Jewish students file a lawsuit against Harvard University for what they claim is "antisemitism cancer" that has spread throughout the campus.
The plaintiffs accuse the institution of "hir[ing] professors who support anti-Jewish violence" and "ignoring students' pleas for protection." The lawsuit also argues that the school as well as its administrators directly and indirectly discriminate against Jewish Harvard students.
Lawsuit Against Harvard University
A major New York City law firm, Kasowitz Benson Torres (KBT), was the one that filed the lawsuit against Harvard on Wednesday. The firm has been investigating colleges for allegedly violating Jewish students' Title VI civil rights.
The law firm also recently hit New York University with litigation, which was the first of what is expected to be a series of legal actions from the firm against elite universities. Title VI prohibits any institution that receives federal funding from discriminating against groups on the basis of race, color, or national origin, as per Fox News.
The latest lawsuit claims that the antisemitism at Harvard University is "severe and pervasive" and that it created a "hostile environment" where Jewish students are "unsafe against their abusers."
It also noted that not only did students face antisemitism within the institution, but the school also avoided taking action and enforcing its policies to protect Jews in particular. It alleged that Harvard and its administrator were responsible for discriminating against Jewish students.
The lawsuit is calling for courts to force the institution in question to take immediate action, which includes disciplinary action such as "termination" of professors, and "suspension" of students.
The plaintiffs of the lawsuit include members of the Students Against Antisemitism group, which accused Harvard of tolerating Jewish students being harassed, assaulted, and intimidated. These types of actions have intensified following the Oct. 7, attack of Hamas on Israel, according to The Guardian.
The lawsuit claims that mobs of pro-Hamas students and faculty have marched by the hundreds through Harvard's campus as they shouted vile antisemitic slogans and called for the death of Jews and Israel.
It remains unclear what the mention of mobs in the lawsuit refers to but Harvard University has been rattled by protests since the initial Hamas assault. There was also one point where pro-Palestinian students occupied a campus building for 24 hours.
Spread of Antisemitism
A partner at the law firm that brought the lawsuit against Harvard, Marc Kasowitz said that the litigation was necessary because the institution would not "correct its deep-seated antisemitism problem voluntarily."
A school spokesperson noted that the institution does not comment on pending litigation. Currently, roughly a dozen students are potentially facing disciplinary charges for violations of protest rules related to pro-Palestinian activities, but the spokesperson said that Harvard could not comment on their cases as well.
The situation that Harvard is facing now is similar to what other schools have been experiencing in recent months. It was exacerbated after the presidents of Harvard, the University of Pennsylvania, and MIT testified in December last year at a congressional hearing.
That particular hearing was investigating campus antisemitism amid the continued war between Israel and Hamas. The president of Harvard at the time, Claudine Gay, faced fierce criticism over her remarks, which became factors in her resignation this month, said the New York Times.
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