Harvard student group expresses concerns of doxxing amid letter controversy

The Harvard University student group that authored Saturday's pro-Palestine letter has spoken out about the growing concerns over the safety of various Harvard students since the release of the heavily debated statement.  

The letter which initially contained 34 signatories from various Harvard student groups, carried a statement that criticised Israel's 'ongoing annihilation of Palestinians' amid the Israel-Gaza war. 

After posting the letter, which led to subsequent backlash from pro-Israel supporters, the Harvard Palestine Solidarity Committee (PSC) posted on Instagram to raise concerns about a series of "credible" safety issues and "threats against student security".

As a result, the group announced the cancellation of a previously scheduled vigil to mourn the victims of the ongoing attacks in Gaza, adding that they are hoping to "open up a space for grief and processing in the coming days".

The PSC also claimed that its social media account was temporarily suspended, calling the decision "a recurring pattern of Meta's censorship of pro-Palestine messaging".

On Wednesday, the group released a formal statement addressing the backlash that ensued after the release of the letter.

The PSC highlighted that within 72 hours, the letter had gone viral both nationally and internationally but the group had endured severe cases of "racist hate speech and death threats".

The group emphasised the impact of the marginalisation of underrepresented voices, from Palestinian, Black and Brown to Muslim voices who have been disproportionately impacted by "being persecuted both on campus and online".

The PSC added that it "staunchly opposes all violence against all innocent life' but rejects the expectation 'to preempt their statements with condemnation of violence while overlooking the structures that produce said violence"

This came after news of doxxing and breaches of student security was revealed in a report by The Harvard Crimson. 

At least four online sites listed classified information of students who were linked to clubs that had signed onto the statement, from full names, class years, past employment, social media profiles, photos, to hometowns. 

On Tuesday, the original letter was updated to remove the names of the signatory organisations and included a footnote which read: "For student safety, the names of all original signing organizations have been concealed at this time."

Jonathan Palumbo, a Harvard spokesperson, said in a statement on Tuesday that Harvard University was alerted of safety concerns. 

"We have been in contact with students and have alerted authorities," Palumbo wrote. 

The Harvard Crimson student newspaper additionally reported that multiple Harvard student groups had consequently withdrawn their signatures, such as Amnesty International at Harvard and Harvard College Act on a Dream.

Israel intensifies repressive measures on Palestinian prisoners https://t.co/nawLWvdmGZ

— The New Arab (@The_NewArab) October 11, 2023

Following Harvard University's statement regarding the Gaza-Israel conflict, the university’s president Claudine Gay released a separate statement to directly address the comments of Harvard’s student groups. 

"As the events of recent days continue to reverberate, let there be no doubt that I condemn the terrorist atrocities perpetrated by Hamas," she said.

"Such inhumanity is abhorrent, whatever one’s individual views of the origins of longstanding conflicts in the region," she added.

"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."

Alejandra Caraballo, an American civil rights attorney, posted a statement on X to speak out against the suggestions of hedge fund billionaire Bill Ackman, who called for Harvard students to be blacklisted due to having dissenting opinions of the Israeli government. 

"However you may feel about the Harvard letter, having a billionaire personally lead a digital mob trying to single out college students to bar them from any future employment and harass them is completely over the top and disproportionate," she posted.

The New Arab has reached out to the Harvard Palestine Solidarity Committee for comment.