Harvard University students on Monday sued the university for failing to support or protect students who have been harassed for being Palestinian, Arab, Muslim, or a supporter of Palestinian rights. filed a civil rights lawsuit.
The complaint was filed by the American Muslim Legal Fund with the Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights.
In a statement, the group said the complaint was “filed on behalf of more than a dozen students, alleging that Harvard University harassed and intimidated these students simply because they were Palestinian, Arab, or Muslim.” “We demanded an immediate investigation into the failure to protect them from threats and other threats.” , and supporters of Palestinian rights. ”
The students claim that “rampant harassment and racist attacks” against Arabs and supporters of Palestine were commonplace at Harvard. According to the complaint, students are being anonymized, stalked and assaulted on campus.
“As a Palestinian student at Harvard University, the racism and harassment I have faced is shocking, horrifying and outrageous,” one student said in a statement.
“We have been followed, spat on, followed, and followed by trucks collecting personal information, not only on campus but also in our families’ homes. I am concerned about the safety of my family in Palestine. On top of that, I live in fear of being attacked while walking to class. No student should live like this.”
The complaint comes as pro-Palestinian groups have warned of attacks on university campuses against Palestinians and Palestinian supporters since the start of the war between Israel and Hamas.
And Harvard’s challenges are compounded by House Republicans conducting their own investigation into the school regarding the rise of anti-Semitism on campus.
Claudine Gay, the former president of Harvard University, resigned in early January amid backlash over her testimony in a congressional hearing. In it, she did not explicitly state that calls for the extermination of Jews violated Harvard University’s Code of Conduct.
The Hill has reached out to Harvard University for comment.
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