UC Berkeley Under Investigation for Alleged Antisemitic Incidents Involving Faculty

Berkeley, California — The University of California, Berkeley has reported to the Trump administration the names of 160 faculty members and students as part of an investigation into alleged antisemitic incidents. This disclosure follows a letter sent to affected individuals last week by UC Berkeley’s chief campus counsel, David Robinson. The investigation is being conducted by the Department of Education‘s Office for Civil Rights (OCR), which has intensified scrutiny on colleges nationwide.

Judith Butler, a well-known feminist philosopher and queer theorist, confirmed she received the letter detailing the allegations of antisemitic harassment and discrimination. Butler, who identifies as Jewish, expressed concern over the lack of information provided by Robinson regarding the specific nature of the allegations. “We have a right to know the charges against us, to know who has made the charges and to review them and defend ourselves,” she stated.

UC Berkeley officials acknowledged that 160 people, including students, faculty, and staff, had received notifications about the government disclosures. They clarified that the decision to share this information was made by the University of California’s systemwide general counsel. Butler criticized the university for not allowing affected individuals to respond to or even know about the complaints, calling the situation a “Kafka-land” experience.

As a leading educational institution, UC Berkeley has historically been a platform for debating controversial topics, including the Israel-Palestine conflict. Butler lamented that the current situation contradicts this legacy, adding, “We need to hear them even when they upset us.”

Butler also mentioned that the names shared with the OCR included international students and part-time faculty, many of whom may face severe consequences if they are identified on a government list. “They can suffer a lot of things, especially the international students, including deportation, expulsion, job loss, harassment, surveillance,” she said.

Furthermore, Butler shared that the university’s normal complaint procedures had been suspended, raising concerns about due process and the violation of individuals’ sixth amendment rights. UC Berkeley did not provide Butler with the details of the files sent to the OCR.

In a response to Butler’s allegations, a UC Berkeley spokesperson stated that the university is committed to protecting the privacy of its community while fulfilling its legal obligations to federal investigations. Rachel Zaentz, a university spokesperson, emphasized the institution’s transparency during government inquiries.

The Trump administration has been aggressively targeting institutions for alleged antisemitism at various campuses, which has raised substantial concern among students and faculty regarding civil liberties. Butler criticized the administration’s actions as reminiscent of McCarthy-era practices, calling it a “breathtaking breach of trust, ethics, and justice.”

In light of the situation, Butler noted that students and faculty are organizing efforts to resist these disclosures due to concerns regarding employment law violations and suppression of political debate. “It is a time to resist injustice that now threatens to be normalized,” she concluded.