The presidents of Ivy League universities, Harvard, the University of Pennsylvania, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, have come under fire for their statements on antisemitism. They angered social media users with their remarks during a congressional hearing on antisemitism.
The school leaders answered some questions about rising antisemitism on their campuses before the House Education and Workforce Committee. However, their responses sparked outrage on social media, and the leaders were criticized intensely.
The university leaders said there was a fine line between protecting free speech and allowing protests while combating antisemitism. During the hearing, the committee asked MIT President Sally Kornbluth a question.
They asked her whether calling for the genocide of Jews violates the university’s codes of conduct regarding bullying and harassment. “If targeting individuals, not making public statements,” Kornbluth replied.
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When asked again, Kornbluth said she had not heard calls for the genocide of Jews on campus. “But you’ve heard chants for intifada,” Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y) said, referencing the Arabic word for “uprising” or “shaking off.”
According to reports, Palestinians use the term to describe periods of resistance against Israel, often in the form of terrorism. Kornblurth replied, saying they “have heard chants which can be antisemitic.”
However, she added that it depends on the context “when calling for the elimination of the Jewish people.” In addition, Kornblurth noted that such incidents would be investigated as harassment if found to be “pervasive and severe.”
When asked the same question, UPenn President Elizabeth Magill also said the same thing. Magill told Congress that if the speech turned into conduct, it would be considered harassment.
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Similarly, Harvard President Claudine Gay disavowed antisemitism and Islamophobia on her campus. However, the university leaders acknowledged that instances of both had taken place since the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel.
Gay said, “As Harvard’s president, I am personally responsible for confronting antisemitism with the urgency it demands.” In addition, Republicans questioned the colleges’ record in combating antisemitism. They also asked about their work on diversity, equity, and inclusion issues.
However, social media users met the responses from the university leaders with outrage. Barstool Sports owner and founder David Portnoy released a lengthy statement on the testimony on his website.
He revealed that he “couldn’t keep his mouth shut” after watching the video from Congress. In addition, Portnoy said the responses from the university presidents left him “speechless” and “irate.”
“I think we should MURDER the deans of MIT, Harvard, and Penn and their entire families, too.” Portnoy wrote. “How about that? I doubt they’d love people chanting that.” In addition, Portnoy said the video made him want to puke. He also suggested that no minority would face such a situation without the perpetrators being kicked out or jailed.
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Also, Bill Ackman, CEO of Pershing Square, expressed his displeasure over the response from university leaders. Ackman said the responses could be “the most extraordinary testimony ever elicited in the Congress.”
Ackman said their answers reflect the “profound educational, moral and ethical failures that pervade certain of our elite educational institutions.” He wrote on X that the failure is mainly due to their “failed leadership.” In conclusion, Ackman urged the presidents to “resign in disgrace.”
The owner of X, Elon Musk, also expressed his disappointment in the testimony. He wrote on X, “Let me help them out here: Calling for the genocide (death of anyone constitutes harassment.”
Speaking about his alma mater, Musk said UPenn was “not like this” when he attended. However, following the outrage, the presidents retracted their remarks. They also said they should have gone further to condemn hate against Jewish students.
Do you think these Ivy League presidents should resign?
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