Billionaire hedge fund manager Bill Ackman is calling on the presidents of three prestigious universities to “resign in disgrace” following his comments during a congressional hearing on Tuesday.
The Harvard alumnus was angry at his alma mater’s leader, Claudine Gay, along with the University of Pennsylvania’s Liz Magill and Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) president Sally Kornbluth, for failing to denounce the anti-Semitic protests that have taken place on their campuses.
“In short, they said, ‘It depends on the context’ and ‘whether speech turns into behavior,’ meaning actually killing Jews.” Ackman said in a post on. “This may be the most extraordinary testimony ever obtained in Congress, certainly on the issue of genocide.”
Called before the House Education and Workforce Committee, the three university leaders were questioned about the rise in violent anti-Semitic demonstrations on their campuses since Hamas’ surprise attack on Israel on October 7 that killed more than 1,200 people.
Billionaire Bill Ackman is calling on the presidents of three prestigious universities to “resign in disgrace” following his comments during a congressional hearing on Tuesday. REUTERS Harvard President Claudine Gay speaks during a House Education Committee hearing on Capitol Hill Tuesday, Dec. 5, 2023. AP
The comments came after Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY) pressed the trio on whether students had the right to free speech “even as they called for mass murders of African Americans,” compared to protesters on campus who They called for a “global intifada.” ”against the Jews.
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Ackman went on to remind his followers of the definition of genocide as “the deliberate killing of a large number of people of a particular nation or ethnic group with the goal of destroying that nation or group.”
The founder of Pershing Square Capital said school leaders’ responses amplified universities’ failures.
The three university leaders were questioned about the increase in violent anti-Semitic demonstrations on their campuses since Hamas’ surprise attack on Israel on October 7, which killed more than 1,200 people. Getty Images representative Elise Stefanik pressed the trio on whether students had the right to free speech even as they called for “the mass murders of African Americans,” compared to protesters on campus calling for a “global intifada” against African Americans. Jews. @RepStefanik /X
“The presidents’ responses reflect the profound educational, moral and ethical failures prevalent at some of our elite educational institutions, due in large part to their failed leadership.”
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“Everyone must resign in disgrace,” Ackman said before adding that if it were a leader of one of his companies, they would be gone within the hour.
“Why has anti-Semitism exploded in universities and around the world? Because of leaders like Presidents Gay, Magill and Kornbluth who believe that genocide depends on context,” he added.
“To think that these are the leaders of Ivy League institutions who have the responsibility of educating the best and the brightest.”
Ackman applauded the politicians for the way they conducted the hearing, saying they showed “tremendous leadership and moral clarity in their statements” and that it was a “master class in how our government and our democracy should operate.”
The billionaire’s anger toward the three school leaders was heightened by their behavior as they sat in front of elected officials.
“Throughout the hearing, the three behaved like hostile witnesses, displaying deep disdain for Congress with their smiles and adamant refusal to answer basic questions with a yes or no.
Ackman said school leaders’ responses amplified the universities’ failures. AP Protesters hold a rally on October 14 in Cambridge, Massachusetts, to show support for the Palestinians following the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7. AFP via Getty Images Protesters participate in an “Emergency Rally: Support Palestinians under siege in Gaza” at Harvard University on October 14, 2023. REUTERS
Ackman has been a prominent figure in the fight against anti-Semitism in the United States since the start of the war between Israel and Hamas, calling for the release of the names of Harvard students who blamed Israel for the attack and the suspension of an editor from a Harvard student newspaper.
In November, Ackman called for the editor of the Harvard Law Review to face disciplinary action after he was caught on video blocking the path of an individual who allegedly supported Israel during a demonstration.
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