CAIR, anti-Israel students file Title VI complaint against UGA for 'Islamophobic harassment'
Anti-Israel students at the University of Georgia have filed a Title VI complaint through the U.S Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights against the university.
The Georgia chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), representing the Georgia Students for Justice in Palestine, allege discrimination following the arrests of nine student protesters on April 29.
Anti-Israel students at the University of Georgia have filed a Title VI complaint through the U.S Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights against the university for “anti-Palestinian, anti-Arab, and Islamophobic harassment” following protests on campus during the last school year.
The Georgia chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), representing the Georgia Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP), allege discrimination following the arrests of nine student protesters on April 29.
The complaint faults the university for largely failing to protect Arab and Muslim students from harassment following the events of Hamas’ Oct. 7 terrorist attacks on Israel.
“[O]ur clients have been denied their educational opportunities in numerous ways due to UGA’s direct discrimination against Palestinian, Arab, and Muslim students and those associated with them, and due to the hostile environment that UGA has allowed to persist on its campus,” the document states.
“Based on the facts described here, we urge you to conduct a systemic investigation into UGA for violating its obligations under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964,” the students’ attorneys wrote in their complaint on Sept. 9. “We further request mediation pursuant to Section 201(a) of the Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights’ (‘OCR’) Case Processing Manual, to be followed by an investigation if mediation is not successful.”
The 20-page complaint lists various complaints held by anti-Israel students. For example, the attorneys write that Congressman Mike Collins called for “physical harm of Palestinian students” in response to his comments on “Palestine solidarity encampments.”
[RELATED: UGA suspends six students for participation in anti-Israel encampment: ‘Well-organized’]
“As a result of the harassment on UGA’s campus, they have lost sleep, been unable to focus, failed classes, missed their graduation commencement ceremonies, and have been ostracized by their peers and professors,” the complaint reads.
The document concludes with several demands, including that the school “[refund] any outstanding fees or tuition” and “[offer] to pay for psychotherapy for students who request it” for those students involved in the “Gaza Solidarity Encampment.”
“Because Zionism is fundamentally about privileging one group of people over another, opposition to Zionism is fundamentally anti-racist,” the attorneys argue. “UGA must revise its discrimination policies to recognize this and conduct mandatory trainings for university staff on anti-Palestinian discrimination.”
Campus Reform has reached out to the University of Georgia and the Georgia Students for Justice in Palestine for comment. This article will be updated accordingly.
