Protesters participating in an anti-Israel “encampment” within Harvard Yard made headlines when they removed an American flag from University Hall, the central administration building, and raised a Palestinian flag in its place on Saturday before university staff intervened, as reported by The Harvard Crimson.
According to The Crimson, pro-Palestine student demonstrators at the Harvard Yard encampment unfurled three Palestinian flags over University Hall on Saturday evening. The flags were hoisted over the John Harvard statue in the Yard, an area where the university typically displays the American flag or flags of visiting foreign dignitaries. By 6:34 p.m., Harvard University Police officers were in touch with Harvard Yard Operations to arrange for the removal of the flag.As the university staff proceeded to take down the flags, the protesters voiced their disapproval by shouting “Shame!” and chanting slogans like “Free, free Palestine” and “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free.”It’s important to note that the chant “From the river to the sea” has been widely criticized as antisemitic because it suggests the destruction of Israel and the expulsion or harm of its Jewish population.Interestingly, the initiative to permit Palestinian students to fly their flag on campus with prior authorization came from a pro-Israel Jewish professor, Alan Dershowitz. In 2007, Dershowitz reflected on his support for free speech rights, even for those he strongly disagreed with:”I, and many other genuine civil libertarians, have long histories of defending the free speech rights of those we most despise. I supported the right of Nazis to march in Skokie, Ill forty years ago. I opposed the cancellation of a speech by Tom Paulin, who advocated the murder of Israelis. I defended, pro bono, a virulently anti-Israel Stanford professor who was fired for inciting violence. I opposed Harvard’s attempt to prevent students from flying the Palestinian flag to commemorate the death of mass-murderer Yasser Arafat.”
Dershowitz’s remarks highlight a commitment to defending free expression, even when it involves contentious or unpopular viewpoints.The incident at Harvard Yard underscores a broader trend seen in various pro-Palestinian “encampments” at prestigious universities like Harvard, Yale, Columbia, UCLA, and others, where anti-American sentiment is occasionally displayed through actions like removing the American flag and condemning the United States.
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