Surge in antisemitism investigations at US universities after October 7 attacks, data shows

A report shared exclusively with the Guardian documents how a civil rights law has become a tool to impose ideological priorities on US schools

US government investigations into universities over antisemitism allegations surged following the 7 October 2023 attacks and Israel's subsequent war in Gaza, with more investigations open in the last two months of that year than in the two decades prior, according to a report published on Monday that was shared exclusively with the Guardian.

The data, compiled by the Middle East Studies Association and the American Association of University Professors and relying on publicly available records, offers a detailed account of how landmark civil rights legislation - and particularly Title VI of the 1964 Civil Rights Act - has become a primary tool to restrict speech on campus.