Elite college presidents hit with backlash over ‘unacceptable’ remarks on ‘genocide of Jews’
University presidents scrambled to include the public-relations catastrophe created by their waffling on whether or not calling for the “genocide of Jews” would break campus guidelines, however the injury could have already been accomplished.
The House Education and Workforce Committee launched a proper investigation Thursday into Harvard, the University of Pennsylvania, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology as calls intensified for his or her presidents to resign following Tuesday’s listening to on campus antisemitism.
Chairwoman Virginia Foxx stated the testimony from Harvard President Claudine Gay, Penn President Liz Magill, and MIT President Sally Kornbluth “was absolutely unacceptable.”
“Committee members have deep concerns with their leadership and their failure to take steps to provide Jewish students the safe learning environment they are due under law,” she stated. “Given those institutional and personal failures, the committee is opening a formal investigation into the learning environments at Harvard, UPenn, and MIT and their policies and disciplinary procedures.”
The North Carolina Republican stated the investigation “will include substantial document requests, and the committee will not hesitate to utilize compulsory measures including subpoenas if a full response is not immediately forthcoming.”
Her announcement got here with the college leaders going through rising calls for to step down over their responses to quizzing by Rep. Elise Stefanik, New York Republican. They advised the lawmaker that whether or not campus protests demanding the “genocide of Jews” violate their conduct codes would rely on the context.
The listening to got here in response to ongoing pro-Palestinian and anti-Israel protests roiling school campuses for the reason that Oct. 7 assault by Hamas on Israeli civilians. Popular chants embody “globalize the intifada” and “long live the intifada,” which check with the violent overthrow of Israel.
“Disgusting that the presidents of Harvard, MIT, and UPenn refused to say that ‘calling for the genocide of Jews’ is considered harassment and bullying,” stated House Majority Leader Steve Scalise on X. “Let’s be clear: It is. This shouldn’t be hard for college presidents to say. Their hypocrisy is stunning. They should resign.”
Leading the resignation calls for was Ms. Stefanik, who was joined by the Republican National Committee, Virginia Lt. Gov. Winsome Sears, and former Trump official Richard Grenell, in addition to distinguished conservatives like Babylon Bee CEO Seth Dillon and Canadian psychologist Jordan B. Peterson.
By Thursday, the outrage had crossed celebration traces, with Democrats together with Sen. Kirsten E. Gillibrand of New York and Rep. Josh Gottheimer of New Jersey becoming a member of the requires the college heads to step down.
Meanwhile, the schools sought to mitigate the uproar over the listening to testimony — by offering context.
In a Wednesday assertion, Ms. Gay stated that some folks “have confused a right to free expression with the idea that Harvard will condone calls for violence against Jewish students.”
“Let me be clear: Calls for violence or genocide against the Jewish community, or any religious or ethnic group are vile, they have no place at Harvard, and those who threaten our Jewish students will be held to account,” she stated.
Ms. Magill sought to stroll again her testimony, saying in a Wednesday video message that she had been too centered on the college’s coverage that “speech alone is not punishable.”
“I was not focused on what I should have been: the irrefutable fact that a call for genocide of Jewish people is a call for some of the most terrible violence human beings can perpetrate. It’s evil, pure and simple,” she stated.
Not impressed was Ms. Stefanik, who referred to as it a “pathetic PR clean up attempt.”
Billionaire Harvard alum Bill Ackman stated the three presidents “must all resign in disgrace.”
“Why has antisemitism exploded on campus and around the world?” he requested on X. “Because of leaders like Presidents Gay, Magill and Kornbluth who believe genocide depends on the context.”
The uproar is already threatening Penn’s backside line. Ross Stevens, founder and CEO of Stone Ridge Management, advised the college in a Thursday letter that he’s withdrawing his $100 million pledge, saying he’s “appalled” by Penn’s stance on campus antisemitism.
The letter revealed by Axios stated the college’s “permissive approach to hate speech calling for violence against Jews and laissez faire attitude toward harassment and discrimination against Jewish students would violate any policies of rules that prohibit harassment and discrimination based on religion, including those of Stone Ridge.”
White House spokesperson Andrew Bates supplied no lifeline to the embattled college presidents.
“It’s unbelievable that this needs to be said: Calls for genocide are monstrous and antithetical to everything we represent as a country,” Mr. Bates stated in a press release, as reported by The Associated Press.
He added that “[a]ny statements that advocate for the systematic murder of Jews are dangerous and revolting — and we should all stand firmly against them, on the side of human dignity and the most basic values that unite us as Americans.”
Jewish teams condemning the college president’s statements embody the Zionist Organization of America, which stated the plain reply to Ms. Stefanik’s questions ought to have been “yes.”
“But, incredibly and shockingly, none of those university presidents took a stand against calling for the annihilation of all Jews, even after Congresswoman Stefanik gave them multiple opportunities to do so,” stated ZOA President Morton Klein. “Magill, Gay and Kornbluth should all resign or be fired immediately. They demonstrated antisemitic and anti-American bigotry. Jews have civil rights too. Jewish lives matter.”
Ms. Foxx warned that different universities may discover themselves beneath House scrutiny.
“The disgusting targeting and harassment of Jewish students is not limited to these institutions, and other universities should expect investigations as well, as their litany of similar failures has not gone unnoticed,” she stated.
