Auchincloss and Moulton are not buying Harvard president’s free speech claims

Harvard president Claudine Gay as well as MIT’s and University of Pennsylvania’s presidents faced questions from U.S. Rep. Elise Stefanik, a Republican from New York, about whether calling for genocide of Jews violates school policy on bullying and harassment. 

“It can be, depending on the context,” Gay responded. Answers from UPenn’s Liz Magill and MIT’s Sally Kornbluth similarly drew sharp criticism. 

Some have even called for the resignation of all three presidents. 

The testimonies given by the three presidents had to strike a delicate balance that acknowledged a rise in both antisemitism and Islamophobia, but that also legally supported free speech on their campuses. But those watching felt the campus leaders missed the mark when it came to distinguishing campus free speech from antisemitic hate speech.

Auchincloss and Moulton put out a joint statement, specifically calling out Harvard’s hypocrisy when it comes to supporting free speech. 

“Harvard ranks last out of 248 universities for support of free speech,” the statement said. “But when it comes to denouncing antisemitism, suddenly the university has anxieties about the First Amendment. It rings hollow.”