Consider the "context" before you judge the Jan. 6 congressional "insurrectionists"

Musr we also understand the “context” that will explain why, in 1978, these neo-Nazis marched on Skokie, Illinois, the home of many survivors of the Holocaust. How are today’s students, calling for an end to Israel and the genocide of Jews different from these jerks?

The rioters who invaded the Capitol might have had a good explanation for what they did, you know. You have to consider the “context”—all the circumstances that might have explained why they broke the windows, took over the chambers and sat in the seats of power.

Those hundreds of protesters shouldn’t have been prosecuted and jailed, because they were motivated by whatever is the “context” that explained their actions, right?

We know this to be true because the presidents of three elite universities have said the Principle of Context must be applied when judging wrong-doing. Just as they told Congress that it must consider the “context” of the calls on their campuses for genocide of Jews.

So, where were their calls for “context” when those hundreds of white supremacists rallied in 2017 to protest the removal of Confederate statues of Robert E. Lee and "Stonewall" Jackson in Charlottesville, Virginia. When Donald Trump suggested that there were “good people on both sides,” there was no call for “context.”

When James Alex Fields Jr, 22, drove his car into protestors against that rally, killing Heather Heyer, 32, did the university presidents ask everyone to consider the context before he was—properly—sentenced to life in prison?

(Here I should make clear for any wild-eyed leftist who thinks I agree that “context” can explain such stupid, dangerous and unthinkable acts, I don’t.)

So, what is the “context” that the leaders of Harvard, MIT and Penn wanted us to consider to better understand the motives of the violent radicals that are infecting their campuses with their brand of hatred? None seemed to be forthcoming.

Did they mean that their hated was justified? Did they mean that context would explain why Jews should have been slaughtered on Oct. 7? Did they have some sociological study in mind that “unpacked” the hatred in a way that made the demands for genocide less dangerous and more rational? Or did their call for context really mean that they privately agreed with the haters? It’s a fair question, despite their feeble attempt later to explain their wishy-washy position?

For all their academic achievements, you’d think they’d be too smart to parrot the Principle of Context argument that appears to have been concocted by the law firm that represented all three, WilmerHal. It is described as one of America’s best known white-shoe law firms.

Are they so out of touch that they thought Americans are stupid enough to buy their weasel-like explanation? Are they so malleable that they’d see wisdom in the lawyer’s obviously scripted responses? Did they think of themselves as artful dodgers?

They clearly thought of themselves as superior. They spoke as if they were teaching a freshman class. Their slight smiles and smirks betrayed their arrogance. How dare lawmakers question them? Imagine having to answer such stupid questions asked by anyone, especially politicians. I recognized their conceit from a few of my professors from my own college days.

So far, Claudine Gay of Harvard and Sally Kornbluth of MIT have managed to survive, with Gay getting the unanimous support of the school’s governing board. (If you’re curious about who would be so blind, I’ve listed their names below.) Elizabeth Magill of Penn resigned after losing a $100 million donation because of her words.

To illustrate the hypocrisy, consider some of the other crimes and bad acts in which pompous academics and others neglected to apply the Principle of Context. Before we cast judgment or send someone to prison, shouldn’t we better understand the circumstances that motivated:

• Derek Chauvin to kill George Floyd.

• Numerous gunmen to slaughter so many school children.

• Right-wing trolls to spread their hatred on social media.

• Pro-lifers to picket abortion clinics.

• Conspiracy theorists who insist the 2020 presidential election was stolen.

Yes, we need to understand the motivation, thinking and other factors that motivate people, whether they are friends or enemies, innocent people who make mistakes or outright criminals. That’s happening on a large scale nationally.

But to sympathize with or ignore evil because we need to understand the context? Never.

Related: “Harvard president Claudine Gay should resign”—Alan Dershowitz.

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Here are the members of Harvard’s “The Honorable and Reverend the Board of Overseers” as of January 2023:

• Geraldine Acuña-Sunshine (2018–2024), President, Sunshine Care Foundation for Neurological Care and Research, and Senior Counsel, Bracebridge Capital

• Monica Bharel (2022–2026), Public Health and Healthcare Strategist, Former Commissioner of the Massachusetts Department of Public Health

• Raphael Bostic (2020–2026), President and CEO, Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta

• Mark Carney (2021–2027), United Nations Special Envoy for Climate Action and Finance, Former Governor, Bank of England and Bank of Canada

• Alice Hm Chen (2019–2025), Deputy Secretary for Policy and Planning and Director of Clinical Affairs, California Health and Human Services Agency, and Professor of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco

• Paul L. Choi (2017–2023), Partner, Sidley Austin LLP

• Philip Hart Cullom (2018–2024), Vice Admiral (retired), U.S. Navy

• Sangu J. Delle (2022–2028), Chief Executive Officer, CarePoint

• Darienne Driver (2017–2023), President and CEO, United Way for Southeastern Michigan

• Janet Echelman (2019–2023), Artist, and President of Studio Echelman

• Helena Foulkes (2016–2022), Former Chief Executive Officer, Hudson’s Bay Company

• Carla Harris (2017–2023), Vice Chair of Wealth Management, Senior Client Advisor and Managing Director, Morgan Stanley

• Meredith (Max) Hodges (2018–2024), Executive Director, Boston Ballet

• Marilyn Holifield (2018–2024), Partner, Holland & Knight LLP

• Christopher B. Howard (2021–2027), President, Robert Morris University

• Vivian Hunt (2019–2025), Managing Partner, McKinsey & Company, United Kingdom & Ireland

• Tyler Jacks (2019–2025), Koch Professor of Biology and Director, Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology

• John King Jr. (2019–2025), President and CEO, The Education Trust

• Raymond Lohier (2021–2027), Judge, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit

• Scott Mead (2022–2024), Photographer, and Founder, Bramley Studio

• Lauren Ancel Meyers (2022–2028), Professor, Departments of Integrative Biology, Statistics & Data Sciences, Population Health, The University of Texas at Austin

• Todd Y. Park (2022-2028), Co-Founder and Executive Chairman, Devoted Health

• Margaret (Midge) Purce (2020–2026), Soccer player, United States Women's National Team and Gotham FC

• Alejandro Ramírez Magaña (2016–2022), CEO, Cinépolis

• Yvette Roubideaux (2018–2024), Director, Policy Research Center, National Congress of American Indians

• Reshma Saujani (2019–2025), Founder and CEO, Girls Who Code

• Thea Sebastian (2020–2026), Policy Counsel, Civil Rights Corps

• Megan Red Shirt-Shaw (2021–2027), Director of Native Student Services, University of South Dakota

• Vikas P. Sukhatme (2022–2028), Robert W. Woodruff Professor of Medicine and Dean, Emory School of Medicine Chief Academic Officer, Emory Healthcare

• Leslie P. Tolbert (2017–2023), Regents’ Professor Emerita, Department of Neuroscience, University of Arizona

• Jayson Toweh (2020–2026), Management and Program Analyst, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

• Wilhelmina “Mimi” Wright (2022–2028), U.S. District Court Judge, District of Minnesota

• Sheryl WuDunn (2021–2027), Journalist and Author; Co-Founder, FullSky Partners

• Claudine Gay, President, Harvard University (ex officio)

• Paul Finnegan, Treasurer, Harvard University (ex officio)

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Dennis Byrne is a retired journalist and author who variously was an op-ed columnist, editorial board member, assistant financial editor, science and technology reporter, special projects writer and urban affairs and transportation reporter for the Chicago Tribune, Chicago Sun-Times and Chicago Daily News. You can reach him at dennis@dennisbyrne.net.