Marred Display Inflames Free Speech Debate

Just three weeks after the controversial defacement of roughly 200 of its posters, Harvard Right to Life (HRL) fears that its campaign may have been targeted again.

A display of American flags outside the Science Center was torn down at approximately 9:30 a.m. on Wednesday morning, the work of a single “college-aged male,” nearby Facilities Maintenance Operations (FMO) workers told HRL President Daniel R. Tapia ’05.

HRL’s campaign involved the systematic planting of 440 miniature American flags in the grass to the left of the Science Center entrance to represent a graveyard for the 4,400 abortions that occur daily within the United States.

In front of the arrangement hung a large, black poster that advertised the group’s cause and presented a few statistics about abortion.

HRL representatives said the group had applied for and received permission from the College to display the flags every day this week.

But on Wednesday morning, Tapia discovered that the arrangement had been upset.

“I went by at 9 a.m. and they were up and they looked great,” he said. “Then I went into Cabot [Science Library] to study, and came out at 10, and [the flags] were all thrown in a pile underneath the sign.”

Tapia asked nearby FMO workers if they had seen what had transpired, and they provided a description of the individual responsible.

Those FMO workers were unavailable for comment yesterday.

Paul C. Schultz ’04, an HRL member and a Crimson editor, noted that there is a chance that the flags may have been removed by a patriotic student who felt the need to save them from the falling rain.

But given the historical tension between Harvard students and HRL, there may be a case to assume otherwise.

Two replica flags bearing swastikas were also placed in the display this past week to disparage the pro-life movement’s treatment of women, according to HRL members.

“It’s a recurring issue,” Tapia said. “Anything we do is going to get torn down or defaced. From our perspective, all we’re doing is revealing the facts about abortion, and letting people’s consciences decide. But some people who disagree just get angry, and react like this.”

Abigail L. Fee ’05, president of Harvard Students for Choice, said the group had made no efforts to alter the HRL display, and that she has actively instructed members against vandalism.

But some students have said that individuals have a right to act against displays they find offensive.

“I just feel that someone needs to reply,” said one first-year who did want to be identified. “Because to just leave it there is just sort of cowardly and unfair...and someone should stand up and respond to that.”

Last year, HRL’s “Natalie” posters—which illustrated the developmental stages of a fetus—were similarly defaced, sparking a school-wide controversy on whether to uphold the categorical protection of the right to free expression.

The first attack this year reportedly happened during the weekend of Oct. 19, when a number of students destroyed a series of pro-life posters pinned on the bulletin boards of first-year dormitories and undergraduate Houses.

Wednesday’s events again raised those concerns, incensing both conservatives on campus and those simply troubled by their peers’ actions.

“There’s definitely a big double standard at Harvard,” Tapia said. “Many groups here advocate free speech and the expression of ideas, but when it comes to an idea they don’t like, they want to crush it and silence it.”

But some students see HRL’s displays as an abuse of their privileges.

Fervent debates on the philosophical principle of free speech have sprung up on the open e-mail lists of Houses such as Mather and Winthrop, inspired by the issue of the flags as well as HRL’s posters on campus.

And roughly 30 individuals have invited members of HRL to participate in a forum next week about the nature of their campaign.

The members have not yet responded, but Tapia said last night that they will accept the invitation.

“I think it’s a great idea,” Tapia said.

HRL has e-mailed Acting Associate Dean of Harvard College Judith H. Kidd to inquire how Harvard will officially respond to the flag incident.

Kidd was unavailable for comment late last night.

The response to the initial defacement of posters consisted of asking House Masters to send out e-mails which reminded students to “[respect] the rights of all student organizations to poster on campus.”

“I suggested having [the display] up an extra two days next week to make up for it,” Tapia said. “But right now the issue is pretty much in her hands.”