UC Berkeley shares 160 names with Trump administration in ‘McCarthy era’ move
Guardian1 day
UC Berkeley Provides 160 Names to Feds in Antisemitism Probe
Above: Pro-Palestinian demonstrators on the University of California, Berkeley campus, on April 25, 2024. Image copyright: David Paul Morris/Bloomberg/Getty Images
The Spin
Republican narrative
Universities must finally be held accountable for allowing antisemitic harassment to flourish unchecked on their campuses. Jewish students deserve protection from the hostile environments created by pro-Palestinian protests that have driven Jewish life underground. Berkeley's compliance shows that federal pressure can effectively compel institutions to take their civil rights obligations seriously.
Democratic narrative
This is a dangerous McCarthyist attack on academic freedom and free speech that wrongly equates criticism of Israel with antisemitism. The government is using civil rights offices as weapons to silence Palestinian advocacy and chill political expression on campuses. Berkeley has betrayed its legacy as the birthplace of the free speech movement by capitulating to authoritarian demands.