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'Pro-Hamas or pro-Palestinian?': Internet has one question for Harvard president as Claudine Gay turns on protesters amid backlash

Several student groups at the university collectively pointed a finger at Israel, asserting that the recent Hamas attack 'did not happen in a vacuum'

CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS: Amid the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Harvard University found itself at the center of a heated controversy. Several Harvard student groups issued a statement blaming Israel for the recent Hamas attacks, which had claimed the lives of at least 1,000 citizens.

The declaration raised many eyebrows and spurred discussions both within and outside the university.

Harvard President Claudine Gay finally took a stand by distancing the university from the students' statement, emphasizing that their views did not represent the official stance of the institution.

Nevertheless, her response did little to quell the tensions that had erupted just half a mile away on the university campus in Cambridge, Massachusetts. On the streets, Israeli supporters found themselves outnumbered by anti-Zionist demonstrators.

Protesters and counter-protesters clash

The confrontation grew ugly, with a man donned in Palestinian colors shouting, "Animals, animals, you pigs, animals, Nazis, Nazis, Nazis," while gesturing aggressively at his counterparts across the thin line of police officers.

The heated exchange continued as another protester cried, "Palestine will be free," and even attempted to break through the police cordon to confront a counter-demonstrator.

The scene took a disturbing turn when one individual was seen stomping on a US flag, passionately denouncing the "brutal treatment of Palestinians since 1948."

The tensions escalated further as Israeli supporters, equipped with an amplifier, shouted back, branding the protesters as "terrorists" and "cowards."

Their chants included, "Rape is not resistance," and a woman on the microphone demanded answers, asking, "Why are you killing kids and women?" She continued, "Why don't you fight against the military? Let's see how brave you are."

A male protester draped in the Israeli flag called for peace, saying, "I want to live in a nation. You don't want to live in a nation? You want to fight, you want to kill, you want to be a terrorist?"

Student groups' accusations against Israel

The turmoil in the university town had been brewing for days. It all began when 31 Harvard organizations, among them the Ivy League institution's Amnesty International chapter, issued a joint statement on Sunday, October 8.

In this statement, they collectively pointed a finger at Israel, asserting that the recent Hamas attack "did not happen in a vacuum." They argued that the Israeli government had forced Palestinians to live in an "open-air prison for over two decades."

"The apartheid regime is the only one to blame. Israeli violence has structured every aspect of Palestinian existence for 75 years," they wrote.

"From systematized land seizures to routine airstrikes, arbitrary detentions to military checkpoints, and enforced family separations to targeted killings, Palestinians have been forced to live in a state of death, both slow and sudden."

In the wake of this statement, the Anti-Defamation League decried it as "antisemitic." Critics also accused the university of tolerating hate speech.

The delay in Harvard's official response to these claims fueled outrage, with former Harvard President Lawrence Summers condemning it as "sickening."

"The silence from Harvard's leadership has allowed Harvard to appear at best neutral towards acts of terror against the Jewish state of Israel...I am sickened," Summers posted on social media.

President Claudine Gay's response

It was only on Tuesday, October 10, that Harvard's President, Claudine Gay, issued her response. She condemned the "terrorist atrocities committed by Hamas in Israel" and made it clear that the 31 student groups do not represent the official stance of the university.

"Let me also state, on this matter as on others, that while our students have the right to speak for themselves, no student group — not even 30 student groups — speaks for Harvard University or its leadership," Gay said.

"As the events of recent days continue to reverberate, let there be no doubt that I condemn the terrorist atrocities perpetrated by Hamas," Gay said in a statement. "Such inhumanity is abhorrent, whatever one's individual views of the origins of longstanding conflicts in the region," she continued.

Gay concluded with an appeal for a more constructive discourse. "We will all be well served in such a difficult moment by rhetoric that aims to illuminate and not inflame. And I appeal to all of us in this community of learning to keep this in mind as our conversations continue," she said.

Social media reactions

The statement elicited a barrage of reactions on social media. Some questioned why many Harvard students appeared to support Hamas, expressing dismay at what they deemed immoral behavior. Others found the response too tepid and belated.

"Why are so many of their students pro-Hamas and applauding their disgusting immoral behavior? Maybe they should rethink what they are teaching at @Harvard," one posted on X.

"Too tepid, too little, too late," another wrote.

"Specifically pro-Hamas, or pro-Palestinian? There’s a huge difference," a comment read.

"These groups certainly speak to the quality of the education Harvard students are receiving! Reputation is pretty overinflated. How many profs support Hamas?" someone else chimed in.

"It’s a little late," another added.

According to the Times of Israel, the death toll resulting from the weekend attacks by Hamas had surpassed 1,200. This grim statistic overshadowed all modern Islamist attacks on the Western world since September 11, 2001.