https://digivn.dw.com/view/250429-09-0844  ID: 250429-09-0844

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Lower thirds:

00:02 Report by Ines Pohl
00:33 Leo Gerden | Swedish Harvard student
01:07 Abdullah Shahid Sial | Pakistani Harvard student
01:46 Mathias Risse | Harvard Kennedy School
02:30 Leo Gerden | Swedish Harvard student

Script:

Harvard is the oldest and richest university in the United States. Known for its outstanding research opportunities and diverse and liberal faculty and student body.   
It became one of the main targets of Donald Trump, who's threatened to expel foreign students who speak out for Palestine, which he sees as being antisemitic. 
 
We meet Leo Gerden, an economics and government student from Sweden who is a vocal student activist. 

+++ Leo Gerden, swedish Harvard student 
“It really started making people scared. Especially international students started to self silencing and ever since then the climate of the school has really shifted. 
This issue is not about Palestine. It's not about Middle East. It is really about an authoritarian leader who is attacking free speech right now.” 
 
Most of the international students are prepared and are carrying a card with phone numbers to call if targeted.
Abdullah Shahid Sial is one of the few international students who is also speaking out.

+++ Abdullah Shahid Sial, pakistani Harvard student
 
“An overwhelming number of people don’t want to speak up. I think it’s definitely the more rational option.  
They can just wake up tomorrow if they have a sudden change in policy and they can kick everyone out. I just think the level of dehumanization which so many internationals  have faced, not just Harvard, outside as well, it’s so truly disrespectful, if you can't be respected to the bare minimum then people will move away. It will no longer remain the country that it is today.”
 
Donald Trump's crusade against Ivy league universities has also affected faculty. We meet Prof Mathias Risse, Director of the Center of Human rights at Harvard's Kennedy School. 
 
+++ Prof Risse, Harvard Kennedy School 
 
“Basically they are demanding of us, um, a version of submission to their ideas around everything from admission to faculty appointments, promotions, control over faculty activities, but also simply what we are allowed to teach. 
 It is amazing to see how easy, how easy it is to spread fear among people who are, you know, worried to be out there with opinions, with positions. People, of course, ultimately worry that their names will be put out there in a presidential tweet. And, you know, trolls are taking over. And then characters like the Proud Boys are swinging into action, and they can easily publish a photo of your house, put your address out there. I think this is really what is driving the fear behind this.” 
 
+++ Leo Gerden, swedish Harvard student 
“I've been studying government here.  I've been following all of these cases of how democracies break down and how they, over the last couple of decades, have broken down from within with an authoritarian like, like Trump. It feels sad to leave this place in the shape that it is right know.”
 
(we see him walking away on main Harvard Campus)