American University - Anti-Semitism allegations: Harvard president resigns
After just six months in office, the president of the elite US university Harvard, Claudine Gay, is stepping down. The decision follows allegations of plagiarism and fierce criticism of a hearing in the US Congress, at which Gay and two other university presidents defended themselves against accusations that they had not done enough to combat anti-Semitism on campus. As a result, the president of the University of Pennsylvania had already resigned.
"It is with a heavy heart, but out of deep love for Harvard, that I announce that I will be stepping down as President," US media quoted Gay as saying in a letter to the university community. The decision had not been easy for her, but was in the "best interests of Harvard". As the university newspaper "Harvard Crimson" reported, a temporary replacement has already been appointed.
Testimony at hearing caused great outrage
Since the attack on Israel by the Islamist Hamas on October 7, the dispute over the conflict in the Middle East has also erupted at universities and schools in the USA. At the beginning of December, the Republican-led Education Committee in the US Congress summoned the presidents of Harvard, the University of Pennsylvania and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).
All three admitted to anti-Semitic and Islamophobic incidents at their universities during the hearing. One scene in particular caused great outrage: when asked whether "calling for the genocide of Jews" at their universities violated guidelines on bullying and harassment, Gay did not answer "yes" or "no", but said: "It can be, depending on the context."
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Source: www.stern.de
