UC Berkeley chancellor testifies in front of House committee over antisemitism

WASHINGTON (KGO) -- UC Berkeley Chancellor Rich Lyons faced tough questioning Tuesday during a congressional hearing on antisemitism, as House Republicans continue their scrutiny of how universities are handling rising tensions on college campuses.

The hearing comes as the Department of Justice investigates dozens of universities - including UC Berkeley - for potential violations of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act. The university is facing other investigations by the Trump administration.

Chancellor Rich Lyons appeared before the Education and Workforce Committee and spoke about the changes UC Berkeley has made in his first year as head of the university. Leaders from Georgetown University and the City University of New York also testified Tuesday.

The hearing, which lasted more than three hours, was at times interrupted by pro-Palestinian protesters - to which Florida Republican Congressman Randy Fine yelled back "shut up and get out of here," and in-turn blamed university leaders.

"I hold you all responsible for this. It is the attitude that you have allowed on your college campuses that make people think that this is okay," Fine said.

Chancellor Lyons, who took office last summer amid growing campus protests over the Israel-Gaza conflict, defended the university's efforts to address antisemitism while preserving free speech.

"We have adopted new initiatives to design - these are designed to curb antisemitism by confronting the rise in hate directly," Lyons said. "I work in close collaboration with my Chancellor's Advisory Committee on Jewish life, with the Berkeley Center for Jewish Studies and our pioneering antisemitism education initiative. These programs help us recognize and confront antisemitism, support the Jewish community, and navigate the complexity of lawful protest versus harassment."

He added that UC Berkeley has implemented antisemitism training for all incoming students and introduced new safety measures to enforce campus protest rules - including a policy prohibiting the obstruction of Sather Gate, a prominent campus landmark.

Chancellor Lyons said UC Berkeley has a "no tolerance" policy on blocking the gate and will enforce it for any reason.

Republicans also questioned Lyons about faculty members accused of making antisemitic remarks. Fine cited a controversial statement by Professor Ussama Makdisi.

"Why would you give a position to someone who said October 7 was justified? Why?" Fine asked.

"Makdisi is a fine scholar," Lyons responded. "He was awarded that position from his colleagues based on academic standards."

"Great," Fine replied. "So on February 5, 2024, for this great academic, you're showing the problem - said quote, 'I could have been one of those who broke through the siege on October 7.' This is what you think is good."

Lyons went on to say assessing the rules requires balance, noting the need for UC Berkeley to protect the freedom of speech for students and faculty. Lyons emphasized that the university takes complaints seriously.

"There's just a lot of context and facts before somebody could say we need to jump to the point where somebody's getting expelled, and we investigate those. We're very rigorous about our investigations," he said.

Democrats on the committee accused Republicans of politicizing the issue.

"While we are holding hearings to combat antisemitism on campuses, the very office in the Department of Education that works to protect Jewish students has been attacked, undermined, and cut by the Trump administration," said U.S. Rep. Yassamin Ansari, D-Arizona. "Data shows a very clear rise in Islamophobia as well."

On Monday, more than 80 Jewish faculty and staff sent a letter to the committee praising Berkeley's work to combat antisemitism, especially during the intense campus protests.

"UC Berkeley administration made significant and impactful efforts to ensure that Jewish students, faculty and staff were safe," the letter said. "While we don't always agree with the administration's decisions, it is abundantly clear to us that, overall, the administration has a long-standing commitment to combat antisemitism."