Harvard University's Carr Center for Human Rights Policy, led by Director Mathias Risse, has drawn significant criticism for a series of engagements and statements throughout the past academic year, sparking debate over academic freedom, antisemitism, and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict on campus. The controversies include hosting figures with contentious views on Israel, affiliations with organizations designated as terror groups by Israel, and Risse's own commentary on antisemitism.
One notable event involved the interview of Francesca Albanese, the UN Special Rapporteur on the Palestinian territories. According to reports, during her appearance, Albanese asserted that Israel had no right to self-defense after the October 7th attacks. Faculty Director Mathias Risse defended Albanese, stating there was a "massive onslaught of very destructive criticism" against her.
The center also hosted Muhammad Shehada, an EU Affairs Manager at Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor. Euro-Med has faced allegations of ties to Hamas, and Shehada himself has been accused of whitewashing Palestinian terrorism by some organizations. Recently, Hamas released distressing videos of Israeli hostage Evyatar David, with his family and former hostages accusing the group of deliberately starving him, a claim Shehada's organization has attributed to Israeli actions.
Further controversy arose from an alleged incident where a Palestinian guest speaker reportedly laughed at an elderly Israeli female hostage during a Carr Center event. While direct evidence of a guest speaker at the Carr Center doing so was not found in public records, reports indicate that Harvard students were filmed laughing at a video of a female Israeli hostage during a campus protest.
The Carr Center also faced scrutiny over a job offer extended by Risse to an unnamed human rights activist, which was later revoked by Harvard Kennedy School officials, citing that the offer was extended prematurely and did not follow the proper "vetting process." This incident raised questions about the center's hiring practices.
Additionally, the Carr Center co-sponsored an event featuring experts from Addameer Prisoner Support and Human Rights Association. While the tweet claimed Addameer was sanctioned by the U.S. Department of Treasury for ties to Hamas and PFLP, U.S. State Department records indicate that while Israel designated Addameer as a terrorist organization, the U.S. has not.
Mathias Risse has also drawn attention for his public commentary. He penned an op-ed in The Crimson, stating that "there is no justification for the large-scale attacks on Gaza." In another essay, he argued that "the large-scale characterization of American campuses as antisemitic strikes me as an exercise of gaslighting," suggesting that much of what is labeled antisemitic is principled opposition to Israeli policy. Risse, whose academic background is in political philosophy and human rights, is not a scholar of antisemitism nor is he Jewish. He has also engaged in interviews with prominent anti-Zionist Peter Beinart, discussing concepts like Zionism and antisemitism.