Some Harvard students say they were not consulted or given the chance to voice their disagreement before their student organizations signed a pro-terror joint statement in response to the October 7 attacks against Israel by the Palestinian terror group Hamas.
One Harvard law student took to X/Twitter in a since-deleted post to say, “many members had no say in whether their [organizations] signed” the letter, adding, “Many weren’t even notified that their [organizations] were considering doing so.”
Meanwhile, Harvard student Danielle Mikaelian publicly resigned from her position on the board of a student organization that signed the statement, saying she was not aware that her organization had agreed to sign it.
“As a board member of a Harvard group that signed the statement on Israel, I think it was egregious and have resigned from my role,” Harvard student Danielle Mikaelian wrote in an X/Twitter post.
Mikaelian has since gone private on the platform, meaning only people already following her can see her tweets.
Billionaire hedge fund manager Bill Ackman— who urged employers to consider which student groups their future applicants from Harvard were members of, so that they don’t “inadvertently” hire pro-terror graduates in the future — said he takes Mikaelian for her word.
“I recently spoke to Danielle, a Harvard student who resigned from one of the student organizations that signed the statement holding Israel solely responsible for Hamas’ evil and barbaric acts,” Ackman wrote in an X/Twitter post.
I recently spoke to Danielle, a Harvard student who resigned from one of the student organizations that signed the statement holding Israel solely responsible for Hamas’ evil and barbaric acts. Despite her being a board member, she was not aware that the organization had agreed… https://t.co/i5iqRjsjcu
— Bill Ackman (@BillAckman) November 9, 2023
“Despite her being a board member, she was not aware that the organization had agreed to sign the statement. She was away on the weekend of Oct. 7th, had not checked her WhatsApp, and found out after the fact. I take her at her word,” Ackman added.
The hedge fund manager continued:
When she later learned that the organization had signed, she resigned and put out the public statement below which explains her thinking. As co-president of another student org, the Harvard Armenian Law School Association, she and the other members chose not to sign the statement.
Despite the above, Danielle was disparaged in the media, including on news television, as a law student ‘who didn’t read the papers before she signed,’ a false characterization of what actually had taken place.
“It is important that people stand behind their public statements. It is also important that one of the few students to come out publicly to explain their actions is not used in a misleading manner by the media to generate clicks at the expense of her character and reputation,” Ackman said.
As Breitbart News reported, Harvard students expressed their support for Palestinian terrorists amid the unprecedented terror attack on Israel last month. In a joint statement signed by more than 30 student groups, the Ivy League students blamed Israel for the Palestinian terrorist organization Hamas killing about 1,200 Israelis.
Some of those student groups have since backpedaled and apologized.
Editor’s Note: This story was updated to reflect a revised number on the death toll from the October 7 Hamas attack in Israel. The Israeli government estimate of 1,400 was revised to around 1,200, according to Reuters.
You can follow Alana Mastrangelo on Facebook and X/Twitter at @ARmastrangelo, and on Instagram.
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