Harvard president Claudine Gay addresses backlash from student groups' statement
Harvard president Claudine Gay issued a more forceful message Thursday evening as the university faces backlash following student groups' statement blaming Israel for Hamas' attacks.
A Jewish student group hired an airplane to fly a banner around Harvard University’s Cambridge, Massachusetts campus this week as a rebuke of the antisemitic demonstrations on campus and the hesitancy of administrators to condemn them since Hamas’ Oct. 7 terror attack on Israel.
"Harvard with Hamas," a student group organized to call out the recent wave of antisemitism on campus, claimed responsibility for the "Harvard Hates Jews" banner that could be seen in the skies above campus on Thursday, towed by a small plane.
The banner featured the words in black alongside a large Palestinian flag. According to a statement from the group, its aerial campaign "seeks to respond to the runaway antisemitism on the campus and the shocking support for Hamas terrorism and rape obscenely vocalized by Harvard faculty and students following the Oct. 7th massacre in Israel."
Jewish Harvard students hired a plane towing the banner "Harvard Hates Jews" to fly around campus this week as a rebuke to antisemitic students and administrators hesitant to condemn them. (Pat Greenhouse/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)
In the statement, an anonymous student added, "The American college campuses have become toxic dumps filled with Jew hatred and anti-Israel violence."
Images of the plane quickly made waves on social media.
The banner’s appearance also came one day after President Claudine Gay’s controversial testimony in Congress on Tuesday.
During a House Committee on Education & the Workforce hearing into "rampant antisemitism" on Ivy League campuses, including Harvard, MIT and others, Gray was hesitant to say that calling for "intifada," or genocide of the Jewish people, was against her school’s code of conduct.
In response to a question from Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., Gay said, "We embrace a commitment to free expression, even of that are objectionable, offensive, hateful. It's when that speech crosses into conduct that violates our policies against bullying."
After being asked whether calling for intifada reaches the standard for bullying, Gay simply stated, "We embrace a commitment to free expression and give a wide berth to free expression, even of views that are objectionable."
Dr. Claudine Gay, President of Harvard University, Liz Magill, President of University of Pennsylvania, Dr. Pamela Nadell, Professor of History and Jewish Studies at American University, and Dr. Sally Kornbluth, President of Massachusetts Institute of Technology, testify before the House Education and Workforce Committee at the Rayburn House Office Building on December 05, 2023 in Washington, DC. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)
Gay’s responses prompted prominent figures to call for her to step down from her job. Billionaire Bill Ackman posted to X, demanding that Gay and the other Ivy League presidents present at the hearing "all resign in disgrace."
In its statement, Harvard With Hamas accused the school of going against its own mission, saying, "Harvard’s logo ‘veritas’ is the Latin word for ‘truth’ and the banner flown over Harvard skies reveals the painful truth behind the reality of this institution today: what was once the symbol of dignity and tolerance, has sunk deep into an oblivion of hatred and lies."
It also criticized Gay by name, stating, "This rise of antisemitism has been either ignored or even endorsed by the universities' leaderships, as was witnessed at the Congressional hearing held on December 5th, in Washington, DC, during which Harvard President Claudine Gay refused to answer the question, of whether calls for genocide against Jews will be considered a violation of the University’s code of conduct."
"Jewish students nationwide felt threatened and abandoned by Gay’s lack of response," it said.
In the two months since Hamas’ murderous rampage in Israel, various pro-Palestinian and anti-Jewish student groups have held demonstrations condemning Israel’s treatment of the Palestinian people. Many of these rallies have been accused of showcasing "undisguised calls for the murder of Jews."
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Harvard University did not immediately reply to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
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