Harvard Fires Librarian Who Tore Down Jewish Hostage Posters
He was caught in 4K.
Tearing down posters of Israeli hostages has become a renegade tactic for students and activists who harbor deep-seated animosity toward Jews and Israel. But now, Harvard University is finally taking antisemitism seriously, especially as President Trump has vowed to punish schools that tolerate it.
In an unprecedented move, Harvard has fired one of its own librarians—Jonathan S. Tuttle—after he was caught on video tearing down posters of the Bibas boys during a campus protest on March 3rd.
A video documenting the incident shows Tuttle, his face blurred, yanking down posters of the Bibas family and other hostages. The posters had reportedly been put up by Harvard’s Chabad community.
An unidentified person filming the incident confronted Tuttle, asking, “Why are you tearing down hostage posters? You know the Bibas family was murdered?”
When pressed further, the person recording asked, “You’re tearing down hostage posters, do you feel good about it?”
Tuttle did not respond but instead joined in with student protesters, chanting “Resistance is justified when people are occupied” as he marched in lockstep with demonstrators rallying against Israel.
Tuttle’s History of Anti-Israel Activism
Prior to this incident, Tuttle had already made his anti-Israel stance clear. In 2024, he co-authored an op-ed in The Harvard Crimson, defending a pro-Palestinian protest inside the university library.
“The Harvard library system runs on the labor of library workers like us, many of whom believe a genocide is taking place in Gaza, call on Harvard to divest from that genocide, and applaud the study-ins,” he wrote.
Tuttle openly rejected the idea that libraries should remain neutral on political issues, arguing that silence on Palestine equates to complicity.
“Where this politicized version of silence exists—in our libraries, around campus, and across the country—the violent actions of settler-colonial states and our institutional ties to them go unchallenged,” he stated.
“It is fitting that community members advocating for Palestinian rights should gather in the library, a place of hushed solitude, to stand in solidarity against this silence,” he added.
He further defended the actions of student protesters, arguing that they should not face disciplinary action.
“In the meantime, we library workers call on Harvard libraries to lift the library bans on students, faculty, and staff. And in the future, we implore Harvard libraries to refrain from disciplining those who study together, united not in disruption but by a shared conviction.”
Harvard Confirms Firing of Antisemitic Employee
Tuttle was first identified by Jewish journalist Kassy Akiva (née Kassy Dillon) on X. Following the backlash, Harvard confirmed in a statement to the school newspaper that they had taken appropriate action against their employee.
According to The Harvard Crimson, Tuttle has been fired, ordered to leave campus, and is permanently barred from returning.
Global Sentiments
Harvard’s decision to fire Tuttle signals a shift in the university’s response to antisemitism. While it remains to be seen whether other institutions will follow suit, this move comes amid growing pressure from the Trump administration to hold schools accountable for antisemitic behavior on campus.
This report was brought to you by Toni Airaksinen, Senior Editor of Liberty Affair and a journalist based in Delray Beach, Florida. Follow her on Substack and on X @Toni_Airaksinen.
They should probably be firing a battalion of their faculty
If they can fire this guy and expel Teddy Kennedy for cheating, they should be able to fire Fauxcohontas for lying on her application to become a professor there.