View Hosts Battle Over Anti-Semitism on Campus in Heated Multi-Segment Throwdown: ‘The Law Is The Law!’

The co-hosts of The View got into a heated back-and-forth Wednesday about anti-Semitism on college campuses vs. free speech protections guaranteed by the Constitution.

The discussion centered around Tuesday’s congressional hearing with the presidents of Harvard, MIT, and the University of Pennsylvania. Despite repeated questioning, the administrators “refused to explicitly say that calls for genocide of Jewish people violates campus rules on harassment,” according to The Times of Israel.

“I think this — what Elise Stefanik, the congresswoman, was talking about, and what the entire hearing was about — should have been about free speech. And free speech — and although many may feel uncomfortable about it — the most hateful and heinous speech is the most protected speech,” Sunny Hostin said.

Alyssa Farah Griffin interjected, “This is about the codes of conduct, though. You’re talking about the law.”

“Can I finish about the law, please?” Sunny shot back. “The codes of conduct must adhere to the law.”

GRIFFIN: But it goes further than the law to protect students.

HOSTIN: No, it really can’t go against the Constitution of the United States. When we’re talking about this one-on-one type of thing, yes, that is when that conduct leads to harassment and could be actionable by the university, and that’s exactly what Harvard —

GRIFFIN: But, as it said, if you have to commit genocide to be able to condemn genocidal language, like, that’s a dangerous slippery slope.

HOSTIN: No, no, but, again, use of that type of example is really inflammatory, and it —

GRIFFIN: That’s actual words being used on college campuses.

HOSTIN: It distorts what the law is. The law protects that kind of language and in my opinion, in my opinion, college is the perfect place to have these sorts of uncomfortable conversations, even the —

GRIFFIN: Jewish students don’t feel comfortable on college campuses!

HOSTIN: The ACLU said, “The Supreme Court cannot prevent speech that is likely to provide a hostile response.”

GRIFFIN: If I said this about any other community on earth other than Jews, I would be canceled 10 times till Sunday!

Whoopi Goldberg added that protections for unpopular free speech are “one of the most annoying things about the Constitution.”

“The law is the law, and I know a lot of people don’t understand the law, but it is,” Hostin said, but Griffin did not back down.

“But this is about campus codes of conduct, it’s not about the law. They can go much more reaching than the law,” Griffin said.

“No, they cannot!” Hostin argued.

Goldberg then tossed to commercial with the promise that, “we’ll come back and talk some more” about the subject.

Watch the clip above via ABC’s The View.