Climate Change Activists Protest Harvard-Yale Game

Image courtesy of TMZ

By VICTORIA CHOO ‘21

Student climate change activists stormed the field during the annual Harvard-Yale football game to demand action from both universities. 

On Saturday, November 23rd, students and alumni from both universities rushed the field during halftime to demand the universities to divest from the fossil fuel industry and companies holding Puerto Rican debt. According to the Grist, students from both universities have been asking the administration to divest from fossil fuel companies since 2012. Similarly, both universities have investments in companies with Puerto Rican bonds that prevent the rebuilding of infrastructure after Hurricane Maria. The groups Yale Endowment Justice Coalition, Fossil Free Yale, and Fossil Fuel Divest Harvard planned the protest in secret over the months leading up to the event. The organizers personally recruited kids to prevent administration from hearing of the protest. 

The protests started when about 150 students stormed the field just after the half-time show. Hundreds of other students poured out of the stands to add to the sit-in. All the chaos led to about an hour long delay of the game. After the hour passed, Yale and New Haven police escorted the remaining students off the field. In total, 42 students were issued citations for disorderly conduct.

In an interview with Fox News, Rachel Saddoff, a Harvard junior and an organizer of the event said, “Our goal was to spread the word. If more people speak up, our colleges will have to listen.” The protest drew attention from many across the country. Presidential Candidate Elizabeth Warren tweeted, “I support the students, organizers, and activists demanding accountability on climate action and more at #HarvardYale. Climate change is an existential threat, and we must take bold action to fight this crisis.” Former Housing and Urban Development secretary Julián Castro wrote: “From the March for Our Lives, to worldwide Climate Strikes, students and young people are leading the charge to protect their futures. I’m inspired by their efforts to hold their universities to a higher standard.”

However, not all reaction were positive. Karen N. Peart, director of University Media Relations at Yale, told NPR that although they support their students’ free expression, “We stand with the Ivy League in its statement that it is regrettable that the orchestrated protest came during a time when fellow students were participating in a collegiate career-defining contest and an annual tradition when thousands gather from around the world to enjoy and celebrate the storied traditions of both football programs and universities." The rivalry match, which lasted 4 hours and 40 minutes, went into double overtime and ended in almost complete darkness since the Yale stadium doesn’t have lights. Yale won 50-43.

Some students grew frustrated that protesters disrupted such an important game. “These protesters decided that their version of empty activism for this weekend was going to go sit in the middle of the field, during the game, right in the middle of it, wasting everybody's time,” Chris Colby, a Harvard Student, told Fox News. “It's really quite annoying. I don't think the protest accomplished much.”

Only time will tell if Colby was right or not.