Georgetown President Grilled Over Handling of Anti-Semitic Incidents

Fake Eviction Notices on Campus

• 📌 Representative Glenn Thompson questioned Georgetown's Interim President Robert Groves about fake eviction notices targeting Jewish students.
• 💡 These flyers, posted during move-in weekend, falsely accused Israel of genocide and ethnic cleansing.
• ✅ Groves confirmed awareness of the incident, stating the notices were immediately removed and disciplinary action was taken against the perpetrator.

Faculty Opinions and University Policy

• 🧠 Groves acknowledged that Georgetown faculty hold a wide range of opinions but emphasized that behavior is policed carefully.
• 💬 He stated that faculty are free to express speech in the public domain, but behavior affecting students in the classroom or research is subject to intervention.

Handling of Specific Anti-Semitic Statements

• ⚠️ Thompson raised concerns about a senior fellow, Immod Shaheen, who reportedly applauded the October 7th terrorist attack.
• ❓ Groves stated that such a statement does not align with Georgetown policy and that the university apologizes for any hurt caused to Jewish students, faculty, or staff.
• 🚫 However, he indicated that such social media behavior might be covered under the First Amendment, and not all instances lead to disciplinary action unless they affect students directly.
• 🚨 Another instance involved an associate director, Mubashra Tazal, reposting a statement comparing Israel's actions in Gaza to atrocities, for which Tazal, to Groves' knowledge, faced no disciplinary action.

University's Vetting Process

• 🔍 Thompson inquired whether Georgetown has a vetting process for faculty hires that screens for anti-Semitic content in their public records.
• ❌ Groves confirmed that, at this time, Georgetown does not have such a specific vetting process in place.