BUZZ
Georgetown Law school has replaced its Jewish commencement speaker with a free speech proponent and critic of Republican-led congressional hearings on the rise of campus antisemitism.
Georgetown Law professor David Cole will now speak in place of former president of Northwestern University Morton Schapiro, Jewish Insider reported.
“Cole, the former national legal director of the American Civil Liberties Union, last year spoke before the House Committee on Education and the Workforce in defense of First Amendment speech that ‘many of us find wrongheaded or deeply offensive, including anti-Israel advocacy and even antisemitic advocacy.’ He also condemned Republican-led congressional hearings into the rise of campus antisemitism,” the newspaper reported.
The switch came as the result of complaints by some students against having Shapiro as speaker.
A petition called on administration to remove Schapiro, stating “Schapiro is not a lawyer, has no connection to Georgetown, and holds controversial, Zionist, and harmful opinions.”
In response, Shapiro politely bowed out of the speakership, telling campus leadership: “I have presided over 28 commencements as a president and dean, and those ceremonies are about celebrating the graduates and their supporters. I was looking forward to giving a talk about humility and gratitude, but I don’t want my presence to distract from the day’s festivities. I wish the law school graduates the best of luck in the days ahead.”
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