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Outgoing University of Pennsylvania President Liz Magill has been criticized and threatened for defending freedom of expression in statements related to allegations of “anti-Semitism” on campus.
The University of Pennsylvania was one of the places where reactions were raised within the United States of America to the Israeli aggression against Gaza strip.
University students interacted for weeks, demanding an end to the massacre against civilians in Gaza.
Reactions from some parties supporting Israel prompted the university’s president to be summoned to the US Congress, prompting Magill to resign from the university’s presidency, causing this incident to spark global controversy.
On December 5, the presidents of three leading American universities – Claudine Gay from Harvard University, Sally Kornbluth from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and Magill – testified at a hearing in the US Congress about the increase in anti-Semitism on university campuses, after the outbreak of the Israeli war on Gaza Strip. Gaza last October.
Congressional hearing
During the hearing before Congress, she explained that many conflicting speeches take place annually on campus within the scope of the academic curriculum and freedom of expression, but the university cannot prevent or censor them.
Asked by Republican Congresswoman Elise Stefanik whether “calling for the extermination of Jews” violates university rules, Magill responded, “If rhetoric turns into behavior, it could be harassment, yes.”
Referring to rising anti-Muslim sentiment, Magill said, “I know this session is focused on anti-Semitism, but as a university and community, we are currently facing another important problem. We are seeing an increase in harassment, intimidation, and threats against students, faculty, and staff because of their Muslim, Palestinian, or Arab identities.” Or viewed as such.”
The reactions against Magill were not limited to social media, but the pressure reached the point of threatening university donors to withdraw their donations.
Rose Stevens, founder and CEO of Stone Ridge Holdings Group, and a benefactor to the university, sent a letter to the university threatening the administration with the need to fire Magill or else Stone Ridge stock, worth up to $100 million, would be divested from the university.
For its part, The Washington Post pointed out in an article that the resignation of the president of the University of Pennsylvania sparked controversy about the limits of freedom of expression in the United States.
Many described Liz Magill’s resignation as a loss of freedom of expression, and predicted that she would jeopardize the rights of students and professors to express their opinions when donors and politicians step in to shape the rules of conduct and debate on campus.
Harvard university
The president of Harvard University, Claudine Gay, previously submitted her resignation on Sunday, due to her defense of the demonstrations on campus in support of Gaza.
More than 500 Harvard faculty members subsequently came together to support Gay, signing a petition calling for “the strongest possible resistance to political pressures that interfere with academic freedom at Harvard.”
