A social media post by political scientist and writer Ian Bremmer revealed a list of pro-Palestine organizations on the Harvard campus. Bremmer said the organizations are blaming Israel for the attack by Hamas.
Harvard University has several student organizations that support Palestine during the recent war in Israel. A letter appeared with a statement regarding the war and how Israel is to blame, along with several signatures supporting the letter’s contents.
Billionaire hedge fund manager Bill Ackman took the post to heart. He is now calling on Harvard to release the names of the students who signed the statement and are part of the organizations listed.
The reason for Ackman requesting the names of the students who signed the document deals with CEO’s of major companies and law firms. These companies have stated they will not hire people who have signed this document. There are a dozen CEOs who are backing Ackman’s request.
“I have been asked by several CEOs if Harvard would release a list of the members of each of the Harvard organizations that have issued the letter assigning sole responsibility for Hamas’ heinous acts to Israel, so as to insure that none of us inadvertently hire any of their members. If in fact, their members support the letter they have released, the names of the signatories should be made public so their views are publicly known.”
The letter Ackman is referring to was released on Sunday. Since then, the original documents have been removed from the attached document link. The document did contain a specific declaration.
“We, the undersigned student organizations, hold the Israeli regime entirely responsible for all unfolding violence,” the letter starts out, before saying that “the apartheid regime is the only one to blame.”
Harvard President Larry Summers has said he will not release the names. “This is not a time where it is constructive to vilify individuals, and I am sorry that is happening.” The letter has also been removed by Harvard, citing student safety concerns.
