Sen. Cicarella Calls for AG Tong to investigate possible civil rights violations

HARTFORD – Senior Deputy Senate Republican Leader Paul Cicarella (R-North Haven), member of the Judiciary Committee, Thursday urged Connecticut Attorney General William Tong to investigate possible civil rights violations at Yale University, where pro-Palestinian protesters allegedly blocked Jewish students from accessing Beinecke Plaza and directed insults at them.

“Over the past days, there have been multiple reports and videos on social media that have surfaced depicting harassment and intimidation of Jewish students on Yale’s campus at the hands of agitators. Yale’s administration has gone on to revoke the status of the student protest group involved. It is clear that this is a problem. Attorney General Tong has a history of taking legal action on a wide range of issues, and launching investigations on matters less egregious than what we saw this week at Yale. If Jewish students were harassed or blocked from moving freely on Yale’s campus, then it is the Attorney General’s duty to act decisively. He has the opportunity to send a clear message that hate and harassment will not be tolerated,” he said.

In 2021, the legislature adopted legislation (PA 21-128) pushed by Attorney General Tong that, among other provisions, allows his office to “investigate, intervene in, or bring a civil or administrative action” whenever any person has engaged in conduct that:

• Subjects other persons to the deprivation of any rights, privileges or immunities secured by the constitutions or laws of this state or the United States; or
• Interferes, or attempts to interfere, by threats, intimidation or coercion, with the exercise or enjoyment by other persons of any rights, privileges or immunities secured by the constitutions or laws of this state or the United States.