Harvard Warns of Consequences After Pro-Palestine ‘Study-In’ in Widener Library

Harvard administrators threatened disciplinary action against roughly 30 pro-Palestine student protesters who staged a silent “emergency study-in” at Widener Library on Saturday afternoon to protest a wave of Israeli attacks against Hezbollah in Lebanon last week.

The study-in, organized by Harvard Out of Occupied Palestine, came after pagers and electronic radios exploded across Lebanon on Tuesday and Wednesday in attacks widely attributed to Israel. The attacks killed more than 30 people and inflamed tensions between Israel and Hezbollah, the Lebanese militia group, which fired a barrage of rockets across Northern Israel over the weekend.

Students gathered at the steps of Widener Library to distribute keffiyehs and posters that read “IMAGINE IT HAPPENED HERE” and “ISRAEL BOMBS HARVARD PAYS,” before silently filing into the library at noon.

The silent demonstration served to test Harvard administrators’ willingness to fulfill their promise of a stricter stance toward student protests this fall. A similar protest in Widener last December was met with silence from the University.

This time around, however, Harvard warned protesters of potential disciplinary action before Saturday’s demonstration even took place.

In a partially redacted copy of a Friday email shared with The Crimson, Associate Dean for Student Engagement Jason R. Meier warned the Harvard Undergraduate Palestine Solidarity Committee that “the event as described is a violation of Harvard’s policies and participants may be subject to follow-up as appropriate.”

Harvard spokesperson Jason A. Newton, citing a January message from Harvard’s leadership, emphasized that the University-wide Statement on Rights and Responsibilities “prohibits demonstrations and protests in libraries or other spaces designated for study.”

“The university and library administration will continue to gather information about Saturday’s Widener Library protest before determining next steps regarding participants,” he added.

As protesters entered, library staff passed out sheets of paper to organizers stating that libraries are not permissible spaces for student protests. Staff also took down the Harvard University ID numbers of several participants, though College spokesperson Jonthan Palumbo said that no students had been referred for disciplinary action as of Sunday morning.

Harvard Libraries staff note down the ID numbers of students who participated in the Widener Library protest. By Frank S. Zhou

HOOP wrote in an Instagram post Saturday that Meier’s email to the PSC exemplifies the University’s “Palestine exception.”

“We should understand the risks but more importantly, understand that it is our duty to never waver in our commitment to a free Palestine, as Harvard’s cowardly repression only further demonstrates the strength of our movement,” HOOP wrote in the post.

Harvard Faculty and Staff for Justice in Palestine also criticized the email from the DSO, writing in an Instagram post on Sunday morning that “prohibiting students from wearing Palestinian clothing while studying in the library is discrimination.”

The written notice handed out to the student protesters only stated that libraries are not permitted spaces for demonstrations and the study-in constituted a violation of University policies, according to Newton.

Palumbo wrote in a statement on Sunday that “freedom of expression is essential to a liberal arts and sciences education.

“We are committed to creating a campus climate where everyone can express their views but without disrupting the teaching, learning, and research mission of the College,” Palumbo added.

If Harvard does pursue disciplinary action against participants, it could jeopardize the standing of the PSC, which was reinstated this month after being suspended in April for holding an unauthorized rally in Harvard Yard.

Though the group promoted the study-in over Instagram, the PSC wrote in a statement that the group did not officially co-sponsor the silent protest in Widener Library.

“PSC utilizes our Instagram to feature work and actions by aligned organizations,” the group added. “We condemn Harvard’s profiling and targeting of students and their absurdity in threatening students with disciplinary action for silently studying while looking ‘Pro-Palestine.’”

In a Sunday Instagram post, the PSC shared “testimony” from HOOP that Harvard threatened discipline against students who “were simply wearing keffiyehs with flyers on their laptops calling towards divestment while silently studying.”

“This is the state of repression on Harvard’s campus,” they added.

—Staff writer Michelle N. Amponsah can be reached at michelle.amponsah@thecrimson.com. Follow her on Twitter @mnamponsah.

—Staff writer Samuel A. Church can be reached at samuel.church@thecrimson.com. Follow him on X @samuelachurch.