CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS: Harvard pro-Palestinian student groups organized a "die-in" protest on Wednesday, October 18, sparking a wave of reactions on social media.
The demonstration occurred just over a week after a deadly attack by Hamas that resulted in the deaths of more than 1,400 people in Israel.
The protests took place 12 days after the attack and were partly triggered by a letter supported by 33 Harvard student groups that attributed blame to Israel for the Hamas attack, which sparked national outrage.
Pro-Palestinian 'die-in' at Harvard
The two primary organizations behind Wednesday's protest were the Harvard Palestine Solidarity Committee and Harvard Graduate Students for Palestine. They led a march from Harvard's main campus in Cambridge to its business school in Boston, Fox News reported.
The protest was in part a response to an "Israeli airstrike" on a hospital in Gaza, although US intelligence clarified that Israel was reportedly not responsible for the explosion.
The event flyer carried the message, "Protest and Die-In. Over 800 Killed by Israeli airstrike on hospital in Gaza. Demand an end to ongoing genocide."
During the protest, demonstrators filled the streets along the Charles River, waving Palestinian flags, chanting slogans like "No justice, No peace," and holding signs condemning the situation in Gaza.
At the Business School law, the demonstrators staged a "die-in" where they lay down on the grass as a form of resistance.
Counter-protests by pro-Israel students took place nearby, with some expressing offense at what they saw as a lack of sympathy from their fellow students following the deadly Hamas attack.
Social media reactions
Many on social media lashed out at the pro-Palestinian groups in Harvard.
"Feeble minded liberals having a temper tantrum should have been the headline," one responded to an NBC10 Boston news report on Instagram.
"I think we’ve heard enough from that school for awhile. Smh," another added, referring to Harvard.
"Wondering if they know Hamas was the one bombing the hospital yesterday," a comment read.
"We just LOVE TO PROTEST. No need to understand the why or what, let's just protest 🤦🏻♂️," another offered.
"Nah they need to get a job Fr 🤣," someone else chimed in.
"They should fly to Gaza and help Hamas with their cause!" yet another quipped.
Harvard in controversy
Harvard has been embroiled in controversy since the beginning of the conflict, with reports of major donors withdrawing contributions and rescinding job offers to individuals who either blamed the Hamas attack on Israel or failed to condemn the militant group.
On October 7, the Harvard Undergraduate Palestine Solidarity Committee, along with 33 other student organizations, issued a letter declaring, "We, the undersigned student organizations, hold the Israeli regime entirely responsible for all unfolding violence."
This statement was denounced as "antisemitic" by the Anti-Defamation League, and the university faced accusations of tolerating hate speech. Leaders of the 33 organizations and the Solidarity Committee faced calls to be blacklisted from future employment.
One of the country's prestigious law firms, Davis Polk, rescinded job offers for three students it believed were involved in issuing statements blaming Israel for the violence.
"The views expressed in certain of the statements signed by law school student organizations in recent days are in direct contravention of our firm's value system," the company said in a statement.
They adding that it will "continue to maintain a supportive and inclusive work environment," and that "the student leaders responsible for signing on to these statements are no longer welcome in our firm."
An Israeli billionaire, Idan Ofer, and his wife, Batia, announced their resignation from Harvard University's Kennedy School of Business board due to their dissatisfaction with the school president's response to the situation.
It later emerged that some students supporting Hamas at Harvard were seeking mental health services after experiencing what they describe as "relentless bullying and intimidation" for their refusal to condemn the militant group.
