Harvard Condemns Antisemitic Cartoon Shared by Two Campus Groups

Harvard University is again facing accusations of antisemitism following the circulation of an antisemitic cartoon by two campus groups.

Details: The cartoon in question was posted by two campus groups, the Harvard Undergraduate Palestine Solidarity Committee and the African American Resistance Organization. The image depicts a hand featuring a star of David and a dollar sign holding two nooses, one tied around the neck of an Arab man and the other tied around the neck of a black man. The groups reportedly took the image from the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, an activist organization from the 1960s.

Key Quotes: A statement from the groups read, “The original antisemitic image wholly violated our internal standards and betrayed our fundamental values of justice and liberation. The inclusion of the offensive caricature was an unprompted, painful error – a combination of ignorance and inadequate oversight. While the image in question was removed promptly, it should have never been published to begin with. We wholeheartedly apologize for the immense harm we have caused.” Interim Harvard President Alan Garber said in a statement that “Perpetuating vile and hateful antisemitic tropes, or otherwise engaging in inflammatory rhetoric or sharing images that demean people on the basis of their identity, is precisely the opposite of what this moment demands of us.”

How the Media Covered It: Outlets across the spectrum prominently covered the incident, linking it to the wider controversies and accusations of antisemitism at Harvard in the wake of the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks in Israel.