Live Updates: Pro-Palestine Protesters Begin Encampment in Harvard Yard | News

History Prof. Walter Johnson Says ‘No Tense Communication’ Between Protesters and Police — 1:20 pm

Harvard History professor Walter Johnson, standing by Massachusetts Hall near other professors and HUPD officers, said there has been “no tense communication” between protesters and the police so far. He said he is acting as the police liaison on behalf of protesters.

The protest has been organized and nonviolent, Johnson said. An HUPD officer nearby laughed and agreed that communication has been smooth.

Johnson was a former faculty advisor for the PSC before resigning after the organization published a widely-condemned cartoon with an anti-Semitic image. Johnson also assumed from his position as a member of the Faculty and Staff for Justice in Palestine.

Organizers were seen carrying sleeping bags and pillows into the encampment.

Encampment Starts Days After PSC Suspended — 1:14 pm

The encampment occurs two days after Harvard College suspended the Palestine Solidarity Committee for violating college policies on hosting on-campus events with non-Harvard and unrecognized student groups.

In an email to the PSC, the College informed the group that if they failed to “cease all organizational activities for the remainder of the Spring 2024 term,” the group may be permanently explained. The group had previously been put on probation last month.

“The organization will not be recognized and will not have access to university benefits and services during this time, including but not limited to use of campus space and appropriate use of the Harvard name,” the email said.

The PSC had held a protest last Friday in solidarity with protestors at Columbia University, who were removed by the NYPD last week.

Harvard Faculty for Justice in Palestine Speaks – 12:56 pm

Harvard professor Vijay Iyer, a member of Faculty and Staff for Justice in Palestine, called for the University to reinstate the PSC in a speech at the demonstration. FSJP posted on its Instagram condemning Harvard’s suspension of the PSC on Monday.

“We encourage the Harvard administration to refrain from any retaliation against the students,” Iyer said at the protest.

“We stand with the ACLU in standing with the Harvard PSC,” Iyer added. “We reject the university’s use of language and safety to stiff protest.” The Massachusetts chapter of the ACLU sent a letter to Harvard Wednesday calling on the University to reinstate the PSC and claiming the suspension would have a chilling effect on student speech.

Organizers have also begun to arrive on the scene with food, water, and other supplies for the encampment.

Encampment Begins — 12:49 pm

More than 500 students rallied in Harvard Yard as organizers set up an encampment in front of the John Harvard statue. By Marina Qu

Protesters flooded into the Yard from various freshman dorms, cheering and carrying tent equipment. Multiple tents have already been erected on the patch of lawn in front of the John Harvard statue.

The encampment in Harvard Yard comes after similar protests at Columbia University, Yale University, MIT, and more across the country. At Columbia, Yale, and New York University, protesters have been arrested for their participation.

In a Monday interview with The Crimson, interim Harvard President Alan M. Garber ’76 said while he would not rule out police response to a protest like the one currently erupting in the Yard, it would require a “very high bar.”

Harvard College Dean Rakesh Khurana declined to comment in a Tuesday interview on whether he would support a potential call from Garber to resort to police response.

‘Time To March’ — 12:30 pm

An organizer announced to the now more than 500-person group that it was “time to march.”

Organizers with the Palestine Solidarity Committee — which was suspended by the University on Tuesday — have lined up along all pathways leading to University Hall.

Some other protesters gathered in the Yard with tents, tarps, and sleeping bags, which appear to have been stored overnight in freshman dormitories.

An organizer addressed the crowd, asking them to “break your silence.”

“Our administration has proven time and time again that it cares more about the whims of its donors than the safety of its students,” the organizer said. “It is unsurprising that Harvard, an institution that materially supports Israel’s violence, has made yet another move to curb student protest of the Zionist state, even as that entity is an agent of genocide, apartheid, and settler colonialism.”

“We call on you to share our anger as a starting part to continue and constant mobilization,” they continued. “Now more than ever, when Harvard most wants us to be silent, we have a duty to speak out louder than ever. Free free Palestine.”

According to an HUPD officer stationed on the scene, they have been instructed to keep students safe and allow protests to proceed unless they become violent or destructive.

Protesters Chant — 12:23 pm

Protestors engaged in a call and repeat of a portion of the PSC press release in response to Harvard College’s decision to suspend the organization. Previously, the group also chanted, “What do we want? Justice! When do we want it? Now!” and “Shut it down.”

Inside University Hall, the “committee on promotions and appointments” is meeting, per a sign taped to the back door of the building.

The crowd of protesters has also pulled out umbrellas against the rain.

Students Gather at John Harvard — 11:59 am

Roughly 200 students, some donning yellow safety vests, have gathered at the John Harvard statue in preparation of the protest.

Several protesters are also carrying signs emblazoned with the logo of United Auto Workers — the parent union many graduate students and academic workers at Harvard are organized under.

Harvard University Police officers and vehicles have also established presence in the area, though they claim to be stationed for the Arts First Festival, which begins Wednesday. Access to University Hall, which houses administrative offices for the College and Faculty of Arts and Sciences, has been restricted, according to a security guard stationed by the entrance.

—Staff Writers Michelle N. Amponsah, Sally E. Edwards, Rahem D, Hamid, Joyce E. Kim, Asher J. Montgomery, Tilly R. Robinson, and Neil H. Shah contributed reporting.