The chancellor of the prestigious American Harvard University, Claudine Gay, announced on Tuesday that she is resigning after accusations of plagiarism and tense hearings in the US Congress on the topic of combating anti-Semitism on university campuses, which were held in a tense situation. in the context of the war in the Gaza Strip, reports France Presse.

“It is with a heavy heart, but with a deep love for Harvard, that I am writing to inform you that I am leaving the position of president” of Harvard University, Claudine Gay said in her resignation statement published on Tuesday, quoted by Agerpres.

The 53-year-old political science professor, who became Harvard University’s first black president in July, has come under fire in recent weeks.

She has been accused of plagiarism related to her research papers, allegations covered by a conservative website and criticism she received after answers she gave during a congressional hearing on combating anti-Semitism on college campuses to a Republican lawmaker. Elise Stefanik, who likened some students’ calls for an “Intifada” to inciting “genocide against Jews in Israel and the world.”

When asked, for example, whether such calls violate university norms, Claudine Gay said it “depends on the context” of the controversy.

“It was difficult for me to see doubts hovering over my plans to stand up to hatred and respect for academic rigor (…) and to be the target of personal attacks and racist threats,” Claudine Gay explained in her resignation statement.

More than 70 congressmen, including two Democrats, as well as former students and prominent donors, have asked him to step down as chancellor of the university. However, she was supported by the academic community, so in the middle of last month she managed to keep the position, which she has now finally given up.