The U.S. Justice Department said Tuesday that the University of California, Los Angeles violated federal civil-rights law by failing to protect Jewish and Israeli students from a hostile environment that emerged on campus after the October 2023 Hamas attack and the ensuing war in Gaza. Investigators concluded the university allowed antisemitic harassment and intimidation to persist, breaching the Equal Protection Clause and Title VI of the Civil Rights Act. Federal officials cited a series of pro-Palestinian encampments in 2024 that blocked access to Royce Quad, Powell Library and other facilities, with some protesters reportedly requiring students to denounce Israel before passing. The Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division said UCLA did not take adequate steps to ensure equal access to programs and campus areas for Jewish students. In a related civil suit, UCLA agreed to pay roughly $6.45 million to three Jewish students and a professor who said they were excluded from parts of campus and faced threats because of their support for Israel. Under a stipulated judgment filed in federal court, the university also accepted a permanent injunction prohibiting it from offering any program or space that is not fully and equally accessible to Jewish students, and requiring campus security to prevent future exclusions. Attorney General Pam Bondi vowed “severe accountability” and said the Justice Department is reviewing other University of California campuses for similar violations. UCLA did not immediately issue a public response.