Harvard Library suspends 25 faculty members after pro-Palestine silent 'study-in'
Harvard Library suspended around 25 faculty members from coming into the main library for two weeks after they participated in a silent "study-in" that was intended to protest disciplinary action taken against pro-Palestine protesters.
The Harvard Library suspended around 25 faculty members from coming into the main library for two weeks after they participated in a silent “study-in” that was intended to protest disciplinary action taken against pro-Palestine protesters.
According to the Harvard Crimson, the faculty members protested the library’s decision to suspend 60 students who also conducted a pro-Palestine “study-in” in September.
The faculty members read free speech and dissent materials during the study-in and displayed signs on free speech and university policy.
Security guards took names and ID numbers of the faculty members who participated in the protests.
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While Harvard spokesperson Jonathan L. Swain declined to comment on the matter, Harvard Library system head Martha Whitehead said that the libraries aren’t “intended to be used as a venue for a group action, quiet or otherwise, to capture people’s attention.”
“In the study-ins in our spaces, we heard from students who saw them publicized and chose not to come to the library,” Whitehead continued. “During the events, large numbers of people filed in at once, and several moved around the room taking photos or filming.”
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“Seeking attention is in itself disruptive,” Whitehead added.
