Palestinian flag is raised over Harvard statue taking the place of the Stars and Stripes that typically flies proudly above founder's memorial
By Emma Richter
Daily Mail
Apr 28, 20224
In other images, the Palestinian flag was seen draped on the John Harvard's lap, along with a keffiyeh around his neck
A Palestinian flag was raised over a statue at Harvard University as anti-Israel protest continue to rock college campuses and took the place of the American flag that typically flies above the founder's memorial.
Video from Saturday night showed a group of pro-Palestine protestors, dressed in keffiyehs, raised a large Palestinian flag above the iconic statue of John Harvard.
The Harvard Crimson reported student protestors hung the flag and two others around 6.30pm at the Ivy League campus.
By 6.34pm, Harvard University Police officers called the school's Yard Operations to remove the flag that flew above the statue.
In recent days, protests have erupted across campuses nationwide in the wake of the October 7 attack on Israel by Hamas, and the ongoing retaliatory attacks on Gaza that followed.
Typically, a large American flag has been seen flying above the Ivy League university's founder
School administrators have called in police forces to remove encampments and protestors at schools such as Harvard, Columbia, Emory, NYU, USC, the University of Texas, Cal-Berkley and Brown.
In other images, the Palestinian flag was seen draped on John Harvard's lap, along with a keffiyeh around his neck.
As staff members took the flags down, protestors were heard yelling 'Shame!' at them, along with other chants such as 'Free, free, Palestine' and 'From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free!'
Harvard spokesperson Jonathan L. Swain said the protestor's actions was 'a violation of University policy and the individuals involved will be subject to disciplinary action.'
Once the flags were removed, demonstrators gathered inside and outside the encampment, and made it clear that they were willing to have their school IDs collected by administrators.
'Harvard, Harvard take my ID. You can't really scare me,' the protestors chanted.
Student protestors hung the large flag and two others around 6.30pm on the Ivy League campus
As staff members took the flags down, protestors were heard yelling 'Shame!' at them, along with other chants such as 'Free, free, Palestine' and 'From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free!'
Once the flags were removed, demonstrators gathered inside and outside the encampment, and made it clear that they were willing to have their school IDs collected by administrators
They then held a vigil around the statue for a Palestinian that was killed in the war, The Harvard Crimson reported.
Following the vigil, a large group of administrators, including the Dean of Students, Thomas Dunne, stormed the encampment with ID scanners.
As they collected student's information, they handed each protestor a piece of paper that warned them of disciplinary actions, including the possibility of graduating seniors having their degrees withheld.
'Repeat violations of University and School policies will result in increasingly severe sanctions. Students with pending disciplinary matters may not be granted a degree,' the slip said.
The Harvard Crimson said the American flag is typically hung outside Monday through Friday, but is lowered at 4pm 'for proper storage.'
School administrators have called in police forces to remove encampments and protestors at schools such as Harvard, Columbia, Emory , NYU, USC, the University of Texas , Cal-Berkley and Brown
Multiple tents are seen at Harvard University's encampment on Thursday in the Yard
Last week, the university tried to stay ahead of the mounting protests as it locked most gates into its famous Harvard Yard ahead of classes on Monday.
The school also limited identification to those with school IDs and posted warning signs against setting up tents or tables on campus without permission.
On Wednesday, protestors continued to set up camp as they brought out 14 tents after a rally against the university's suspension of the Harvard Undergraduate Palestine Solidarity Committee.
This is not the first time Harvard University has held a pro-Palestine protest or faced backlash for its response to the ongoing war, as the former president of the school, Claudine Gay resigned in January.
Gay left the Ivy League University 28 days after her shocking response at a congressional testimony about campus anti-Semitism.
She 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 her resignation letter, she vehemently claimed victimhood, attributing her decision to resign to ‘threats fueled by racial animus.’
Gay, who was accused of both plagiarism and antisemitism, emphasized that her departure is in the best interests of Harvard, allowing the community to navigate a challenging moment with a focus on the institution rather than any individual.
'After consultation with members of the Corporation, it has become clear that it is in the best interests of Harvard for me to resign so that our community can navigate this moment of extraordinary challenge with a focus on the institution rather than any individual,' she wrote.
Students protest against Israel at Harvard University on October 14
The former President of Harvard, Claudine Gay resigned in January after mounting criticism of anti-Semitism on campus and accusations of plagiarism
Along with her December 5 testimony, Gay has also been accused of mounting claims of plagiarism.
She said it was 'frightening' to find herself the target of threats, and 'distressing' to have her character questioned.
Gay will be replaced by Alan M. Garber, Provost and Chief Academic Officer, who sat behind her at the infamous hearing, nodding as she made her remarks.
Although campus protests recently dwindled down, they started up again after Columbia University President Nemat Shafik testified before the House Education and Workforce Committee about rampant anti-Semitism remarks on campus.
During Shafik's hearing, the Ivy League chief defended the 'peaceful' demonstrations and the students' right to free speech in the surge of anti-Semitic rhetoric since the start of the Gaza war.
House GOP Conference Chair Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., accused Columbia's leadership of refusing to 'enforce their own policies and condemn Jewish hatred on campus, creating a breeding ground for antisemitism and a hotbed of support for terrorism from radicalized faculty and students.'
Shafik insisted she has aggressively worked to combat antisemitism on campus, including holding over 200 meetings on the topic, holding daily meetings of the campus security team and working with the NYPD and FBI when hate crimes occur on campus.
Since then, pro-Palestine protests have broken out at universities across the country including Columbia, NYU and the University of Texas.
Rep Ilhan Omar's daughter Isra Hirsi was among at least 108 people arrested as police in riot gear moved in to break up the anti-Israel protest that rocked New York's Columbia University.
Tensions had been at boiling point since the protesters pitched tents on the university's south lawn, with several fights breaking out as they were met by pro-Israeli counter-demonstrators.
Although campus protests recently dwindled down, they started up again after Columbia University President Nemat Shafik testified before the House Education and Workforce Committee about rampant anti-Semitism remarks on campus
Rep Ilhan Omar's daughter Isra Hirsi was among at least 108 people arrested as police in riot gear moved in to break up the anti-Israel protest that rocked New York's Columbia University.
On Tuesday, NYU students and faculty descended on Washington Square Park to demand a 'total academic boycott of Israel
The daughter of the staunch Democrat had already been suspended by her university, Barnard College, earlier for joining the protest on the Upper West Side.
Hundreds of troopers, armed with riot shields and batons, were seen scuffling with pro-Palestine protesters at the University of Texas, as the Lone Star state was forced to send in mounted officers to control the growing chaos at the protest.
As of 9pm Thursday, 34 people were arrested, and the next morning, an additional 20 were also arrested.
The university's faculty appeared to be standing behind the students. Pavithra Vasudevan, a professor at UT, told the American-Statesman that the arrests lay at the feet of the university's administrators.
On Tuesday, NYU students and faculty descended on Washington Square Park to demand a 'total academic boycott of Israel.'
Flyers shared by organizers stated four demands for the movement, including the 'end of all war profiteering and investment in genocide', and providing 'full amnesty to all students and faculty penalized for their pro-Palestine activism.'
An organizer who would not give her name told DailyMail.com they had been 'inspired' by the pro-Gaza encampment at nearby Columbia University where cops arrested hundreds of people at the weekend.
'We were inspired by our comrades at Columbia,' the senior student said, wearing a black face covering and a keffiyeh over her hair.
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