More than four hundred Harvard affiliates have pushed back against the university’s decision to remove Mary T. Bassett from her role as director of the FXB Center for Health and Human Rights. Their petition, which now has over a thousand signatures from scholars across major US universities, describes the move as politically driven and tied to ongoing pressure surrounding the center’s work on Israel and Pales-tine. The signatories argue that Bassett’s dismissal mirrors earlier removals of faculty who led programs focused on the region, framing it as part of a broader pattern that targets academic spaces engaging with Pales-tinian issues.

What this really means is that concerns over academic freedom have intensified inside Harvard. The university’s own AAUP chapter warned that the administration’s actions undermine the intellectual openness it claims to value, especially given the lack of transparency around the decision. Supporters say Bassett’s removal, particularly as a Black leader in a human-rights institution, sends a message that certain kinds of research and leadership become expendable when they challenge institutional comfort or attract political scrutiny. They link her ouster to recent disruptions, such as the suspension of partnerships and the restructuring of programs dealing with religion, conflict, and the Middle East.

All of this is happening against a backdrop of national pressure. The Trump administration has taken a confrontational approach toward universities over pro-Pales-tinian activism, while campuses across the US and Europe have seen widespread protests since Israel’s war on Ga-za began in 2023. As casualty figures climbed into the tens of thousands before last year’s ceasefire, faculty and students pushed institutions to take clearer positions on human-rights concerns. Those backing the petition say that in such a charged moment, universities should defend their scholars rather than treat them as liabilities, especially when their work intersects with politically sensitive global crises.