Harvard Failed to Stand Up to CCP Influence on Campus

As first reported by the Free Beacon, following a July investigation into possible transnational repression at an anti-CCP protest on Harvard University’s campus, Chairman John Moolenaar (R-MI) uncovered shocking documents that show Harvard placed anti-CCP protestors on disciplinary probation while taking no action to address the illegal behavior of the pro-CCP agitator who assaulted the protestors.

“This is yet another example of Harvard’s appallingly unequal treatment of protestors based on the speech they support. Harvard is punishing brave students who spoke out against the CCP’s human rights abuses while not only letting the student who assaulted them off scot-free but also handing him an apology. The American higher education system needs to wake up to the Chinese Communist Party’s influence on our nation’s campuses and protect students who speak out against the CCP, not punish them for standing up to bullies,” said Chairman Moolenaar.

“Once again, Harvard has proven to be completely corrupted by adversarial foreign influence. Harvard is kowtowing to Communist China and as a senior member of the House Education and the Workforce Committee I will continue working to root out foreign control over our college campuses. We cannot allow American institutions of higher education to serve as tools for Communist China to carry out its transnational repression. I look forward to working with Chairman Moolenaar and Chairwoman Foxx to hold Harvard accountable and to end Communist China’s infiltration of American universities,” said Congresswoman Elise Stefanik.

“I wish I could say I was surprised, but this is par for the course for Harvard – the only consistent part of the university’s disciplinary standards is that they’re always applied selectively to the benefit of favored groups. Whether it’s pro-Hamas or pro-CCP agitators, administrators apologize to and actually encourage some students to keep expressing their so-called ‘meaningful discourse’ at the expense of the safety of other students. It’s unacceptable, and I appreciate Chairman Moolenaar shining a light on this major issue,” said Education and the Workforce Committee Chairwoman Virginia Foxx. 

On April 20, 2024, Chinese Ambassador Xie Feng delivered a speech at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government. During Ambassador Xie’s speech, Cosette Wu, a Harvard undergraduate student, protested the Chinese government’s human rights abuses by shouting slogans. Subsequently, the pro-CCP agitator dragged her out of the event against her will. As seen on video recorded at the event, Harvard officials watched this attack and did nothing to assist the victim. 

Additionally, Tsering Yangchen, another Harvard student protester removed from the event after Wu, later told Voice of America that the same graduate student approached her and asked for the names of protestors. That individual then followed her, causing her to feel afraid on campus. 

Notably the documents revealed that this graduate student did not have any authority to serve as security at the event, and simply took it upon himself as a student to forcibly remove Ms. Wu and Ms. Yanchen from the auditorium, rising to the level of assault, a felony under Massachusetts law. 

Documents also revealed that Harvard placed Ms. Wu and Ms. Yangchen on disciplinary probation from Harvard for their protest, but took no action against the graduate student for his assault of the protestors. In fact, Harvard apologized to the graduate student for his involvement in the incident.

 

Click HERE to see the documents Harvard shared with the Select Committee.