Greater than 1,000 college students left the commencement ceremony chanting “Free Palestine” slogans after the Harvard administration introduced that it will not award diplomas to 13 college students who had beforehand participated in demonstrations in assist of Palestine.
Shruthi Kumar, one of many organizers of the protesting college students, acknowledged in her assertion to the AP that the 13 college students in query needs to be among the many 2024 graduates and stated, “This era, our freedom of expression and solidarity have grow to be punishable.” stated.
Stating that greater than 1,500 college students and practically 500 college professors and workers collected signatures in order that the 13 college students in query may obtain their diplomas, Kumar stated that they had been deeply dissatisfied by the varsity administration's intolerance in the direction of freedom of expression and the suitable to civil disobedience on campuses.
[Reuters]
“We hope that our associates will hold the libertarian legacy of the Gaza solidarity camp alive.”
Asmer Asrar Safi, one of many 13 college students who had been prevented from receiving a diploma, stated that this punishment confirmed how far the varsity would go in silencing college students to please its donors.
“Though we won’t return to this college, we hope that our associates will hold the libertarian legacy of the Gaza solidarity camp alive and do much more to chop off the varsity's investments linked to Israeli corporations,” Safi stated. he acknowledged.
The Harvard Board of Administrators claimed that the 13 college students violated the college's insurance policies with their habits throughout solidarity demonstrations for Palestine, and subsequently introduced that their diplomas wouldn’t be awarded.
In the course of the commencement ceremony, it was noteworthy {that a} small aircraft flying the Israel-USA flag circled over the realm. Exterior the campus, a truck with a digital display screen bearing a banner studying “Harvard's Distinguished Anti-Semites” was seen revealing the names and footage of some pro-Palestinian college students.
