Students gathered in the Harvard Science Center Plaza from 4PM to 5:15 PM on Friday for a Quds (or al-Quds) Day Rally in support of a ceasefire in Gaza and an end to “Israeli occupation” of Palestine. Quds Day is an international event in the anti-Zionist community, held yearly on the last Friday of Ramadan, “ to express support for Palestine and oppose the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories.” Dr. Cornel West, B.A. ‘74, noted public intellectual and current presidential candidate, made an appearance and delivered a short address to the crowd.
The occasion is yet another expression of discontent on campus regarding the University’s relationship with Israel, which is currently accused of a number of human rights violations pursuant to its campaign in Gaza, launched in response to the October 7 Hamas attack. Globally, pressure is mounting for Israel to de-escalate, as the conflict has left 33,091 Gazans dead and 75,750 maimed. Following months of steadfast support for Israel, President Biden recently announced a desire for a ceasefire in return for the release of hostages currently held by Hamas. This comes soon after the recent controversy surrounding the IDF killing of seven aid workers in a series of airstrikes.
Campus organizers Prince Aviunce Williams, BA ‘25, and Kojo Acheampong, BA ‘26, of Harvard’s African American Resistance Organization (AFRO), served as lead facilitators for the event, though many other students from the various graduate schools also assisted with management of the event.
“There is no Palestinian Liberation without the liberation of all poor and oppressed people throughout the world” commented Williams, during one of many sermons throughout the event.
Not all parties present supported the position espoused by the presenters during the event. A small group of counter-protesters, donning Israeli-flag scarves and presenting a poster board with the faces of Israelis held hostage by Hamas stood behind the crowd for the entire duration.
“Still waiting to hear the word peace,” said one counter-protestor, early on.
Following opening remarks from Williams and Acheampong, Williams passed the microphone to Dr. West. “I’m just very blessed to be here” I just want to let the world know our status, solidarity with my precious Palestinian brothers and sisters,” he began.
Speaking in his classic homily-esque spiritual style, Dr. West pressed the importance of supporting the Palestinian cause, and connected the issue to broader concerns he identified in American life writ large. He described the country as “undergoing spiritual decay” due to a combination of “greed” and “indifference” in the upper rungs of society.
In his peroration, Dr. West emphasized that supporting Palestine was “no short-term affair,” and that supporters must be “faithful unto death” Palestinians and all other oppressed people.
Acheompong’s lively seven-minute speech combined a similar sense of enthusiastic urgency with a celebration of the perceived success of campus activism in recent months. He listed recent resolutions passed at Harvard Law School and Harvard Divinity School encouraging Harvard University to divest from Israeli-affiliates, as well as the upcoming consideration of divestment at MIT, as evidence of pro-Palestinian protest actions yielding results. He repeatedly emphasized that “it’s only a matter of time” until the University grants their demands.
Many of the speakers, including Williams and Acheampong, and others in attendance have been victims of incidents of doxxing and harassment faced by pro-Palestine activists in the last several months.
Williams put a positive spin on these consequences, noting that “repression all across this campus” is the natural response to “gaining momentum.” Referring to the infamous doxxing truck linked to conservative media group Accuracy in Media, he said defiantly “you’re putting them on that truck because they’re on the right side of history.”
His words echo sentiments expressed by Dr. West when we spoke to him following his comments to the crowd. In response to a question of how Palestinian sovereignty factors into his campaign’s vision for the country, he referred to the Harvard motto: “veritas.” West stated that he wants to be a “truth-teller.”
“The condition of truth is allowing suffering to speak, and truth is always a species of the good. So, you can’t be a truth teller if you’re not willing to fight for truth and justice. And so, I’m just here just to add my small voice with these magnificent voices of young brothers and sisters right here at Harvard just to let them know that I stand with them because they stand for the truth, and they stand against the suffering and the genocide in Gaza.”