Anti-Israeli demonstrators at Harvard University hoisted the Palestinian flag in an area often used for the American flag amid the US campus protests, according to the New York Post. A video of three students hoisting the Palestinian flag atop the famous John Harvard statue—where the Stars and Stripes are supposed to fly—went viral as the students carried on their occupation of the university. A little after 6:30 p.m. (local time) on Saturday, the flag-raising event occurred, according to The Harvard Crimson, the university’s student newspaper. According to the report, three flags were raised on campus.
According to a university official, student behaviour has breached Harvard regulations, as reported by New York Post report. “The flags raised by protesters over University Hall were removed by Harvard facilities staff,” a Harvard University representative said in a statement to the New York Post. The statement continued, “The actions are a violation of University policy and the individuals involved will be subject to disciplinary action.”
The Harvard Crimson reports that shortly after the Palestinian flag was hoisted at the flagpole on Saturday, campus employees took it down. According to The Crimson, the US flag is typically flown from the flagpole at the Harvard monument. Nonetheless, the report stated that when international dignitaries paid a visit to the university, their flags were also flown.
The US flag was not flying at the location on Saturday at the time of the incident, according to the New York Post. Normally, it stated, the Stars and Stripes are raised at 7 a.m., Monday through Friday, and lowered at 4 p.m., “for proper storage.”
As anti-Israeli youths camping on the school grounds yelled phrases like “Free, free Palestine” and “We flay for Palestine,” the Palestinian flag was raised. Similar incidents were seen on US college campuses, such as Columbia University in New York City and other prestigious Ivy League schools.
In a series of tense confrontations, more than 200 individuals found themselves in handcuffs following protests at Northeastern University, Arizona State University, Indiana University, and Washington University in St Louis, The New York Times (NYT) reported.
These events, unfolding against the backdrop of heightened tensions in the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict, underscore the challenges faced by universities nationwide as they grapple with the increasingly visible demonstrations and encampments on their campuses.
Since April 18th, when Columbia University in New York City saw the New York Police Department dismantle a protest encampment, over 700 protesters have been arrested across US campuses.
Among the recent wave of arrests, one notable figure stands out: Jill Stein, the Green Party’s 2024 presidential candidate, alongside her campaign manager and another staff member, were apprehended at Washington University in St Louis, according to NYT.
At Northeastern University in Boston, the scene unfolded early Saturday morning as Massachusetts State Police officers moved in to dismantle an encampment on the campus’s Centennial Common.
The encampment, which had drawn over 100 supporters, faced repeated requests from the university administration to vacate the area. Despite these calls, many students remained steadfast.
As tensions escalated, the arrests began, with more than 100 protesters detained. While the exact number of students among those arrested remains unclear, the university assured that students presenting their university IDs were being released.
The heightened police presence was evident on Saturday across several campuses, although not all resulted in arrests. At the University of Pennsylvania, campus police officers were stationed along barricades as over 100 protesters gathered in an encampment, with a smaller group of pro-Israel counterprotesters nearby, as reported by the NYT.
At the California State Polytechnic University, Humboldt, officers were present on the closed campus following a protest that witnessed demonstrators occupy two buildings earlier in the week.