Harvard President Claudine Gay to resign after antisemitism hearing

Harvard President Claudine Gay will step down after her remarks at a US Congressional hearing sparked a fierce backlash that she was condoning anti-semitism and increasing scrutiny over plagiarism accusations.

Gay’s resignation comes after the university governing body decided to keep her on as President. However, she faced pressure from high-powered donors and politicians to resign.

Gay was one of three top university presidents, along with Liz Magill of the University of Pennsylvania and Sally Kornbluth of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, to testify at a congressional hearing on antisemitism on 5 December.

In an exchange with Republican Congresswoman Elise Stefanik that went viral, all three presidents evaded directly answering whether calling for the genocide of Jews violated their schools' bullying and harassment policies.

“It can be, depending on the context,” said Magill, adding shortly after that “antisemitic rhetoric, when it crosses into conduct that amounts to bullying, harassment, intimidation, that is actionable conduct, and we do take action”.

The Harvard Crimson first reported the news.