No, Harvard University didn’t replace the American flag with a Palestinian flag amid protests

Demonstrators at university campuses across the country have been staging protests in connection with the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip. 

According to the Hamas-led Ministry of Health, more than 30,000 people have died in Gaza. Over 1,200 people have been killed in Israel, according to estimates from the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. The protesters are calling for universities to divest and cut ties with Israel in response to the Palestinian death toll in Gaza.

An X post with more than 5 million views claims that on Harvard’s campus, Harvard University officials replaced the American flag with a Palestinian flag amid the protests, implying that the university was siding with the pro-Palestinian activists.

THE QUESTION

Did Harvard University replace an American flag with a Palestinian flag?

THE SOURCES

• April 27 statement from Harvard University
• Reports from the Harvard Crimson
• VERIFY analysis of the viral video of people raising a Palestinian flag
• Photo of the American flag in Harvard Yard posted in 2022
• RevEye, a reverse image search tool

THE ANSWER

No, Harvard University didn’t replace an American flag with a Palestinian flag.

WHAT WE FOUND

Harvard University officials did not replace an American flag with a Palestinian flag. During the protests, three Palestinian flags were briefly raised by protesters, not by university officials. 

According to Harvard, American flags were not being flown at the time the Palestinian flags were raised.

“The flags raised by protesters over University Hall were removed by Harvard facilities staff. The protesters’ actions are a violation of University policy and the individuals involved will be subject to disciplinary action,” a Harvard statement from April 27 said.

University standard procedure is that the American flag is raised on University Hall at 7 a.m. and lowered at 4 p.m., Monday through Friday, Harvard says. 

The image and video of the Palestinian flags being raised at University Hall were taken on Saturday, April 27. On weekends, the flag poles at that location are empty.

The Harvard Crimson reported that Harvard University Police called for the removal of the flags at around 6:30 p.m. on Saturday, April 27.

In the video being shared with the claims Harvard has replaced the flag, three people wearing face coverings can be seen hoisting the flag. They also appear to be wearing keffiyehs, which are scarves associated with Palestinians. No one appearing to be a Harvard official can be seen participating in the raising of the flag.

This aligns with The Harvard Crimson’s reporting about the Palestinian flag being raised during the protests.

The viral X post from April 28 that makes the claim the American flag was replaced includes a photo from 2022 of the American flag hanging above the John Harvard statue in Harvard Yard. That photo in the post predates the pro-Palestine protests.

Using a reverse image search tool, VERIFY found the same photo posted to photo sharing site Flickr on Nov. 19, 2022. The ripples in the flag and the shadows among the trees are exactly the same in both photos.