Berkeley Head Says Prof's Tweet Is 'Celebration' Of Oct. 7, But He Is 'Fine Scholar'

Forbes Breaking News

At today's House Education Committee hearing, Rep. Lisa McClain (R-MI) questioned Dr. Rich Lyons, Chancellor of the University of California, Berkeley.

Transcript

00:00I recognize the gentlelady from Michigan for her five minutes of question, Ms. McLean.

00:05Thank you, and thank you all for being here today. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, for holding this hearing.

00:10I want to start with you, Dr. Lyons. You're the chancellor at the University of California, Berkeley,

00:17and you've been at the university for how many years?

00:21I was an undergraduate there and came back on the faculty just over 30 years ago.

00:26Okay, so you've been around. You've seen a lot of things. Do you believe that Jewish students feel safe on your campus?

00:36I believe that most Jewish students feel safe on our campus.

00:41You think there's any that don't?

00:43Yes.

00:44Yeah. Why do you think that is?

00:47Well, I think there are Jewish people that don't feel safe in lots of parts.

00:53I'm not talking about lots of parts. I'm talking about the university in which you are in charge of.

00:58Why do you think that is?

01:01I think there is anti-Semitism in society, and we say...

01:06I'm not talking about society, and I appreciate your diversion of the question.

01:09I'm talking about the university.

01:12So why do you think Jewish students don't feel safe at your university in which you're in charge of?

01:20Just curious.

01:20Well, I think part of safety for most people is some of it is physical, some of it is more emotional,

01:29and am I being harassed but not necessarily being confronted with potential violence.

01:35So I've admitted already there is anti-Semitism on campus, and I think that is...

01:40And I'm asking a simple question.

01:42Why do you think that is?

01:43And we've spent almost 30 seconds, you avoiding the question.

01:49Well, I do believe that public universities are reflections of society,

01:55and I believe that the anti-Semitism on society is present on our campus.

01:59Do you believe you can influence the direction and how people feel on your university?

02:07Do you have any influence on that?

02:09Do you believe the actions that you or your staff or faculty members take have influence on that?

02:16Yes.

02:16I would agree.

02:17Are you committed to taking the action to making sure that all Jewish students,

02:21as well as all students, feel safe on your campus?

02:24I am committing to striving to reach that goal, correct.

02:29Wonderful.

02:30Okay.

02:30So just quickly, if a black student's home was vandalized with a noose and racist graffiti

02:36and a note was left saying that you're next,

02:39would you consider that an example of racism or discrimination?

02:46On its face, personally, yes.

02:48Wonderful.

02:49Well, in December of 2023, while you were a senior executive there,

02:53a Jewish student's home was robbed and a note was left saying F-U.

02:59They wrote out the real word.

03:00Free Palestine from the river to the sea.

03:04Do you think that's helpful for the Jewish students?

03:07No.

03:08No.

03:09What action did Berkeley take?

03:13I believe that predated my time, but what I can say is...

03:16It predated your time as chancellor, but you were there as a senior executive.

03:20Well, I don't know this for a fact, sitting here,

03:25but I am almost sure that that was reported and that was investigated.

03:29And what was the result?

03:33It is hard...

03:34I mean, it's great that we report it and we investigate it,

03:37but you notice the one thing that's missing is, like, the result.

03:42Okay.

03:43We're going to...

03:43All right.

03:43In your testimony, you rightly acknowledged Hamas's invasion of Israel as a terrorist attack.

03:51Dr. Makadi, a professor of history at Berkeley University, on the other hand, said,

03:57I could have been one of those people who broke through on the siege on October 7th.

04:02What do you think he meant by that?

04:04Well, I can't speak to...

04:09I know, but you're a pretty intelligent man, or at least come off as a pretty intelligent man.

04:14What do you think he meant by that?

04:16I'm not...

04:17Put yourself in a Jewish student's...

04:19You know.

04:20Look, I think I want to separate the phrase from the person.

04:24If I heard some other person...

04:26We can't separate the phrase from the person because of this professor who works at the university in which you are in charge of.

04:33So, as much as we want to separate it and dance around it, let's not,

04:37because the person that works at your university said this.

04:41So, I would like to know, because you're so educated, and you are, and you touch yourself at that,

04:46and you've earned that.

04:47What do you think the professor meant?

04:55Hello?

04:56I believe it was a celebration of the terrorist attack on October 7th.

05:05Right.

05:06Do you think...

05:07Did you have any conversations with this professor?

05:12I've had conversations with this professor, yes.

05:15Yeah, and what was his response, and what were the conversations?

05:20That's...

05:22He's a fine scholar, and...

05:25That's a fine scholar that spews hate, and the people who pay, the students, don't feel safe.

05:33That's great.

05:33He's a fine scholar.

05:34I'm sure there's a lot of murderers in prison that are fine people, too, fine scholars.

05:39But they do some pretty nefarious and heinous acts.

05:42So, you want to explain what the conversation was?

05:45The gentlelady's time has expired.

05:46The gentlelady's time has expired.

05:47Saved by the bell.

05:48Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

05:50I thank the gentlelady.

05:52Now, I recognize the ranking member of the committee, Mr. Scott from Virginia.

Category

Transcript

Recommended