Two Harvard students face criminal charges over pro-Palestinian “dying” incident

The incident, which gained widespread attention last year after videos of it were widely shared online, was one of several high-profile events that increased pressure on Harvard in the weeks following the Hamas-led attack on Israel on October 7. It contributed to a Republican-controlled congressional committee’s decision to summon former Harvard President Claudine Gay to Washington last December for questioning about anti-Semitism on campus. Cheerful She later resigned because of, among other things, the withering criticism she faced her testimony at the hearing on December 5th.

The alleged assault has also become fodder for political arguments over Harvard’s handling of anti-Semitism. In April, Rep. Elise Stefanik, a member of the congressional committee that questioned Gay, sent a letter to university officials accusing them of a “delay of justice” in the case, according to the Harvard Crimson student newspaper.

The congressional committee released a preliminary investigative report last week accusing Harvard of failing to implement the recommendations of an anti-Semitism advisory group convened by Gay. In a statement last week, Harvard spokesman Jason Newton said, “Harvard has made it clear, and will continue to make it clear in its words and actions, that anti-Semitism is not and will not be tolerated on our campus.” Harvard declined to comment on the allegations related to the Oct. 18 demonstration.

Tettey-Tamaklo, identified in court filings as a graduate student at Harvard Divinity School, was also a Harvard employee until he was relieved of his duties last November due to his involvement in the Oct. 18 incident, Crimson reported last year. He had served as a warden, similar to the role of a dorm assistant.

Bharmal is identified in police reports as a graduate student at Harvard Law School and Harvard Kennedy School.

Lawyers for Tettey-Tamaklo and Bharmal did not respond to requests for comment on Monday. A lawyer for the Jewish student declined to comment. The Crimson first reported the charges.

The student who is enrolled at Harvard Business School, According to police reports, he told university police last year that he was accosted at the Oct. 18 demonstration while he was videotaping the event. He told police he believed the protesters knew he was Jewish when they approached him, made physical contact with him and urged him to leave the protest area.

A witness, identified as Abdullah Al-Shakarchi, said he saw the student “walking among the protesters and filming them,” according to a police report. Al-Shakarchi “interpreted the student’s actions as an attempt to intimidate the students.” Al-Shakarchi and other witnesses also described seeing a group of people surrounding the student and trying to lead him away from the demonstration, according to police reports.

According to police reports, the student said “he was hit multiple times by multiple people.” “Most of the contacts involved people trying to prevent him from moving freely by rigidly extending their arms and touching him,” said one of them reports.

People also made contact with him as they “held up large scarves called keffiyehs to prevent (the student) from recording videos or taking photographs.” Additionally, a police report stated that “people associated with the demonstration came so close to him that they touched him with their upper bodies.”

According to a report, Al-Shakarchi said the group followed the student and “inadvertently made contact with him several times.”

“Upon reviewing all of the video provided, it appears that Ibrahim Bharmal, Elom Tettey-Tamaklo and (sic) three unidentified individuals made contact with (the student) on more than one occasion in violation of state law, one of. “ says the police reports.

“The protesters had no legal authority to tell (the student) to leave the protest area,” the report said.

Police reviewed videos taken by the student, witnesses and at least one news helicopter.

The “dying” was organized to coincide with a visit by former President Barack Obama to Harvard Business School, which Obama canceled at the last minute, according to police reports.

Tettey-Tamaklo is scheduled to be arraigned on June 3, according to court records. It was unclear when Bharmal would be charged.

Suffolk County District Attorney Kevin R. Hayden’s office can now decide whether to prosecute the cases. A spokesman for Hayden’s office declined to comment.

Mike Damiano can be reached at [email protected]. John R. Ellement can be reached at [email protected]. Follow him @JREbosglobe.