Blitz Bureau
WASHINGTON: The Trump administration has accused Columbia University of violating civil rights law by “acting with deliberate indifference” towards discrimination against Jewish students, including what it said was a failure to investigate vandalism in its classrooms, such as drawings of swastikas.
The Office for Civil Rights at the Department of Health and Human Services said in a news release that it had conducted an investigation over a 19-month period beginning on October 7, 2023, the day Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip launched a surprise crossborder attack on Israel, reports Xinhua news agency.
“The findings carefully document the hostile environment Jewish students at Columbia University have had to endure for over 19 months, disrupting their education, safety, and wellbeing,” said Anthony Archeval, the acting Director of the Office for Civil Rights. “We encourage Columbia University to work with us to come to an agreement.”
“The announcement comes as the Trump administration is engaged in negotiations with Columbia over federal funding. The administration cut 400 million US dollars in contracts and grants to the school in March, saying the university had failed to sufficiently clamp down on acts of anti-Semitism on its campus,” reported The Washington Post about the move.
