Harvard to install safety barriers amid pro-Palestine encampment

Harvard University on Friday announced plans to install three-foot orange barriers in some locations around the pro-Palestine encampment in Harvard Yard at the center of the campus to ensure safety during freshmen move-out.

The barriers, slated to be in place until May 15, will be positioned between key buildings bordering the encampment, including Massachusetts Hall, Harvard Hall, Matthews Hall, Hollis Hall, and University Hall, according to the university's spokesperson Jason A. Newton.

These measures aim to manage pedestrian and vehicular traffic flow during the ongoing occupation.

The encampment, which has persisted between the John Harvard statue and Massachusetts Hall, has posed logistical challenges for Harvard's end-of-year operations.

Typically, parents and guardians assist freshmen with the move-out, but the encampment has necessitated adjustments to ensure safety and minimal disruption.

Harvard has progressively implemented measures to mitigate the encampment's impact on normal operations, including restricting access to the Yard and relocating events and exams.

Spokesperson Newton stressed pedestrian safety, urging individuals to maintain "a safe distance from vehicles" and keep "egress passageways clear."

The demonstrations began on April 17 at Columbia University to protest Israel's offensive in Gaza, where more than 34,500 Palestinians have been killed and 77,700 injured since Oct. 7, 2023 attack by Hamas.

The protests have served as a flashpoint for the wider movement to protest Israel's genocidal war on Gaza.