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Harvard-Yale Game Delayed at Halftime by Student Protest

Associated Press

   NEW HAVEN, CONNECTICUT - Protesters wearing the colors of both Harvard
   and Yale on Saturday staged a sit-in at midfield of the Yale Bowl
   during halftime of the 136th edition of the annual football rivalry
   known as The Game. Most left after about an hour when they were
   escorted off by police; about two dozen who remained were told by
   police they were under arrest.

   A few dozen protesters initially trickled onto the field as the Yale
   band finished performing its halftime routine.Some heldup banners
   asking the schools' presidents to divest from the fossil fuel industry,
   while other signs raised issues of Puerto Rican debt and the treatment
   of the Uighurs.

   Largely of college age but with a few older protesters mixed in, the
   group chanted: ``HeyHey! HoHo! Fossil fuels have got to go!'' One
   banner read, ``This is an emergency.''

   Defense of free expression

   In a statement distributed to reporters in the press box during the
   fourth quarter, Yale said it ``stands firmly for the right to free
   expression.''

   ``While I respect the rights of Harvard and Yale students to protest,
   their efforts should not impact their fellow students' ability to
   pursue their passions as athletes on the field of play, and those who
   support them,'' Yale athletic director Vicky Chun said. ``We are proud
   of our student-athletes and coaches for their resilience today in an
   extremely difficult situation.''

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