Interim Harvard President Alan M. Garber Slams ‘Pernicious’ Campus Antisemitism

Interim Harvard President Alan M. Garber Slams ‘Pernicious’ Campus Antisemitism

Garber is apparently determined to not repeat the mistakes of Claudine Gay.

The Harvard Crimson reports:

Harvard President Garber Slams ‘Pernicious’ Campus Antisemitism

Interim University President Alan M. Garber ’76 pledged to tackle “pernicious” antisemitism on Harvard’s campus, saying he is most concerned about self-censorship in the face of anti-Israel attacks in an interview Wednesday — his first since assuming office on Jan. 2.

“What I have found the most disturbing of all are situations or experiences students describe where they have felt they could not speak in class because there are attacks on Israel or maybe Israelis,” Garber said. “They feel unsupported in contradicting them.”

Garber did not answer repeated questions about whether his administration would consider instituting a speech code for Harvard classrooms. But in a follow-up statement, Garber wrote that he did not support speech codes.

In the interview, Garber said he “strongly favors free speech,” but added that there “needs to be a discussion about what are the limits.”

“Can antisemitic attacks take the form of attacks against Israel?” Garber asked. “The answer is yes, that is possible.”

Controversy surrounding free speech and antisemitism featured prominently in the last three months of former Harvard President Claudine Gay’s tenure. In her widely criticized Dec. 5 congressional testimony, when asked if calling for the genocide of Jewish people would violate Harvard’s code of conduct, Gay said it depended on the context.

Garber’s remarks stand in contrast to some of Gay’s answers last semester about antisemitism on campus and suggest the current administration could take a markedly different approach to addressing antisemitism.

The University recently clarified its policies on speech and dissent in a Jan. 19 email to Harvard affiliates. The email made clear that protests in libraries, dining halls, residences, and classrooms without prior reservation violated Harvard’s policies. Outdoor protests were permitted provided that they don’t block pedestrian walkways or interfere with the University’s operations.

Garber said that a “prominent manifestation” of antisemitism on campus for the newly-formed task force to address is “social shunning.”

“You can’t necessarily just apply techniques of preventing violence or vandalism,” he said. “It’s a different set of issues.”

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