Bill Maher rips into Harvard, UPenn and MIT over plague of anti-Semitism on campus and presidents' shameful Congress testimony

Bill Maher has branded students at Ivy League colleges as being 'f***ing idiots' over anti-Semitism on campuses. 

The late night comedian hit out institutes like Harvard, UPenn and MIT who were grilled earlier this week in Congress. 

Addressing the ongoing issue, Maher said: 'The bigger scandal here is these are the biggest, most esteemed colleges in the country and they've raised a bunch of f***ing idiots.

He added: 'Do I really think they want to wipe out the Jews? I don't. They live by buzz words and what they read on TikTok, they want to be an ally.'

College campuses have become a hotbed for angry protests and rising incidents of antisemitism since the war between Israel and Hamas erupted two months ago. 

Maher had previously said Harvard students who played down the Hamas massacre in Israel were just as bad as Donald Trump. 

His remarks came after Harvard President Claudine Gay spoke before the House Committee on Education and the Workforce on Tuesday. 

Gay said then that calls for a 'genocide of Jews' on Harvard's campus would only constitute harassment 'depending on the context'.

The Committee's hearing saw testimony from Gay and the president's of MIT, Sally Kornblut, and Upenn, Elizabeth Magill, on the rise of antisemitism on their campuses since Hamas' attack on Israel on October 7.

During a heated exchange Congresswoman Elise Stefanik asked Gay: 'At Harvard, does calling for the genocide of Jews violate Harvard's rules of bullying and harassment?' Stefanik asked.

'It can be, depending on the context,' Gay responded.

The remarks triggered immediate backlash and led 74 members of congress to call for Gay, and the other testifying presidents, to resign.

'Given this moment of crisis, we demand that your boards immediately remove each of these presidents from their positions and that you provide an actionable plan to ensure that Jewish and Israeli students, teachers, and faculty are safe on your campuses,' the letter led by Stefanik reads.

The committee also heard from Liz Magill, President of the University of Pennsylvania, and MIT's Sally Kornbluth.  

Adding: 'Anything less than these steps will be seen as your endorsement of what Presidents Gay, Magill, and Kornbluth said to Congress and an act of complicity in their antisemitic posture'.

The leadership of Harvard Hillel have also said they do not trust Gay to protect Jewish students at the University.

In an interview with the college's newspaper, The Harvard Crimson, Gay apologized for the remarks and said she became caught up in 'policies and procedures'. 

The House Education and the Workforce Committee are now probing Harvard, MIT and UPenn following testimony earlier this week. 

Rep. Elise Stefanik, who quizzed the three leaders, has slammed the presidents as morally bankrupt - and swore to hold the schools accountable. 

The trio all agreed that reprimanding students who call for a Jewish genocide was not paramount - but instead, they said the blatant antisemitism is 'context' specific. 

Since the conflict in the Middle East started in October, campuses have seen a rise in tension over the war.

The conflict has prompted strong international reactions, ranging from peaceful protests to acts of violent anti-Semitism and Islamophobia. 

The Anti-Defamation League reported a nearly 400 percent spike in incidents in the US between October 7 and October 23. 

The University of Pennsylvania came under fire earlier this month after anti-Jewish slogans were projected onto three of the school's buildings. 

One message splashed across the John M Huntsman hall said: 'From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free'.

Slogans projected on Penn Commons read: 'Zionism is racism' and demanded UPenn president Liz Magill call for a ceasefire in Gaza.

These projections followed the school increasing security and contacting the FBI over a string of reports of threats against Jewish students. 

UPenn said that several of its staff members received 'vile, disturbing anti-Semitic emails' threatening violence against Jews on campus.  

University president Liz Magill also acknowledged 'swastikas and hateful graffiti' at the school. 

At Harvard University the Palestinian Solidarity Committee has been condemned for issuing a letter on October 7. 

Co-signed by 33 other Harvard student organizations, stating: 'We, the undersigned student organizations, hold the Israeli regime entirely responsible for all unfolding violence.'

Some of the signatories have been named and shamed, and billionaire financier Bill Ackman is demanding that companies refuse to hire them.

Harvard's president apologized for the statement, and said it does not represent the views of the university.

The prestigious institute has also been host to large scale Palestine protests from students.  

At MIT, the university refused to suspend students who participated in an unauthorized anti-Israel protest due to fears agitators could be deported. 

A group called the Committee Against Apartheid organized the protest and upon learning what was happening, a group of Jewish and Israeli students showed up to stage a counter-protest.

The statement issued by Kornbluth - who has served as president of the university since January - said after the confrontation between protestors erupted 'we had serious concerns that it could lead to violence.'

As is the case with many prestigious American institutions of higher education, a significant portion of MIT's student body is international students. 

Columbia University also launched an antisemitism taskforce to tackle 'terribly resilient form of hatred' after a number of Jewish-related assaults and harassment on campus. 

Other incidents at campuses include Jewish students at Cooper Union, also in New York City, being forced to take shelter inside a library on campus to avoid a pro-Palestine mob. 

Late last month, a group chanting 'Free, free Palestine' held a protest in the lobby of the college near Astor Place in Manhattan. 

The crowd barged past a security guard and attempted to storm the library, where Jewish students had taken refuge. Those inside were later let out.