Trump vs. Harvard: Streit goes into the next round

The US government under President Donald Trump has accused the renowned Harvard University with responsibility for anti-Semitic incidents on campus. In a letter to University President Alan Garber it says that Harvard has “deliberately indifferent” in some cases. In other cases, the university was “a willing participant in the anti -Semitic nuisance of Jewish students, lecturers and employees”.

The university thus violates the Civil Rights Act, it said. If it does not initiate direct changes, the withdrawal of all federal funds threatens. The relationship with the government can also continue to be burdened.

The letter is part of a long-lasting conflict between the Trump government and universities such as Harvard, to which it accuses left-liberal orientation and insufficient measures against anti-Semitism. For this reason, funds have already been frozen and withdrawn. Harvard, on the other hand, is legally opposed to far -reaching political interventions from Washington and is one of the most visible opponents of the government line.

Critics accuse the government of using the fight against anti -Semitism as an excuse in order to put pressure on politically unpleasant institutions. Progressive universities in particular are increasingly in focus – for example because of programs to promote diversity and equal opportunities that aim at the reduction of historical disadvantage of black, women and other marginalized groups.