Watan-Three American professors from Yale University have announced their intention to leave the United States, citing concerns over restrictions on freedom of expression and what they described as “Americans falling into fascism” under President Donald Trump’s administration. The married historians Timothy Snyder and Marci Shore, along with fascism scholar Jason Stanley, said they plan to relocate to the University of Toronto.
Stanley told the German news outlet Zeit that the move came amid Washington’s pressure on Columbia University in New York to change its rules regarding protests, as well as its Middle Eastern Studies department, following major pro-Palestinian demonstrations last year at the Ivy League school. He described developments since Trump took office in January as “fascism.”
Professors Flee U.S. Over Trump, Free Speech Fears
Shore told Toronto Today that she and her husband are deeply worried about the Trump administration’s recent moves to cut university funding and to open investigations into allegations that colleges failed to protect Jewish students during protests against Israel’s actions in Gaza. In an email to the newspaper, she added: “I fear there will be a civil war.”
Columbia University and many other American universities have witnessed protests against Israel’s crimes in the Gaza Strip. It’s worth noting that after the U.S. administration announced a $400 million cut in federal funding to Columbia University, the university stated it would review its policies on demonstrations as well as its Middle Eastern Studies curriculum.
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