Following a Jerusalem Post report on Students United for Palestinian Equality & Return University of Washington (SUPER UW)'s call for supporters to materially support ' the Lebanese resistance,' Civil Rights Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon announced on Tuesday that she had ordered an investigation into UW's handling of antisemitism.
Dhillon said on X that SUPER UW was holding a fundraiser for the "Lebanese resistance," and that the group "has a history of violent antisemitic activity on the University of Washington’s campus."
The Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE) argued on social media on Tuesday that the DOJ was operating past its lawful bounds, as the group was suspended from campus and was operating off campus.
"The federal government is not empowered to demand universities serve as roving monitors of private off-campus expression, and it recognized as much in its 2020 Title IX regulations," said FIRE. "The Supreme Court likewise made clear that institutional responsibility relies on control over the actors and the setting."
A 'crucial time to deeping our understanding of the Lebanese resistance'
SUPER UW urged supporters to join its April 21 "Fundraiser for Lebanon" because it was a "crucial time to raise funds to materially support as well as deepen our understanding of the Lebanese resistance."
Held at the Cherry Street Village interfaith community center, the fundraiser is set to screen The Last Sky documentary, which, according to its website, "broaches a topic generally considered too controversial for public discussion in the West – the 'armed resistance' against Israel – and examines why it is so popular amongst large segments of Palestinian and Lebanese society. "
"This movie is about the Palestinian refugees in Lebanon and the Lebanese resistance to Zionism, with content from the past few years," SUPER UW wrote on Instagram.
The group is also holding a merchandise and bake sale to "fundraise for mutual aid in Lebanon" with the goal of raising $1500.