Harvard University rejected demands from the Trump administration to combat antisemitism on campus, leading to the freezing of $2.2 billion in grants. The administration's demands included restrictions on student and faculty power, reporting of foreign students, and hiring external supervisors to ensure 'diversity of viewpoints,' effectively suppressing free speech and academic freedom, according to Harvard.
The US government's actions target at least seven universities, threatening funding to curb what it considers antisemitic activities or 'woke' ideologies. Columbia University, while making concessions, still faces potential federal oversight. Meanwhile, the detention of Mohsen Mahdawi, a graduate student at Columbia, highlights the broader crackdown on pro-Palestinian activism on campuses. Mahdawi's arrest, along with other similar cases, raises concerns about freedom of expression in the US.
Harvard's president, Alan Garber, stated that no government should dictate what private universities can teach or who they can hire. Legal challenges to the government's actions are underway.