The View’s Sunny Hostin DEFENDS Harvard, MIT and UPenn presidents for shocking remarks on college antisemitism and says calls for genocide ‘don’t break the law’
Sunny Hostin shocked the co-hosts of The View today by defending the controversial presidents of Harvard, UPenn and MIT for their comments on anti-Semitism, claiming that universities are powerless to act against calls for the genocide of Jews.
The three university leaders are facing increasing calls for their resignation over comments about anti-Semitism on campus yesterday.
While all three condemned anti-Semitism, they maintained that calls for genocide of Jewish people were not a violation of their codes of conduct and were therefore allowed.
Amid a boycott from donors and a wave of public backlash, Harvard President Claudine Gay today retracted her comments.
Hostin believes she was right to speak.
Sunny Hostin today defended the university presidents of UPenn, Harvard and MIT, saying they have no power to go beyond the law with their codes of conduct
Harvard President Claudine Gay yesterday at congressional hearing where she said calling for genocide of Jews does not violate the school's code of conduct
During a segment on the show today, she said their comments align with the First Amendment, which protects all forms of speech.
'Freedom of speech, many people may feel uncomfortable with it, the most heinous speech is the most protected speech. What you heard was them saying that it depends on the context: if someone shouts racist slurs at a crowd or calls for genocide in a public place, that is protected speech.
'The law protects that kind of language. In my opinion, college is the perfect place to have these uncomfortable places,” she said.
When co-host Alyssa Farah Griffith pointed out that universities can go “beyond” the law in their codes of acceptable behavior, Hostin claimed she was wrong.
'No, they can't. It cannot be contrary to the Constitution of the United States. The code of conduct must comply with the law,” Hostin joked.
When co-host Alyssa Farah Griffith pointed out that universities can go “beyond” the law in their codes of acceptable behavior, Hostin claimed she was wrong
Sara Haines said the schools' silence on the issue of anti-Semitism is “degrading.”
Whoopi Goldberg also condemned the university presidents. She said there is “no gray area” when it comes to threatening violence
She then used an argument that a KKK member did not go to jail for racist comments.
“The law is the law – many people don't understand the law,” she insisted.
Farah Griffith hit back: “This is about codes of conduct on campus, not the law. They can go much further.'
She described the congressional testimony as “the most stunning” she had ever heard.
“All three must resign,” Farah Griffith fumed.
Whoopi Goldberg, Joy Behar and Sara Haines also criticized the school presidents for their comments.
'These are students at school; this is not the government interfering with freedom of expression. There are examples of people being fired from their jobs without any due process, professors saying something that made a student feel uncomfortable.
Students protest for the liberation of Palestine 'by any means necessary' during a protest in New York on November 15
'We all responded quickly to this. The silence is deafening to me,” Haines said.
Comparing the abuse of Jewish students to discrimination against other races, Behar said, “These students should feel safe and not at the mercy of these attacks.
“I protested at the time, but we didn't intimidate anyone.”
Goldberg also condemned the leaders for their comments.
'There is no justification: it is or it is not. It's not gray. It's not a gray area.
“We have to figure out how to work [free speech] so that everyone is protected,” she said.
When asked whether declaring genocide against Jewish people constitutes bullying or intimidation, all three school leaders said yesterday that it depends on “the context.”
Gay said it would only lead to a violation of the rules if hate speech turned into “conduct.”
After strong backlash and a donor boycott, Gay released a statement today insisting she had been misunderstood.
“Some have confused the right to free speech with the idea that Harvard will condone calls for violence against Jewish students.
“Let me be clear: Calls for violence or genocide against the Jewish community, or any religious or ethnic group, are despicable, they have no place at Harvard, and those who threaten our Jewish students will be held accountable,” he said. she.
Neither UPenn nor MIT corrected their president's comments.
It came as the White House joined in condemning the women's comments.
'It is unbelievable that this has to be said: the call for genocide is monstrous and contradicts everything we stand for as a country.
“Any statements that advocate the systematic murder of Jews are dangerous and abhorrent – and we must all strongly oppose them, on the side of human dignity and the most fundamental values that unite us as Americans,” said deputy press secretary of the White House, Andrew Bates. said in a statement.