Talk show host Bill Maher offered his take following the congressional testimonies of Harvard and UPenn presidents.
Harvard President Claudine Gay appeared before the House Education and Workforce Committee on Tuesday, when she avoided questions regarding students who advocate the “genocide of Jews” and whether they are violating the school’s code of conduct. Instead, she said she thought any reference to genocide was “abhorrent.” University of Pennsylvania President Liz Magill was also present and avoided similar questions.
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Maher had Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression President Greg Lukianoff on Friday’s show of Real Time with Bill Maher to discuss the boundaries around free speech. When it came to a collegiate ranking of free speech on campus, both Harvard and UPenn were at the bottom of FIRE’s list, which included 250 schools.
“So these are two of the colleges who are now on Team Hamas,” Maher said. “Is that a coincidence? Or what is the connection?”
The two discussed whether the phrases “intifada,” “from the river to the sea,” and “by any means necessary” are considered protected free speech. According to Lukianoff, even though saying “intifada” is “absolutely protected,” its use can turn into “a pattern of threats and harassment.”
“What irks me is that look, I’m always going to be on the side ‘as far as you can push free speech,'” Maher said. “What bothers me is the double standard. … Say they don’t want to say ‘Kill the Jews,’ but I certainly have heard chanted ‘F*** the Jews, f*** the Jews.’ I cannot think of any other group that you can say ‘f*** the blank’ and have it be acceptable.”
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Maher disagreed with the idea that Hamas supporters should not be allowed to organize on campuses. However, he claimed he would “want to know how many Hamas supporters there are on campus.”
Both Gay and Magill have faced calls to resign from their positions following their testimonies. Both presidents have issued apologies in an attempt to clarify their statements.
