A Palestinian flag was raised above a statue at Harvard University as anti-Israel protests continue to rock university campuses, taking the place of the American flag that normally flies above the founder’s monument.
Video from Saturday night showed a group of pro-Palestinian protesters, dressed in keffiyehs, raising a large Palestinian flag over the iconic statue of John Harvard.
The Harvard Crimson Student protesters reportedly hung the flag and two others around 6:30 p.m. on the Ivy League campus.
At 6:34 p.m., Harvard University police officers called the school’s Quad Operations Department to remove the flag flying over the statue.
In recent days, p.Protests have broken out on campuses across the country in the wake of the October 7 attack on Israel by Hamasand the continued retaliatory attacks on Gaza that followed.
The statue of John Harvard is usually located under an American flag (formerly). On Saturday night, a group of pro-Palestinian protesters, dressed in keffiyeh, raise a large Palestinian flag over the monument to the founder (after)
In other images, the Palestinian flag was seen draped across John Harvard’s lap, along with a keffiyeh around his neck.
A large American flag has typically been seen flying over the founder of the Ivy League university.
School administrators have asked law enforcement to remove encampments and protesters at schools including Harvard, Columbia, Emory, NYU, USC, the University of Texas, Cal-Berkley and Brown.
In other images, the Palestinian flag was seen hanging on John Harvard’s lap, along with a keffiyeh around his neck.
As staff members removed the flags, protesters were heard shouting “Shame!” to them, along with other chants such as ‘Free Palestine, free’ and ‘From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free!’
Harvard spokesman Jonathan L. Swain said the protester’s actions were “a violation of University policy and the individuals involved will be subject to disciplinary action.”
Once the flags were removed, protesters gathered inside and outside the camp and made it clear that they were willing to have administrators collect their school IDs.
‘Harvard, Harvard take my ID. You can’t really scare me,’ protesters chanted.
Student protesters hung the large flag and two others around 6:30 p.m. on the Ivy League campus.
As staff members removed the flags, protesters were heard shouting “Shame!” to them, along with other chants such as ‘Free Palestine, free’ and ‘From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free!’
Harvard spokesman Jonathan L. Swain said the protester’s actions were “a violation of University policy and the individuals involved will be subject to disciplinary action.”
Once the flags were removed, protesters gathered inside and outside the camp and made it clear that they were willing to have administrators collect their school IDs.
They then held a vigil around the statue of a Palestinian who died in the war, The Harvard Crimson reported.
After the vigil, a large group of administrators, including Dean of Students Thomas Dunne, stormed the camp with ID scanners.
While gathering information from students, they gave each protester a piece of paper warning them of disciplinary action, including the possibility of seniors having their degrees withheld.
‘Repeated violations of university and school policies will result in increasingly severe sanctions. “Students with outstanding disciplinary matters cannot be awarded a degree,” the document said.
The Harvard Crimson said the American flag is normally hung outside Monday through Friday, but is taken down at 4 p.m. “for proper storage.”
School administrators have called on law enforcement to remove encampments and protesters at schools including Harvard, Columbia, Emory, NYU, USC, the University of Texas, Cal-Berkley and Brown.
Several tents are seen at the Harvard University campground Thursday in the Yard.
Last week, the university tried to get ahead of the growing protests and closed most of the gates to its famous Harvard Yard before classes on Monday.
The school also limited identification to those with school ID and posted signs warning against setting up tents or tables on campus without permission.
On Wednesday, protesters continued to set up camp as they took out 14 tents after a demonstration against the university’s suspension of the Harvard Undergraduate Palestinian Solidarity Committee.
This is not the first time Harvard University has held a pro-Palestinian protest or faced backlash for its response to the ongoing war, as the school’s former president, Claudine Gay, resigned in January.
Gay left the Ivy League University 28 days after her Shocking response to testimony in Congress on university anti-Semitism.
He refused to categorize calls for genocide of Jews as harassment or admit that Jewish students had a right not to feel unsafe at Ivy League schools.
In his resignation letter, he vehemently asserted his victimhood, attributing his decision to resign to “threats fueled by racial animosity.”
Students protest against Israel at Harvard University on October 14
Former Harvard president Claudine Gay resigned in January following growing criticism of anti-Semitism on campus and accusations of plagiarism.
Gay, who was accused of plagiarism and anti-Semitism, emphasized that her departure is in the best interest of Harvard, allowing the community to navigate a challenging time with a focus on the institution and not any individual.
“After consulting with members of the Corporation, it has become clear that it is in Harvard’s best interest for him to resign so that our community can navigate this time of extraordinary challenge by focusing on the institution and not any individual,” he said. he wrote she.
In addition to her December 5 testimony, Gay has also been hit with mounting allegations of plagiarism.
He said it was “terrifying” to be the target of threats and “distressing” to have his character questioned.
Gay will be replaced by Alan M. Garber, provost and chief academic officer, who sat behind her at the infamous hearing and nodded as she made her remarks.
