Palestinian flag raised at Harvard was put there by protestors, not the school | Fact check

The claim: Harvard University raised Palestinian flag in place of US flag

An April 28 Facebook post (direct link, archive link) shows a video of a Palestinian flag being raised outside a building while a crowd chants in support.

“Harvard has REPLACED the American flag with the Palestinian flag,” reads part of the post’s caption. "Once Harvard and now Hamas University."

It was shared more than 100 times in four days.

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Our rating: False

Student protesters, not the university itself, raised the Palestinian flag, according to school officials and media reports.

Student protesters, not Harvard personnel, raised Palestinian flag

Protesters have gathered on college campuses across the country to voice opposition to U.S. support for Israel in its war on Hamas. Pro-Palestinian demonstrators have set up encampments at Harvard – which closed its main lawn to the public – and many other universities, and hundreds of students nationwide have been arrested amid building takeovers and civil unrest.

But the post's claim is wrong. The Palestinian flag that flew outside a Harvard University building was raised by student protesters – not by the university itself or its personnel – according to school officials and media reports.

Fact check: Post falsely claims Palestinian flag in 1939 included the Star of David

The activity in the video posted to Facebook takes place in Harvard Yard outside University Hall near the statue of university namesake John Harvard. School policy dictates the U.S. flag is to be flown there on weekdays, and it is raised at 7 a.m. and lowered at 4 p.m., according to a university statement referencing the incident.

Three Palestinian flags were raised over the statue by pro-Palestinian student protesters on April 27 – a Saturday – according to The Harvard Crimson. The first Palestinian flag was hoisted at 6 p.m, the newspaper reported, with a second going up at 6:18 p.m. and a third five minutes later.

Those flags were removed by Harvard facilities staff, according to the university statement. The call to have them taken down came shortly after 6:30 p.m., The Boston Globe reported.

Because the protesters violated university policy, they are subject to disciplinary action, school officials said in their statement. Spokesperson Jason Newton, citing university policy, declined in an email to USA TODAY to say if any such actions have been taken yet or what they could include.

Similar protests have been at the center of significant misinformation on social media. USA TODAY has debunked false claims that an image shows protesters blocking Jewish people from entering Columbia University in April and that a separate image shows a “rape is resistance” flyer distributed at a protest at that school.

USA TODAY also reached out to the social media user who shared the post but did not immediately receive a response.

FactCheck.org and Reuters also debunked versions of the claim.

Our fact-check sources:

• Jason Newton, May 2, Email exchange with USA TODAY

• Harvard University, April 27, Harvard University Statement Apr. 27

• The Harvard Crimson, April 27, Encampment Protesters Briefly Raise 3 Palestinian Flags Over Harvard Yard

• The Boston Globe, April 29, Palestinian flags raised in Harvard Yard over the weekend spark outrage

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Students, not Harvard, raised Palestinian flag on campus | Fact check