Justice Dept opens antisemitism investigation into University of Washington

The Civil Rights Division of the US Department of Justice (DOJ) is opening an investigation into anti-Semitism at the University of Washington after a group of students at the school organized a fundraiser for the “Lebanese Resistance” group, Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights Harmeet Dhillon said Monday.

“Tomorrow, a student group – SUPER UW – is hosting a fundraising event for the “Lebanese Resistance”. This group has a history of violent anti-Semitic activity on the University of Washington campus,” Dhillon wrote Monday

“On Friday, I authorized a civil rights investigation into the UW’s handling of anti-Semitism!” she concludes.

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Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights Harmeet Dhillon arrives for a press conference at the Department of Justice in Washington, DC, September 29, 2025. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

School officials quickly distanced themselves from the group that organized the event, emphasizing that SUPER UW was no longer affiliated with the university and that the event was taking place off campus, according to a Seattle Red report.

The school severed ties in May when SUPER UW, an acronym for Students United for Palestine Equality and Return, took over a campus building, leading to property damage and arrests, Seattle Red reported.

The school’s president, Ana Mari Cauce, then condemned the demonstrators, calling their actions an “illegal occupation of a building.”

The school event went so far as to try to get Facebook to block the group from using the UW name, a request that Facebook has so far not granted, according to the Washington State Standard.

Anti-Israel protesters demonstrate at the University of Washington in March 2025. (Jason Redmond/AFP)

The University of Washington already faced an investigation into anti-Semitism from the Trump administration after last May’s anti-Israel protests, the same protests that led to expulsion from SUPER-UW’s campus.

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The school is now reportedly fully cooperating with the DOJ’s investigation after being informed that it was under a “compliance review,” according to Seattle Red.

The University of Washington campus logo is displayed on the exterior of a building amid increased scrutiny and controversy involving the university. (Karen Ducey/Getty Images)

Fox News Digital reached out to the DOJ, the University of Washington and Meta, which operates Facebook, for comment but did not immediately receive a response.