Harvard Yard Closed Overnight After Vandalism of University Hall, John Harvard Statue

The University restricted access to Harvard Yard overnight to Harvard University ID holders on Wednesday following the Tuesday vandalization of University Hall and the John Harvard statue by a pro-Palestine activist.

The Yard may remain closed overnight to non-Harvard affiliates for the rest of the week depending on an “ongoing assessment of security conditions,” according to an email announcement sent by Associate Dean of Students Lauren E. Brandt ’01 to students on Wednesday.

During the overnight closure, access to the Yard for HUID holders and accompanying guests is restricted to Widener, Johnston, Thayer, Sever, and Lamont gates. Harvard spokesperson Jason A. Newton declined to comment further on the closure.

The overnight Yard closure comes shortly after the one-year anniversary of Hamas’ Oct. 7 attacks, and just one day after an individual filmed themselves smashing the windows to University Hall and splattering the John Harvard statue with red paint on early Tuesday morning.

In a previous version of the email sent to Lowell House residents, Brandt wrote that the closure was “out of concerns related to the vandalism of University Hall in the Yard and similar events occurring in the Boston area.”

The video of the vandalism was uploaded to Instagram by “Unity of Fields” — an account that appears to have no Harvard affiliation — as an “anonymous submission.” It was unclear whether the individual was affiliated with the University, and the unrecognized activist group Harvard Out of Occupied Palestine denied any involvement.

Still, the decision to close the Yard, even overnight, following the Oct. 7 anniversary suggests that Harvard administrators are increasingly concerned about the possibility of a return of large-scale pro-Palestine activism and agitation from outside actors.

The University previously closed the Yard ahead of the 20-day pro-Palestine encampment during the spring semester — a closure that lasted for six weeks into the summer.

On Monday, the day of the anniversary, the Harvard Undergraduate Palestine Solidarity Committee released a statement saying that the Oct. 7 attacks showed that “apartheid cannot stand” and calling for a renewed activist push.

“Now is the time to escalate,” the group wrote.

As of Wednesday, the “Unity of Fields” Instagram account was no longer active, although the group’s account on X remains active.

The caption to the video stated that the act was done “in an act of solidarity with the Palestinian resistance.”

“We are committed to bringing the war home and answering the call to open up a new front here in the belly of the beast,” the caption read.

The same Instagram account posted photos of pro-Palestine graffiti at the University of Massachusetts Amherst on Tuesday.

Harvard University Police Department spokesperson Steven G. Catalano wrote in a statement on Tuesday that the incident remains under investigation.

—Staff writer Michelle N. Amponsah can be reached at michelle.amponsah@thecrimson.com. Follow her on Twitter @mnamponsah.

—Staff writer Joyce E. Kim can be reached at joyce.kim@thecrimson.com. Follow her on X at @joycekim324.