By: Harold Hutchison, Daily Caller News Foundation
Harvard University was slammed on X, formerly known as Twitter, after it clarified comments made by its president during a House hearing.
Claudine Gay issued the clarification in a statement posted on X Wednesday, a day after she was grilled by Republican Rep. Elise Stefanik about antisemitic actions on the university’s campus, including chants of “from the river to the sea,” a slogan which has connotations of wiping out Israel. Gay refused to say whether action would be taken against students or applicants for chanting the slogan, saying speech would not be punished, unless it devolved into violence and bullying.
“There are some who have confused a right to free expression with the idea that Harvard will condone calls for violence against Jewish students,” Gay said in the statement posted on X. “Let me be clear: Calls for violence or genocide against the Jewish community, or any religious or ethnic group are vile, they have no place at Harvard, and those who threaten our Jewish students will be held to account.”
Users on X quickly tore into Gay and the university.
“As a Harvard alum, I say this with all due respect: F*@k Harvard!” Newsweek columnist Caroline Glick posted in response to the statement.
“Change your name to Hamas University and be done with it,” talk show host Dave Rubin said in a post.
Gay herself also took heat from the posts on social media.
“Weird how Claudine Gay was clearly asked to condemn this like 9 times under oath yesterday and wouldn’t do it,” Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy posted. “But now after mass outrage suddenly she issues a statement. And @Harvard says we’re the confused ones? #fuckharvard #harvard #ClaudineGay”
The CEO of Pfizer blasted Gay’s statement and her congressional testimony.
“I was ashamed to hear the recent testimony of 3 top university presidents. In my personal opinion, it was one of the most despicable moments in the history of U.S. academia,” Albert Bourla posted. “The 3 Presidents were offered numerous opportunities to condemn racist, antisemitic, hate rhetoric and refused doing so hiding behind calls for ‘context.’”
“The memories of my father’s parents, Abraham and Rachel Bourla, his brother David and his little sister Graciela, who all died in Auschwitz, came to mind,” Bourla continued. “I was wondering if their deaths would have provided enough ‘context’ to these presidents to condemn the Nazis’ antisemitic propaganda.”
