In response to a planned university student fundraiser designed to financially back the “Lebanese resistance,” U.S. Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division Harmeet Dhillon announced the launch of a federal investigation into the University of Washington’s handling of campus antisemitism.

The federal probe was triggered by an April 21 event organized by Students United for Palestinian Equality & Return University of Washington (SUPER UW). The group’s promotional materials explicitly called on supporters to “materially support” the so-called Lebanese resistance, a term widely understood to reference the Iran-backed Hezbollah terror organization.

Condemning the event and the university’s environment, Dhillon issued a forceful public statement: “Tomorrow, a student group—SUPER UW—is holding a fundraising event for the ‘Lebanese resistance.’ This group has a history of violent antisemitic activity on University of Washington’s campus. On Friday, I authorized a Civil Rights investigation of UW’s handling of antisemitism!”

The federal intervention highlights a troubling escalation of radical, terror-affiliated activities on American college campuses. The SUPER UW event, scheduled at a Seattle interfaith community center, aimed to raise funds for “mutual aid in Lebanon” alongside a screening of a documentary that openly champions armed violence against Israel.

The alarming nature of the fundraiser is compounded by the student group’s deeply entrenched ties to international terror networks. SUPER UW operates in close coordination with the Tariq El-Tahrir Student Network, the youth arm of a political group directly linked to the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) and Samidoun, a known terror-funding proxy.

Recent reports indicate that SUPER UW has facilitated direct connections between Seattle university students and recognized terrorists. During a recent online seminar series co-hosted by the group, students were addressed by Osman Bilal, a reported Hamas operative linked to a lethal bombing attack, who urged attendees that “armed struggle” and “violent work” must be employed to serve their cause. Another speaker included Khaled Barakat, an alleged member of the PFLP, a US-designated foreign terror group.

Despite this documented history of coordinating with terror operatives and engaging in aggressive campus disruptions, the university administration has shown leniency toward the group’s members. Last year, SUPER UW was responsible for an estimated $1 million in property damage during a building occupation inspired by the October 7 Hamas terror attacks.

While the university initially suspended 21 students and barred them from campus for their roles in the siege, officials confirmed recently that the suspended individuals have been quietly reinstated.