AMHERST — Federal civil rights officials are investigating the University of Massachusetts for allegedly dragging its feet over complaints of anti-Arab and anti-Palestinian harassment on campus amid the Israel-Hamas conflict in Gaza.

An official complaint, filed April 4 by Palestine Legal on behalf of 18 UMass students, accuses the university of failing to act against harassment of pro-Palestinian students for months despite repeated notice, and of retaliating against pro-Palestinian demonstrators by arresting them and posting their names and home addresses on the UMass Police Department website.

The Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights (OCR) opened a formal investigation last week of the student complaint, which alleges violations of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

The civil rights office previously opened an investigation of UMass over its handling of two alleged antisemitic incidents, including one in which pro-Palestinian students cornered and harassed a Jewish reporter.

That complaint was filed by Zachary Marschall, editor-in-chief of Campus Reform.

UMass spokesperson Edward Blaguszewski said in a statement that the civil rights office notified the university of that investigation on Feb. 26, though UMass has not seen the complaint.

The civil rights office notified UMass on April 16 of its investigation in response to the complaint filed by Palestine Legal, though it did not identify the complainant.

“The University of Massachusetts Amherst does not tolerate discrimination based on national origin,” Blaguszewski said in the statement.

“Additionally, the university has condemned hatred in all forms, writing that ‘Antisemitism, Islamophobia or any form of bigotry have no place in our community, and we are committed to ensuring that our community’s engagement with opposing viewpoints is maintained in a respectful manner.’”

He said the university would cooperate fully with the investigations.

“In our experience, an OCR inquiry can be an extended process,” he said.

Reported harassment

The Palestine Legal complaint says harassment of the students included racial slurs, death threats and assault, as well as social media targeting.

Despite “clear and repeated notice,” the complaint states, neither Chancellor Javier Reyes nor any other member of the university administration has “issued any statement explicitly condemning the anti-Palestinian and anti-Arab behavior that has gone unchecked on campus.”

“This silence stands in stark contrast to a message issued immediately in response to an alleged anti-Israel incident on campus,” the complaint claims.

The complaint details reports of hate speech as far back as Oct. 9, when a UMass student began showing up at pro-Palestinian protests and shouting threats such as “Kill all Arabs.” The same student allegedly attempted to run over protesters with an electric scooter while playing audio of bombs exploding, and had to be restrained by security.

The hostility quickly spread to social media, from accounts using “umass” or “amherst” in the handle, leading to the protesters’ names and personal details being shared on the Canary Mission site, a blacklisting operation that targets students and professors critical of Israeli policies.

This “doxxing” took place at the same time as three Palestinian college students were shot in Burlington, Vermont, the complaint asserts.

Despite efforts by the university’s Equal Opportunity and Access office to investigate multiple complaints, UMass never effectively addressed the hostile environment, the complaint alleges.

As a result of the pervasive harassment, many of the targeted students stopped attending classes and experienced difficulty completing classwork, according to the complaint.

Palestine Legal did not respond to an email message seeking comment Thursday.

The Boston Globe reported this week that a growing number of schools, including Harvard University, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Middlebury College are being probed by the Office for Civil Rights following the Oct. 7 Hamas-led attack and Israel’s subsequent military assault on Gaza.

Demonstrations and sit-ins have continued to roil U.S. university and college campuses as the devastation in Gaza has continued. The conflict has destroyed two cities and killed an estimated 34,000 in the coastal enclave, where hundreds of thousands are now contending with starvation.

Police arrested 108 people Thursday at an encampment at Emerson College in Boston. Students at Smith College occupied the administration building for almost two weeks in March and April, and continue to demand divestment from weapons manufacturers supplying the Israeli offensive.

James Pentland can be reached at jpentland@gazettenet.com.