Elon Musk slams Ivy League presidents: ‘Clearly, genocide calls are harassment’

After the recent congressional hearing on antisemitism, Elon Musk criticized the presidents of Harvard, the University of Pennsylvania, and MIT for their responses regarding calls for violence against Jews on their campuses through a tweet on social media platform X.

Musk, previously accused of anti-Semitism, pointed out the universities’ attempts to find nuance in such a serious matter, emphasizing that calling for genocide constitutes harassment.

The hearing, led by the Republican-led House Committee on Education and the Workforce, focused on alleged antisemitic incidents following the Israel-Hamas conflict. This conflict, triggered by Hamas’ attack on Israel, led to a surge in nationwide tensions, resulting in protests and violence in the United States.

A joint report by the Anti-Defamation League and Hillel International highlighted a decline in the sense of safety among Jewish students on campuses since the conflict’s onset. The presidents of Harvard, UPenn, and MIT testified during the inquiry, condemning antisemitic incidents and acknowledging a parallel rise in Islamophobia.

However, during questioning by Congresswoman Elise Stefanik on whether calls for the genocide of Jews violated university codes of conduct, the presidents’ responses were deemed problematic. Musk joined the conversation, stating unequivocally, “Calling for the genocide [death] of anyone obviously constitutes harassment.”

This exchange, characterized by conditional responses from university leaders, has been described as potentially one of the most extraordinary testimonies in Congress, particularly on such a grave topic as genocide.