Washington: US President Donald Trump has signed executive orders targeting critical race theory and antisemitism on college campuses, calling for changes in how schools address race, sexuality, and discrimination.

Trump's new order demands that federal funding be withheld from schools teaching what he considers "critical race theory" and other materials related to race and sexuality. The order aims to stop what Trump describes as "indoctrination" in education, including "radical gender ideology." The executive order also stresses that civil rights laws barring discrimination based on race and sex will be used to enforce the ban.

“The federal government will not allow taxpayer money to fund the indoctrination of children with radical ideas,” Trump said. Critics, however, argue that the order stifles important conversations about race and racism. Trey Walk, a researcher with Human Rights Watch, stated, “Students have a right to learn about how discrimination can be entrenched in law and society.”

Plan to address antisemitism on college campuses

Trump also announced a separate plan to combat antisemitism at US colleges, vowing to prosecute offenders and revoke visas for international students found to be “Hamas sympathisers.” The order aims to marshal all federal resources to address antisemitic incidents and prosecute those involved in hate crimes or vandalism related to the Israel-Palestine conflict.

“We will protect law and order, quell pro-Hamas vandalism, and punish anti-Jewish racism in leftist, anti-American colleges and universities,” Trump said in his announcement. This plan has faced backlash from civil rights groups, who argue that it misrepresents peaceful campus protests as being linked to terrorism. Edward Ahmed Mitchell, deputy director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, criticised the order for wrongly labelling protesters as “pro-jihadist” or “pro-Hamas.”

Increased focus on education, protests

Tensions over the Israel-Hamas conflict have led to numerous campus protests, particularly pro-Palestinian demonstrations. Trump’s order also coincides with the Biden administration’s efforts to investigate antisemitism and Islamophobia at US schools following the October 7, 2023, Hamas attacks on Israel.

In addition to these actions, Trump’s administration reinstated the 1776 Commission to promote “patriotic education” in schools, reversing Biden’s decision to cancel it. The commission’s earlier guidance was criticised for downplaying America’s role in slavery and civil rights issues.

Agency