The Department of Justice (DOJ) announced Tuesday that George Washington University (GWU) violated federal civil rights law by failing to take “meaningful action” to address antisemitism on campus during anti-Israel protests in 2024.

In a statement released on Tuesday, the DOJ said its investigation found that the university was “deliberately indifferent to the hostile educational environment for Jewish, American-Israeli, and Israeli students and faculty.” The department issued a letter to GWU’s president claiming there were “numerous incidents of Jewish students being harassed, abused, intimidated and assaulted by protesters,” and said the university “was deliberately indifferent to the complaints it received, the misconduct that occurred, and the harms that were suffered by its students and faculty.” 

The DOJ concluded this violated the US Civil Rights Act, which prohibits federally funded programs from discriminating on the basis of race, color, or national origin. The department said it had offered GWU the chance to resolve the matter through a voluntary resolution agreement to ensure “immediate remediation of these issues and related reforms to prevent the recurrence of discrimination, harassment, and abuse.” The letter gave the university until August 22 to indicate whether it would engage in such a dialogue.

GWU spokesperson Shannon McClendon told The Guardian that the university “condemns antisemitism, which has absolutely no place on our campuses or in a civil and humane society.”

“Moreover, our actions clearly demonstrate our commitment to addressing antisemitic actions and promoting an inclusive campus environment by upholding a safe, respectful, and accountable environment,” the statement said. “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.”

She added that the university was reviewing the DOJ’s letter and would respond in a “timely manner.”