Harvard Law School bans 60 students over pro-Palestine protest

Harvard Law School has temporarily barred at least 60 students from its library following a pro-Palestine protest, prompting immediate backlash and further demonstrations, The Harvard Crimson has reported.

The students were notified yesterday morning that their access to the Harvard Law School Library would be suspended until November 2024. The ban came in response to their participation in a “study-in” protest where students displayed flyers condemning Israel’s ongoing assault on Gaza.

The protest was organised by Harvard Out of Occupied Palestine, the group behind a recent 20-day encampment in Harvard Yard.

In response to the suspensions, more than 50 students staged another protest at the library, displaying laptop messages including “Harvard Divest from Death” and “Israel bombed a hospital, again.” Law school administrators attempted to identify protesters, specifically targeting students with signs on their laptops.

Harvard Law School Student Government co-presidents, Déborah Aléxis, and John Fossum criticised the administration’s response, claiming students were targeted “for merely studying while wearing a keffiyeh scarf or having a Palestine sticker on their computer”. They described the University’s space policies as “unintelligible and indefensible”.

The crackdown is part of a broader effort by Harvard to restrict protests in its libraries. The University recently suspended more than 25 faculty members from Widener Library for two weeks after a similar silent “study-in” protest, and previously banned 12 undergraduate students for organising a pro-Palestine protest in the same location.

While banned students retain borrowing privileges and access to other Harvard libraries, some have reported losing ID access to study rooms in other campus buildings.

The protest concluded with students rallying outside the library, where they chanted “In our thousands, in our millions, we are all Palestinians” before dispersing to attend classes.

The crackdown on pro-Palestine protests comes as Harvard faces a sharp drop in donations mainly from pro-Israel donors. According to the Financial Times, donations to the University dropped by 14 per cent in the fiscal year ending June 2024, falling to $1.18bn from $1.38bn, with the endowment fund taking the heaviest hit.

The decline in donations follows criticism from prominent alumni and donors over the University’s handling of anti-Israel protests. Hedge fund manager, Bill Ackman, led a campaign that resulted in the resignation of president Claudine Gay.

Read: Pro-Israel Jewish billionaires caught secretly plotting to crackdown student protests