Harvard Faculty Protest Decision to Ban Pro-Palestine Activists from Widener Library

Roughly 15 Harvard faculty and staff members gathered beneath the steps of Widener Library on Friday to protest the temporary ban of more than 12 pro-Palestine student protesters from Widener for holding a silent “study-in” in the library’s reading room.

Faculty who attended the protest, which was organized by Harvard Faculty and Staff for Justice in Palestine, criticized the bans as an overreaction to the students’ demonstration.

Harvard Medical School clinical instructor and FSJP organizer Lara Z. Jirmanus said she saw the bans as an attempt to censor pro-Palestine speech.

“The Harvard administration has created a climate of fear on campus by prohibiting any speech or protest which is a defense of Palestinian health and human rights and Palestinian lives,” she said.

A Harvard spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment on Friday.

Students who participated in the “study-in” were notified on Oct. 2 that their access to Widener would be suspended until Oct. 16. The students retained full access to Harvard’s library resources — including other campus libraries — and were informed they could request materials from Widener for pick-up at other libraries.

Jirmanus wrote in an email that she did not know if any banned students had tried to enter Widener, but said that she remained “concerned in principle because of the chilling effect on academic freedom and campus speech.”

HMS professor Karameh H. Kuemmerle, who attended the Friday protest, described the punishments as “disproportionate” to the students’ tactics.

“This was not a violent protest. It was not even a loud protest,” she said. “It was very, very respectful of the atmosphere of the library.”

The Widener bans come as part of an ongoing effort to tighten restrictions on campus protests. In January, Harvard’s top deans released updated protest guidelines that prohibit demonstrations in libraries. Over the summer, Harvard imposed new campus use rules that place limits on events and signage.

In an interview with The Crimson on Tuesday, Harvard President Alan M. Garber ’76 stopped short of endorsing the two-week bans but said he thought Harvard should enforce time, place, and manner restrictions against protests in libraries.

HMS lecturer Jim Recht, who attended the Friday protest, said he felt ashamed of Harvard’s decision to enact the bans.

“I think it’s a terribly inappropriate response, and it’s one that people will look back on years from now and see as a real stain on Harvard’s reputation,” Recht said.

—Staff writer Tilly R. Robinson can be reached at tilly.robinson@thecrimson.com. Follow her on X @tillyrobin.