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Philippe Sands has dismissed reports of “rampant antisemitism” at Harvard University, amid the conflict between the Trump administration and the Ivy League school.
Donald Trump has slashed Harvard’s federal funding, after accusing the institution of being too left-wing and of failing to combat antisemitism when pro-Palestinian protests have taken place on campuses.
Sands, a lawyer, author and visiting professor at Harvard Law School, commented on the fallout during The Independent’s News Review event at the 2025 Hay Festival, telling the audience: “The idea there is rampant antisemitism at Harvard is hopeless. It is just not the situation.”
He added: “As in any place in the world, there will be examples of antisemitism, no question at all, but the idea it is rampant and all over the place is complete nonsense.”
Sands, along with philanthropist Sigrid Rausing and academic Adam Rutherford, were being interviewed by The Independent’s Chief International Correspondent Bel Trew.
His comments came as part of a discussion on the Trump administration’s attack on the US’s oldest and wealthiest university. Earlier this month, it was announced that eight federal agencies would terminate a further $450m in grants to Harvard University, due to what officials have framed as inadequate responses to antisemitism on campus.
Those funding cuts came after the administration axed $2.2bn in federal funding to the university, bringing the total financial penalty to around $2.65bn.
“Harvard’s campus, once a symbol of academic prestige, has become a breeding ground for virtue signalling and discrimination,” read a statement from Trump administration’s task force to combat antisemitism. “This is not leadership; it is cowardice. And it’s not academic freedom; it’s institutional disenfranchisement.”
This week, the Trump administration’s antagonisation of the prestigious university escalated further, with the announcement that officials are set to start vetting the social media accounts of visa applicants who plan to attend, work at, or visit Harvard University for any signs of antisemitism.
Harvard has become a punching bag for the administration, after its leadership refused the government’s demands for an audit to determine the extent of its “ideological capture by the radical left”.
Trump’s government is blocking Harvard from enrolling international students and is forcing currently enrolled foreign students to leave the university or risk losing their legal status in the US.
The university is suing the US government over both the suspension of its federal funding and the cancellation of its permit to enrol foreign students.
