a pro-Palestinian “die-in.”
Brown University and New York University settled similar lawsuits in July.
Columbia University, meanwhile, agreed in June to provide safety escorts and take other steps to settle a lawsuit claiming its campus had become unsafe.
The school’s main quad had housed a pro-Palestinian encampment that was dismantled following the April 30 arrest of dozens of protesters who took over a nearby academic building.
Harvard tries addressing bias concerns
In June, Harvard task forces on anti-Semitism and anti-Muslim bias each concluded that the campus was beset by discrimination and harassment, with reports of intolerance toward people with pro-Palestinian as well as pro-Israel views.
The anti-Semitism task force called for measures including anti-harassment training for students and for steps to ensure a “welcoming environment” for religiously observant Jewish students.
Meanwhile, the task force on anti-Muslim bias recommended measures including steps to prevent the “doxxing” of students who support the Palestinian people, and clarification of school policies toward bullying and bias.
In a message accompanying the reports, interim Harvard President Alan Garber urged the school community to “strengthen our ties with a sustained commitment to engaging each other with tact, decency, and compassion.”
Harvard removed Mr Garber’s “interim” title on Aug 2.
Mr Stearns said the Harvard plaintiffs can also pursue two other claims: that Harvard breached a contractual obligation to enforce its non-discrimination policies, and treated students unfairly by failing to enforce those policies “even-handedly.” REUTERS
