In the aftermath of global outrage and condemnation, Claudine Gay, the President of Harvard University, has ‘apologised’ for refusing to condemn the calls for the genocide of Jews on the varsity campus.
In an interview with Harvard Crimson on December 8, Gay said, “I am sorry. Words matter. When words amplify distress and pain, I don’t know how you could feel anything but regret.”
She further claimed that she failed to convey her “truth” that calls for violence against Jews has no place in Harvard. “I got caught up in what had become at that point, an extended, combative exchange about policies and procedures. What I should have had the presence of mind to do at that moment was return to my guiding truth, which is that calls for violence against our Jewish community — threats to our Jewish students — have no place at Harvard, and will never go unchallenged. Substantively, I failed to convey what is my truth,” Gay said.
Ironically, Gay expressed her pleasure to attend the hearing and answer questions from the House Committee on Education and the Workforce members. She said that hearing was an opportunity to convey the depth of both my personal commitment and the institutional commitment to combating antisemitism.” However, while conveying her ‘commitment to combating antisemitism, Gay ended up contextualising calls for genocide against Jews.
Meanwhile, Congresswoman Elise Stefanik slammed Claudine Gay over her ‘apology’ saying that she had asked Gay seventeen times whether calling for the genocide of Jews violates Harvard’s code of conduct, and the world heard her ‘truth’.
“No, Dr. Gay. You were given an opportunity to speak your truth. And you did. Not once. Not twice Not 5x. Not 10x I asked you 17x(!!!) in the hearing about whether calling for the genocide of Jews violates @Harvard code of conduct. You spoke your truth under oath 17x. And the world heard it,” Stefanik posted on X.
No, Dr. Gay.
— Elise Stefanik (@EliseStefanik) December 8, 2023
You were given an opportunity to speak your truth. And you did.
Not once.
Not twice
Not 5x.
Not 10x
I asked you 17x(!!!) in the hearing about whether calling for the genocide of Jews violates @Harvard code of conduct.
You spoke your truth under oath 17x. And…
In another X post, Stefanik announced that she along with 72 other Congress representatives have penned a bipartisan letter to the authorities seeking the dismissal of the presidents of Harvard, the University of Pennsylvania and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).
I am proud to lead a bipartisan letter with @RepMoskowitz and 72 of our colleagues to the members of the Governing Boards of @Harvard, @MIT, and @Penn demanding that their presidents be removed after this week's @EdWorkforceCmte hearing.
— Rep. Elise Stefanik (@RepStefanik) December 8, 2023
Read the full letter here. pic.twitter.com/IOPpNdNh34
“…Given this moment of crisis, we demand that your boards immediately remove each of these presidents from their positions and that you provide an actionable plan to ensure that Jewish and Israeli students, teachers, and faculty are safe on your campuses. Anything less than these steps will be seen as your endorsement of what Presidents Gay, Magill, and Kornbluth said to Congress and an act of complicity in their antisemitic posture. The world is watching – you can stand with your Jewish students and faculty, or you can choose the side of dangerous antisemitism,” the letter reads.
In the face of global denunciation over refusing to condemn calls for violence against the Jewish people, the presidents of Harvard and UPenn on December 7 issued ‘clarification‘ backtracking from contextualising the genocide calls. The ‘clarification’ came right after the White House slammed statements of Harvard and UPenn presidents.
Meanwhile, truck billboards reading “Fire Liz” were seen in Philadelphia on Thursday seeking the removal of UPenn president Liz Magill after the controversy. Two privately-funded trucks are circling the University of Pennsylvania campus on streets such as Walnut and Spruce, while making pit stops at popular spots for students like the Penn bookstore. The trucks also show photos of the Jewish victims who have been killed or taken hostage by Hamas, Fox News reported.
Notably, the controversy erupted on 5th December, during the first hearing on “Holding Campus Leaders Accountable and Confronting Antisemitism” in Washington, DC. As reported earlier, Congresswoman Elise Stefanik confronted the Presidents of Harvard, MIT, and UPenn during the hearing over the issue of rising cases of antisemitism on their campuses. During the hearing, Harvard University President Claudine Gay, MIT University President Sally Kornbluth, and UPenn President Elizabeth Magill refused to condemn the calls for the genocide of Jews on their respective campuses as bullying and harassment, when asked to offer a simple “yes” or “no” answer on whether advocating for the murder of Jews would violate the University’s bullying and harassment policies.
