The joint letter was led by Elise Stefanik, the Republican chairwoman of the House Negotiation Committee, and signed by more than 70 mainly Republican members of the House of Representatives. The joint letter calls for the resignation of Harvard University President Claudine Gay, MIT President Sally Lornbluth and University of Pennsylvania President Elizabeth Magill.
Three days before the joint letter was issued, the U.S. House of Representatives Education Committee held a hearing on the recent surge in anti-Semitic speeches and activities on American college campuses, and invited Gay, Kornbluth and Magill, three presidents of top American universities, to attend the hearing. Testify.
After the conflict between Israel and Kazakhstan broke out, especially after Israel caused many civilian casualties during its crackdown on the Hamas armed forces entrenched in Gaza in retaliation for the large-scale bloody raids by Hamas militants on Israel, many university campuses in the United States There were massive anti-Semitic protests and demonstrations. Some people called for a “great uprising”, while others threatened to kill the Jews or even commit genocide against the Jews. Some people also severely criticized the US government’s policies and stance in supporting Israel.
Anti-Semitic remarks have certainly attracted great attention from all walks of life in the United States, including members of Congress. Also causing concern is the fact that some university leaders and governing bodies are turning a blind eye to anti-Semitic speech, claiming that as long as there is no action, those anti-Semitic calls still fall within the scope of free speech.
What particularly attracted attention was that when the three principals were repeatedly asked by Councilor Stefanik during the hearing whether anti-Semitic remarks on campus and even threats to exterminate Jews violated school regulations and codes of conduct, all three principals seemed to Playing with words, he repeatedly emphasized that one must look at the context in which remarks are made and whether they are accompanied by actions to determine whether they violate school rules and codes of conduct.
The three principals’ performance at the hearing sparked a backlash on social media, including within their respective schools. Stefanik also issued a statement, calling the performance of the three principals “pathetic and morally broken” and announcing a formal investigation of these three schools and other schools.
“In this time of crisis, we ask that your Board of Trustees immediately remove these presidents from their positions and come up with an actionable plan to ensure the safety of Jewish and Israeli students, faculty, and staff on campus,” said Stefan said the joint letter initiated by Nick.
“Any discounting of these measures would be viewed as an endorsement of Presidents Gay, Magill and Kornbluth’s statements to Congress and as complicit in their anti-Semitic stance,” the letter added.
The Harvard University newspaper pointed out in the report that Gay was severely criticized and criticized by all walks of life after the congressional hearing because he did not clearly state that the extermination of Jews violated Harvard’s rules and code of conduct. In an interview with the school newspaper Thursday, she began apologizing for the outrage over her congressional testimony.
“These efforts to condemn the Holocaust in a desperate bid to save their jobs are both too little and too late,” the letter said. “It shouldn’t take a public backlash or 24 hours of reflection to remember that calls for mass murder are unacceptable.”
The Harvard newspaper pointed out that a Harvard spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
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