Harvard University Closes Yard as Pro-Palestine Protests Surge Across Ivy League Campuses

Harvard University has closed Harvard Yard amid a wave of pro-Palestine protests taking place at campuses nationwide.

The university has restricted access to Harvard Yard until Friday and posted signs on entrance gates stating that the area is not accessible to non-Harvard ID holders, according to a report by Harvard Crimson, the university’s student newspaper.

While announcing the closure, Harvard specified that students with valid IDs can still enter. It said those who refuse to present IDs and affiliates who bring unauthorized objects to block entrances will be subject to disciplinary action, Erudera.com reports.

The university sent an email to students and staff who work in the Yard, stressing the reason for this closure is an “abundance of caution and with the safety of our community as a priority.”

The announcement comes after more than 200 students and other affiliates rallied in Harvard Yard last week in solidarity with students who were arrested at Columbia University while opposing Israel’s war in Gaza.

The protest at Harvard was co-organized by pro-Palestinian groups, and participants have demanded the university ends relations with Israel on academic-related investments.

“We are in solidarity with our brave, with our courageous comrades at Columbia. They are our moral exemplars. Solidarity is costly but we are willing to bear the brunt of it,” protesters said in front of University Hall.

Amid these developments, Harvard suspended the Harvard Undergraduate Palestine Solidarity Committee, members of which made speeches during the protests. The Crimson reported that the university ordered the group to halt its activities until the end of the Spring 2024 term.

Columbia University is entering the seventh day of pro-Palestine protests on campus. More than 100 protesters showing support for Palestinian rights on the university’s lawn ended up in arrests.

The university has now decided to switch to hybrid classes for the remainder of the semester, citing safety concerns on campus.

“Safety is our highest priority as we strive to support our students’ learning and all the required academic operations,” the school said in a statement late Monday.

Similar disturbances have been reported at several other institutions, including Yale and New York University. At least 45 Yale students were arrested after refusing to leave an on-campus protest in New Haven.

Some New York University (NYU) students were also taken into custody during Monday’s protests on the university’s campus.

Protesters have urged NYU to divest from companies that collaborate with Israel. Additionally, they have urged the school to cut ties with Tel Aviv University and close its Tel Aviv campus.