Republicans want to know – is Harvard for or against genocide?

Appearing before the Republican-led House Committee on Education and the Workforce last Tuesday, the heads of three of the top universities in the US were asked what their universities were doing with students who are calling for the genocide of Jews.

None of them found it an easy question. The president of Harvard University faced immediate calls for her resignation from her Republican interrogator after answering: “that depends on the context”.

Impartial
Since the war between Israel and Hamas flared up in October, education administrators – including in the Netherlands – have been treading carefully. Educational institutions prefer to remain impartial, by condemning violence on both sides, for example.

The problem is that neutrality is often seen as siding with the opponent. The president of Harvard University, Claudine Gay, also tried to navigate through the hearing while presenting herself as impartial, and was joined in this by her fellow university presidents from MIT and the University of Pennsylvania (UPenn) . They evaded the questions put to them by Republican congressional members.

That went well until they were asked whether their universities drew a line at calls for the genocide of Jews. Republican congresswoman Elise Stefano wanted a straightforward yes or no from the university heads, but received no such answer.

Slogan
The presidents might be considering that there is some uncertainty regarding what exactly constitutes a call for genocide. Harvard Magazine reports that pro-Palestinian protesters there also regularly use the slogan ‘from the river to the sea’. For some, this slogan is a cry for freedom while others see it as a call for genocide.

For Republicans, there is no question that the university presidents’ attempts to remain impartial is tantamount to antisemitism. Their performance before the House Committee on Education and the Workforce has drawn rising criticism and calls for their resignation are increasing. The White House, normally a progressive ally of universities, made it crystal clear that it would always take action against employees calling for genocide.

Harvard President Claudine Gay has meanwhile issued a new statement on X (formerly Twitter) in which she clarifies that those who threaten Jewish students will be held to account. Whether this will allow her to save her own position remains to be seen.

HOP, Olmo Linthorst