University of Pennsylvania president addresses criticism following antisemitism hearing

The president of the University of Pennsylvania has addressed criticism she received following a congressional hearing about on-campus antisemitism. Liz Magill shared a video online in which she addressed her response to questions about whether “calling for the genocide of Jews” violated the university’s rules. Magill seemed to dodge questions made by U.S. Rep. Elise Stefanik, a Republican from New York, on whether such speech constituted “bullying or harassment.” Her response sparked criticism on both sides of the aisle, with Pennsylvania Sen. Bob Casey, a Democrat, slamming the comments as “offensive.” Magill later clarified in the video that a call for genocide of Jewish people is threatening and should be considered harassment or intimidation. She also said the university must initiate a serious and careful look at their policies. An online petition calling for Magill’s “immediate resignation” had gathered more than 14,000 signatures by Thursday morning.