Bernard Chan

Opinion | From Harvard to Hong Kong, toxic debate is poisoning freedom of speech

US university heads’ responses to queries on how they would handle calls for genocide have attracted criticism, while some have questioned whether fundamental freedoms are being protected in Hong Kong

With social media fuelling disinformation, the complex issues that surround freedom of speech today require open dialogue and deliberation

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A demonstration against antisemitism in Berlin on October 22 as Germany faces its most virulent displays of anti-semitism since the second world war. Photo: EPA-EFE

Bernard Chan

Published: 9:30am, 15 Dec 2023

The heads of three top American universities were called to the US Capitol last week to testify in a congressional hearing on rising antisemitism on their campuses, and the threats and fear that many Jewish students are experiencing as a result. Antisemitism is escalating and spreading across the US and other countries.

The presidents of Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), University of Pennsylvania and Harvard University testified before the Republican-led House Committee on Education and the Workforce. Even though the congressional hearing was on antisemitism, there has also been a surge in Islamophobic incidents.

The presidents attracted intense criticism for not stating outright that advocating the genocide of Jews automatically constituted a breach of the code of conduct at their institutions.

This was in response to New York Republican Representative Elise Stefanik’s questions on whether advocating the genocide of Jews constituted a violation of their anti-bullying or harassment policies. The presidents clarified that judgment would be contingent upon the circumstances and behaviour involved. A rapid and extensive public outcry followed.

After her House Committee testimony, Liz Magill, widely acknowledged as a champion of free speech, was forced to resign as president of the University of Pennsylvania after a year and a half in the position. Harvard president Claudine Gay made a public apology via the Harvard Crimson student newspaper. Both Gay and MIT president Sally Kornbluth remain under pressure.

Freedom of speech, a cornerstone of American and other democratic societies, has become entangled in debates on self-censorship, hate speech, doxxing and cancel culture, as well as politics. So has the complex concept of freedom of speech been lost to political correctness?