A group of over 70 U.S. lawmakers, including both Republicans and Democrats, is calling for the removal of presidents from three top universities—Harvard, the University of Pennsylvania, and MIT. The demand comes after dissatisfaction with their testimony at a hearing on antisemitism. The presidents faced criticism for their handling of clashes between pro-Israel and pro-Palestinian groups on campuses since the October 7 attack by Hamas on Israel.
The lawmakers, led by Representative Elise Stefanik and Representative Jared Moskowitz, accuse the university presidents of lacking moral clarity and enabling double standards and dehumanization of Jewish communities. The presidents in question are Liz Magill of Penn, Claudine Gay of Harvard, and Sally Kornbluth of MIT. The letter warns that failure to remove them could be seen as complicity in an antisemitic posture.
During the hearing, the university presidents faced questions about their codes of conduct regarding antisemitic speech. They received criticism for not giving a clear “yes” or “no” response to whether calling for the genocide of Jews would violate their schools’ codes of conduct on bullying and harassment. Video clips of the exchange went viral, leading to increased calls for the resignation of Magill and Gay.
Magill later apologized for not emphasizing the severity of advocating genocide, stating that a call for genocide of Jewish people is threatening. Gay also apologized, acknowledging that she got caught up in a combative exchange and should have reaffirmed Harvard’s commitment against violence towards the Jewish community. MIT’s Executive Committee expressed full support for Kornbluth, citing her work in addressing antisemitism and other forms of hate.
Since the October 7 attack and Israel’s counterattack on Gaza, incidents of antisemitism and Islamophobia, including violence, have reportedly surged in the U.S. and elsewhere. The universities involved have not yet responded to the lawmakers’ letter.
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