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A federal civil rights complaint against Cal Poly Humboldt was filed today with the U.S. Department of Education alleging that Jewish students have been subjected to “severe and persistent harassment” amid pro-Palestine campus demonstrations over the past year.

The complaint, filed jointly by the Louis D. Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law and the nonprofit Jewish on Campus, alleges that Cal Poly Humboldt administrators have failed to meaningfully respond to the hostile environment on campus. 

Screenshot of an Instagram post from a campus confrontation last October.

“Jewish students have been attacked verbally and physically, excluded and forced out of areas on campus they are entitled to access, and subjected to vicious anti-Jewish hate,” the complaint says. It cites the behavior of anti-Israel protesters on campus, including hateful graffiti, shouted slurs and, in one instance covered by the Outpost, a man throwing fake blood on Jewish students.

“[I]nstead of directly addressing anti-Semitism on campus, as they are required to do pursuant to their legal obligations, the administration has encouraged Jewish students to hide their Jewish identity to avoid being targeted,” the complaint says.

One example described in the complaints involved a confrontation that took place at a Jewish club’s tabling event. A student allegedly confronted the group, shouted that they were “baby killers, genocide supporters and land stealers” and grabbed items off the table. Afterward, the university allegedly “told the students to leave the event rather than address the harassment” and failed to discipline the perpetrator.

Photo via the complaint.

The complaint cites several other incidents of harassment, including the spray-painted antisemitic slurs seen in the photos below and at right, and it asks the federal Office for Civil Rights to launch an investigation of Cal Poly Humboldt for violations of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

The Outpost has reached out to the university and will update this post when we get an on-the-record response.

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UPDATE, 12:30 p.m.: Here’s the university’s response:

Cal Poly Humboldt is reviewing the federal complaint and will, of course, fully cooperate with the Office of Civil Rights in any investigation.

Hatred or discrimination in any form, including anti-semitism, is contrary to our core values. The University unequivocally condemns all acts of hatred, bigotry, and violence, and we are committed to keeping safe our students, staff, and faculty of all religions. We will continue to work together to foster a learning and working environment where we can all feel safe, included, and respected.

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DOCUMENT: Complaint re: Civil Rights Violations at California State Polytechnic University, Humboldt 

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From the press release issued by the Brandeis Center:

(Washington, D.C., March 6, 2025) The Louis D. Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law, today, announced it has filed three federal complaints with the U.S. Department of Education against California State Polytechnic, Scripps College, and California’s Etiwanda School District alleging the schools are in violation of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The Brandeis Center is joined by leading Jewish organizations in each of the complaints.

“While an increasing number of schools recognize that their Jewish students are being targeted both for their religious beliefs and due to their ancestral connection to Israel, and are taking necessary steps to address both classic and contemporary forms of anti-Semitism, some shamefully continue to turn a blind eye,” stated Brandeis Center Chairman Kenneth L. Marcus, a civil rights expert appointed by Presidents George W. Bush and Donald Trump to run the Office for Civil Rights at the Department of Education. “The law and federal government recognize Jews share a common faith and they are a people with a shared history and heritage rooted in the land of Israel. Schools that continue to ignore either aspect of Jewish identity are becoming dangerous breeding grounds for escalating anti-Jewish bigotry, and they must be held accountable.”

Harvard University, in response to a lawsuit filed by the Brandeis Center, recently took significant measures to protect its Jewish students from contemporary anti-Semitism. The university will apply the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) definition of antisemitism with its examples to its non-discrimination and anti-bullying policies, recognize the centrality of Zionism to Jewish identity, and explicitly state that targeting Jews and Zionists constitutes a violation of school rules. Other schools have also settled recent complaints with similar concrete action.

Cal Poly

According to the complaint filed today against California State Polytechnic (Cal Poly), Humboldt by the Brandeis Center and Jewish on Campus, Jewish students have been attacked verbally and physically, excluded and forced out of areas on campus, and subjected to vicious anti-Semitism. Anti-Israel campus protestors have thrown fake blood on Jewish students; spray painted anti-Semitic graffiti; shouted anti-Semitic slurs at Jewish students; vandalized campus property, including frightening acts of violence like shattering glass doors; and harassed Jewish students celebrating a Jewish holiday by shouting anti-Semitic invectives at them through a megaphone, glorifying Hamas and chalking inflammatory anti-Semitic messages.

Instead of addressing the anti-Semitism, Cal Poly’s administration has encouraged Jewish students to hide their Jewish identity to avoid being targeted. In one instance, a Cal Poly student approached the Chabad, a Jewish student group that was tabling at a club fair. He began shouting that the Jewish students were baby killers, genocide supporters and land stealers. The student grabbed items off the table and blocked other students from approaching the table with his intimidating rhetoric and by placing his body in front of the table. The perpetrator also inserted himself physically between the rabbi and students who were engaged in discussion, blocking their conversations. Instead of addressing the anti-Semitic incident, the Associate Dean for Student Life told the Jewish students that they should pack up and leave the fair.

In another instance, a ritual item was stolen from Jewish students and, instead of addressing the anti-Semitic act, the administration told the Jewish students they should take additional steps to avoid further theft. These are just two examples of many where the university encouraged Jewish students to keep their heads down and retreat. According to the complaint, “[t]he message from the University to Jewish students is clear: downplay your Jewish identity on campus or hide to avoid being targeted because the University will not protect you.” Jewish students report fearing for their safety and being denied opportunities. Some have left campus.

“Jewish students deserve consistent support from their university administrators, not calls to hide their Jewish identity,” said Jewish on Campus CEO Julia Jassey. “On campuses across the country, Jewish students have faced an unprecedented rise of antisemitism since the October 7th massacre, including at Cal Poly. We urge a swift investigation and a campus climate where no student has to endure such intimidation.”