Free speech, antisemitism, and the university fallout
Post Reports
The Washington Post
4.4 • 5.1K Ratings
🗓️ 11 December 2023
⏱️ 25 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
College campuses across the United States are embroiled in conflict over free speech amid the Israel-Gaza war. The stakes are so high that the University of Pennsylvania’s president resigned after a congressional hearing on antisemitism.
Read more:
Last week, a Republican-led House committee summoned the leaders of Harvard University, the University of Pennsylvania and MIT to Capitol Hill for a scalding critique of their efforts to address antisemitism on their campuses since the eruption of the Israel-Gaza war.
During the hearing, Penn’s president Liz Magill – and the other university presidents – declined to state plainly that a call for genocide against Jews would violate the university’s code of conduct.
Magill told Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.) it would violate the school’s code of conduct “if the speech turns into conduct, it can be harassment. Yes.” When pressed by Stefanik, Magill said: “It is a context-dependent decision, congresswoman.”
Then, over the weekend, Magill resigned.
Education reporter Hannah Natanson joins “Post Reports” to discuss what the questions raised in the committee hearing and the push for Magill’s removal mean for campuses across the nation, and why the stakes are so high.
Transcript
Click on a timestamp to play from that location
| 0:00.0 | Ms. |
| 0:03.6 | McGill at Penn does calling for the genocide of Jews violate Penn's rules or code of conduct? |
| 0:11.1 | Yes or no. |
| 0:15.4 | If the speech turns into conduct, it can be harassment. |
| 0:18.6 | Yes. |
| 0:19.6 | I am asking specifically calling for the genocide of Jews, does that constitute bullying or |
| 0:25.5 | harassment? If it is directed and severe or pervasive, it is harassment. |
| 0:30.0 | What you're hearing is Congresswoman Elise Stephanic, a Republican from New York, and last week |
| 0:36.0 | she was grilling Liz McGill at the time the President of the University of Pennsylvania. |
| 0:40.6 | It is a context-dependent decision, Congresswoman. It is a context dependent decision, Congresswoman. |
| 0:44.0 | It's a context dependent decision. |
| 0:46.0 | That's your testimony today. |
| 0:47.2 | Calling for the genocide of Jews |
| 0:49.1 | is depending upon the context. |
| 0:51.2 | That is not bullying or harassment. This is the easiest question to answer |
| 0:56.0 | yes, Ms McGill. So is your testimony that you will not answer yes. |
| 1:02.6 | If it is, if the speech becomes conduct, it can be harassment. |
| 1:09.6 | Yes. |
| 1:10.6 | Conduct meaning committing the act of genocide? |
| 1:13.9 | The speech is not harassment. |
| 1:15.8 | This is unacceptable Ms McGill. |
| 1:17.4 | I'm going to give you one more opportunity |
... |
Please login to see the full transcript.
Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from The Washington Post, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.
Generated transcripts are the property of The Washington Post and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.
Copyright © Tapesearch 2026.