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Former President Barack Obama applauds Harvard University’s decision to abandon the White House’s demands to change his policy or lose federal money, in his first social media message to criticize Trump administration at least an inauguration day.
President Donald Trump freezes more than $ 2 billion (1.5 billion sterling) in federal funds for Harvard, as it would not make changes to her hiring, receiving and practice of learning, which, according to his administration, were key to combating anti -Semitism in the campus.
Obama, Harvard Ana, called freezing as “illegal and ham”.
He urged other institutions to follow Harvard’s leadership, not inferior to Trump’s demands.
“Harvard gave an example for other higher institutions, and attempted to strangle academic freedom, taking concrete steps to make sure that all students in Harvard can take advantage of the environment of intellectual investigation, tough discussion and mutual respect,” Obama wrote in social media.
The former president, who graduated from Harvard Law School in 1991, rarely criticized or reproached state officials or government policy on social media after leaving the White House almost ten years ago. His reports usually glorified the contender Trump, the then-President-Vice-Kane Kamal Harris, and from the day of the inaugural day he mainly posted tribute, personal messages and thoughts about sports.
Obama is one of several US political figures, and university officials who are now against the attempts of Trump administration to remake the higher universities of the country, through pressure to change what they teach and whom they hire, and threats to reduce funding for scientific research.
Hundreds of teachers at Yale University published a letter expressing support for Harvard’s decision to dismiss the Trump administration’s requirements.
“We stand together at the crossroads,” the letter reads. “US universities face extraordinary attacks that threaten the principles of ice democratic society, including free speech rights, associations and academic freedom. We write as one teacher to ask you to stand with us now.”
Many US universities receive some type of federal financing, which is mainly designed for research in areas such as drug development.
Ever since Trump returned to the post in January, elite institutions such as Stanford University had to freeze hiring and reduce budgets in the face of federal funds.
Some of the funding has been stopped to press universities to take action that, according to Trump’s administration, will fight anti -Semitism. Trump accused them of not defending Jewish students during last year’s protests against the US gas and support in Israel.
Stanford President Jonathan Levin and Jenny Martinez’s Blessed Tuesday said in a statement that Harvard praised that “universities need to decide legal critics with humility and openness.”
“But the way to bring constructive changes is not to destroy the country’s ability to research or through the government who accepts a private institution,” they wrote.
While The Colombia University gave way to some Trump’s requirements Earlier this month, Harvard became the first major US university to take a return approach.
“No government – no matter which party is in power – should dictate why they can teach private universities, whom they can recognize and hire, and what areas they can persecute,” President Harvard Alan Garber said on Monday.
The Massachusette Technology Institute (MIT) followed the leader of Harvard on Monday, and rejected the requirements of the Trump administration.
Despite criticism, Trump is fast. On Tuesday, he took another strike against Harvard, threatening to withdraw the status released from taxes.
Universities, as well as many charities and religious groups, are exempt from the payment of federal income taxes. This valuable tax benefit, however, can be removed if groups participate in political activity or depart from the declared goals.
