Dozens of protesters at Harvard University who were attempting to camp out in protest of the university’s suspension of the Harvard Undergraduate Palestine Solidarity Committee were surprised when sprinklers turned on in the middle of the night, temporarily thwarting their efforts. The sprinklers disrupted the sleep of the protesters, with multiple sprinklers turning on and causing students to quickly grab buckets to try to contain the water. Despite this setback, no arrests had been made by Thursday morning.
The encampment at Harvard University was part of a wave of anti-Israel protests that have been happening on college campuses over the past week. At Columbia University, over 100 demonstrators were arrested when the NYPD intervened to break up their encampment. Similarly, students at New York University also faced arrests when their encampment was torn down by authorities. Harvard University took preemptive steps to try to prevent disruptions to classes, such as locking most gates into the yard and limiting access to those with school identification. They also posted warnings about setting up tents or tables on campus without permission.
The Harvard Crimson, a student-led newspaper, reported live on the events unfolding at the encampment. Sprinklers first turned on just outside the encampment in Harvard Yard before additional sprinklers were activated, causing water to hit tents and prompting protesters to cover the sprinklers with buckets and sit on them. The protest at Harvard was the latest in a string of demonstrations against Israel on college campuses, with tensions rising and protests escalating across the country.
Despite the sprinklers causing a disruption to the protest at Harvard, the encampment continued with no arrests being reported. The protesters at Harvard set up more than a dozen tents in the Ivy League’s Cambridge campus for the protest against the university’s suspension of the Harvard Undergraduate Palestine Solidarity Committee. As temperatures dropped to 36 degrees, protesters faced additional challenges in trying to maintain their presence in the yard.
While no arrests were made at Harvard’s encampment, tensions have been high on college campuses across the country with anti-Israel protests intensifying. Demonstrators have been arrested at Columbia University and New York University when authorities intervened to break up their encampments. Harvard University took precautions to limit access to the yard ahead of classes, but the protesters still managed to set up their tents for the protest. The student-led newspaper, The Harvard Crimson, provided updates on the situation as it unfolded, with the protesters continuing their demonstration despite the challenges they faced during the night.
In the wake of the anti-Israel protests at Harvard University, Columbia University, and New York University, there is a growing concern about the escalating tensions on college campuses. The protests have been met with arrests and interventions by authorities, with demonstrators at each university facing consequences for their actions. Harvard University, despite facing challenges with sprinklers going off in the middle of the night, allowed the protesters to continue their encampment without any reported arrests. The encampment was part of ongoing protests against the Israel-Palestine conflict that have been sparking controversy and disruption on college campuses across the country.
