On Wednesday afternoon, Harvard University became the latest institution to contend with a pro-Palestinian protest encampment on campus. The group, Harvard for Palestine, had advertised its intention to hold a rally at noon in front of Massachusetts Hall, a three-century-old dorm on Harvard Yard. Like other groups demonstrating on campuses around the country, they are demanding Harvard divest from companies that supply Israel in connection with that nation’s monthslong conflict with Hamas.
Harvard for Palestine was suspended by the university and the group was ordered to cease all activities earlier this week, The Harvard Crimson reported. The university also restricted access to Harvard Yard.
The establishment of an encampment at Harvard is part of a larger national movement, with similar protests taking place at other universities across the country. At Columbia University, more than 100 protesters were arrested last week amid a pro-Palestinian demonstration. Protesters at California State Polytechnic University, Humboldt, have used furniture, tents, chains, and zip ties to block a building’s entrance and barricade themselves inside.
The unrest has prompted some universities to take action. Brandeis University has announced that it will extend its deadline for students to apply for transfers. Former Harvard President Claudine Gay resigned in January in part because of intense criticism over Harvard’s response to Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack in Israel.
The protest at Harvard is a reminder of the ongoing tensions between pro-Palestinian and pro-Israel groups on college campuses. Numerous pro-Palestinian and pro-Israel protests have unfolded on the campus, sometimes simultaneously, since October.
