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Marc Lamont Hill, Temple University

November 2018
Temple University (Private college or university)
Philadelphia, PA, USA

Identity of Speakers

  • Marc Lamont Hill
    Faculty/Staff
    Other

    At the time of his comments at issue, Marc Lamont Hill was a professor at Temple University and commentator at CNN.

Additional Information

  • Incident Nature:
    Other
  • Incident Political Orientation:
    Left-of-spectrum
  • Incident Responses:
    Faculty sanctioned
    Rally or Protests
    Faculty responses (e.g., asking student to leave classroom)
  • Incident Status:
    No litigation
  • Incident Protested
  • Did not involve Speech Codes

Summary

Marc Lamont Hill, a professor at Temple University and commentator for CNN, gave a speech at the U.N. on November 28, 2018 that was highly critical of Israel and which many construed as advocating for the elimination of Israel. After backlash from organizations like the Anti-Defamation League, CNN fired Hill. Soon after, students at Temple University began demanding that the school fire Hill as well. On one occasion, nearly 50 protestors gathered to advocate for Hill and his positions on Israeli-Palestinian relations, while about 20 counter-protestors continued to demand that the university fire Hill. In response, Temple issued a statement suggesting that Hill’s comments were protected free speech. However, the chair of the Temple board, Patrick O’Connor, allegedly denounced Hill’s remarks and was quoted as saying that he had instructed Temple’s legal office to investigate what “remedies” the school could take against Hill. In response to these reports, the Faculty Senate signaled its support for Hill’s academic freedom and right to tenure. And, more than 30 professors signed a letter of no-confidence against O’Connor, criticizing him for his lack of support for Hill’s First Amendment rights. Ultimately, following a Board of Trustees meeting, the school announced that Hill would be reprimanded but not punished or investigated for his comments at the U.N.