DOJ Investigates University of Washington Over Anti-Semitism

On Monday, Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights Harmeet Dhillon announced that the U.S. Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division is launching an investigation into allegations of anti-Semitism at the University of Washington. This comes after a student organization planned a fundraiser for the group Lebanese Resistance, known for its history of violent anti-Semitic activities on campus.

In a post on X, Dhillon noted, “Tomorrow, SUPER UW, a student organization, will hold a fundraising event for the Lebanese Resistance Movement.” Interestingly, just days prior, she authorized a civil rights investigation into how the University of California dealt with anti-Semitism.

A university spokesperson confirmed that they are cooperating with the investigation and “strongly and unequivocally oppose anti-Semitism in all its forms.”

Recently, 30 people were arrested when anti-Israel demonstrators occupied a building at the University of Washington. School officials quickly clarified their distance from the event, highlighting that SUPER UW is no longer associated with the university, and that the fundraiser will take place off-campus.

Vice President of Communications, Victor Barta, stated, “The publicly mentioned off-campus events appear to have been organized by a group falsely claiming affiliation with the University of Washington. That group’s registration was suspended in June 2024 and permanently revoked in May 2025.”

It’s worth noting that the university severed ties with SUPER UW after incidents of campus occupation, property damage, and arrests. President Anna Mari Kors had previously condemned these protests as “illegal occupations.” Furthermore, Facebook had to intervene, stopping the group from using the university’s name.

Barta mentioned, “We also notified Mehta last year that this group was misusing the university’s name on social media,” and added that an appeal regarding this issue is currently pending.

This isn’t the first time the University of Washington has faced scrutiny for anti-Semitism. Following anti-Israel protests last May, the Trump administration took notice, which coincided with SUPER UW’s expulsion from the campus.

Fox News Digital has tried to reach out for comments from both the Department of Justice and Meta, which owns Facebook, but did not receive a response right away.