Employers Push Back Against College Students Defending Hamas Attacks

Written by Hudson Crozier

What’s happening: Thirty-one Harvard University student organizations signed a statement defending the recent attack on Israeli civilians by the terror group Hamas. At least a dozen CEOs have demanded the list of names in order to avoid hiring these students. A law firm recently took back a job offer to a New York University student over similar comments.

What was said: The Harvard student groups claimed that Israel is “entirely responsible for all unfolding violence.” The NYU student who lost a law firm job offer argued that “Israel bears full responsibility” for Hamas’s extreme violence against civilians. After backlash from some students and faculty, negative national media coverage, and the university’s attempt to distance itself from the rhetoric, some of the Harvard students have retracted their statement.

• The trend: Students and publicly-funded professors across the country are defending the violence, joining countless other left-wing voices pushing a broader narrative about “colonialism” and “oppressed” communities.

Why it matters: Corporate America and academia are often in lockstep on left-wing agendas such as diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs. But for many large employers, supporting and excusing terrorism against Jews is a step too far. This backlash also sends a message to the current workforce that support for terrorism won’t be tolerated.

• With some exceptions: Writer Max Meyer claims that Google came to the Harvard students’ defense by deleting a “Terror List” he had created that showed their names.