A video of a Harvard graduate student being targeted for wearing a keffiyeh, a traditional scarf from West Asia that has come to be identified with the Palestinian struggle for a homeland, has gone viral on social media.
According to the Middle East Eye, Harvard professor Jason Furman’s wife, Eve Gerber, criticised a student over her keffiyeh scarf in the video.
When Barack Obama was the US President, James Furman was his chief economist and a member of his Cabinet.
In the video, Gerber is heard saying, “Thank you for walking through neighbourhoods and making families feel unsafe with your terrorist scarf.”
The student replies, “Palestinians felt pretty unsafe when Israelis occupied their country, you know.”
To this, the woman is heard saying, “I’m glad you’re so proud of the slaughtering of civilians.”
This incident took place amid escalating tensions on campuses across the United States, including Harvard, where pro-Palestinian student groups claim to face censorship, while pro-Israeli student groups report an increase in antisemitic rhetoric.
In October, a Harvard University student was mobbed by pro-Palestinian demonstrators on campus. A video showing demonstrators harassing the student on October 18 had been widely shared on the internet at the time.
The video shows the demonstrators yelling “shame”, while some can be seen holding keffiyehs to the student’s face as they surround him and stop him from getting away.
