 "'Depends on the context': 10 Memes that shamed Harvard, Penn and MIT for being equivocal on antisemitism")
US Congress has launched a probe into anti-Semitism at three top universities - Harvard, the University of Pennsylvania and MIT, but social media is also on rage, expressing their anger over these schools which have allegedly failed to tackle the “rampant antisemitism” on their campuses after the Hamas’ 7 October attack on Israel and the subsequent Israeli invasion of Gaza. The presidents of all these three universities have been facing backlash over their testimony Tuesday on rising antisemitism on campus since the 7 October Hamas attack. The investigation has been launched by the Education Committee after the leaders of these three universities quibbled over whether student protests calling for the genocide of Jews amounted to harassment and violated the policies of the varsity. Representative Elise Stefanik, Republican of New York said the Education Committee is launching an official Congressional investigation that will include substantial document requests and compulsory measures including subpoenas to those universities and others.
🚨🚨🚨After this week’s unacceptable testimony from presidents of @Penn @Harvard, and @MIT, the Education Committee is launching an official Congressional investigation that will include substantial document requests and compulsory measures including subpoenas to those…
— Rep. Elise Stefanik (@RepStefanik) December 7, 2023
“We will use our full congressional authority to hold these schools accountable for their failure on the global stage,” Stefanik said in a statement. Elizabeth Magill of Penn University, Claudine Gay of Harvard and Sally Kornbluth of MIT were pressed during a hearing in the House of Representatives, earlier this week, on whether pro-Palestinian and anti-Israel student activists calling for “Jewish genocide” violated their codes of conduct on harassment but all three equivocated, claiming it would depend on the context. All these three universities have made headlines for speech and actions on campus that a range of critics have called antisemitic or inappropriate. These three universities have been facing massive backlash on social media.
Congratulations to @Columbia for updating their logo pic.twitter.com/pjOCAPv9FR
— Dr. Eli David (@DrEliDavid) December 7, 2023
Congratulations to @Harvard for updating their logo pic.twitter.com/yzpm0q8oU1
— Dr. Eli David (@DrEliDavid) December 7, 2023
The faces of academic antisemitism pic.twitter.com/PL6k2CiQrr
— Dr. Eli David (@DrEliDavid) December 8, 2023
Impact Shorts
More ShortsHigher education at @Harvard, @Penn, and @MIT pic.twitter.com/kuOX9cw4DO
— Dr. Eli David (@DrEliDavid) December 8, 2023
.@Harvard president: “it really depends on the context” pic.twitter.com/7lYM9IU8mi
— Dr. Eli David (@DrEliDavid) December 7, 2023
Well, yeah, but it really depends on the context. pic.twitter.com/1Q1oh9raTq
— Elad Simchayoff (@Elad_Si) December 6, 2023
“Well, yeah, but it really depends on the context” pic.twitter.com/N6GdEjwEyO
— Georgia Leigha Gilholy (@llggeorgia) December 6, 2023
Harvard's president Claudine Gay admits some sayings are openly calling to the genocide of the Jews but when asked if it okay to use them in demonstrations and activities on campus she answered it depends
— Ella Kenan (@EllaTravelsLove) December 5, 2023
on the context.
Really? calls for genocide against an ethnicity are ok,… pic.twitter.com/s62ZwtGgnK
Harvard University Penn State University well. If you loose your morals. You deserve the public criticism & shame.
— zero waste israel 🇮🇱 (@IsraelZerowaste) December 6, 2023
I know how it might look with the mustache and all that but “it depends on the context” 🖕🏻🇮🇱 pic.twitter.com/YgAOn1zGlG
Depends on the context, indeed. pic.twitter.com/6GVYlsaZsw
— Anti Oppression (@iKhaldoon) December 8, 2023
During a five-hour hearing, the presidents of these universities told Stefanik that calling for the genocide of Jews would only violate their schools’ rules if it led to individuals being bullied. Stefanik, who studied at Harvard, has called for the president to resign. The president of Harvard University sought to clarify her comments Wednesday, arguing in a statement that critics were confusing “a right to free expression with the idea that Harvard will condone calls for violence against Jewish students.” During the hearing, Stefanik asked Gay directly whether “calling for the genocide of Jews” is against the code of conduct at Harvard. She pointedly refused to answer affirmatively, saying, “When speech crosses into conduct, we take action.” Penn president Magill also refused to give a straight answer when asked by Stefanik on Tuesday whether calling for the genocide of Jews constitutes bullying or harassment at the university. “It is a context-dependent decision,” Magill responded, leading Stefanik to reply, “Calling for the genocide of Jews is dependent on the context? That is not bullying or harassment? This is the easiest question to answer ‘yes,’ Ms. Magill.” Magill later said in a video statement that she should have been focused on 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.” MIT president Sally Kornbluth, who did not issue a clarifying statement, said Tuesday that language calling for genocide of Jews would only be “investigated as harassment if pervasive and severe.” The backlash to the hearing has been bipartisan, with the White House joining the condemnation. “It’s unbelievable that this needs to be said: calls for genocide are monstrous and antithetical to everything we represent as a country,” a spokesman for President Joe Biden said in a statement. Virginia Foxx, the education committee’s chairwoman, warned that other universities should expect to be caught up in the investigation. With inputs from agencies
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