Harvard Yard partially closed as anti-Israel protests rock Ivy League
The Ivy League school’s administration has temporarily limited who can enter Harvard Yard, with the school leadership potentially fearing large anti-Israel protests.
The measure comes as several other schools, including Columbia and Yale, have seen significant anti-Israel demonstrations.
Harvard University leaders have temporarily limited entry to Harvard Yard until Friday to potentially deal with possible anti-Israel protests, reported The Harvard Crimson.
An email announcement informed members of the Harvard community that this measure was motivated from “an abundance of caution and with the safety of our community as a priority,” the Crimson continued.
[RELATED: VAIDA: I’m an Israeli citizen. Students’ pro-Iran bile exposes new depths of anti-Semitic rot in higher education.]
The closure comes following a protest Friday that saw hundreds of demonstrators gather at Harvard Yard to demand the Ivy League school’s divestment from Israeli connections, the Crimson wrote.
#Harvard University students stand in support of their #ColumbiaUniversity colleagues’ sit-in against #Genocide in #Gaza
Across the history of every nation, Students Movement is founded on #Solidarity- with one another, and with just causes. pic.twitter.com/9vOed2aMNr— Fadi Al-Qadi (@fqadi) April 20, 2024
The past week has seen the outbreak of anti-Israel protests at multiple campuses, beginning with Columbia University, where roughly 100 students were arrested and some protestors “praised Hamas and called for the terrorist organization to ‘strike’ Tel Aviv,” as Campus Reform reported.
Yale University was also the scene of a large anti-Israel protest in which police arrested more than 40 demonstrators, and one Jewish student reporter was attacked by a pro-Palestinian protestor and hospitalized, Campus Reform reported Monday morning.
Harvard has been at the center of an ongoing controversy related to anti-Semitism at the school that Campus Reform has been covering.
Last Thursday, Harvard hosted a pro-Hamas speaker who claimed the Oct. 7 Hamas massacre of Jewish civilians was not motivated by anti-Semitism, and compared the attack to “imprisoned people . . . breaking out of their prison.”
Earlier this month, Harvard received an “F” from the Anti-Defamation League regarding its response to anti-Semitism.
On March 30, a Harvard Extension School student allegedly led a protest in which demonstrators called on Hamas to attack the Jewish State.
Campus Reform has reached out to Harvard University for comment. This article will be updated accordingly.
