A Puerto Rican flag hung from John Harvard's feet Friday evening as a circle of more than 30 students from area universities gathered in Harvard Yard to protest U.S. policy on the island of Vieques.

Speaking in both Spanish and English, the students lit candles in memory of David Sanes, who was accidentally killed seven months ago during U.S. Navy test bombings on the island, which sits off the Puerto Rican coast.

The event honored Sanes, but had a larger political message--students spoke of the need to expel U.S. forces from Vieques, which has long served as a site for Navy war games and weapons tests.

According to Hans S. Perl-Matanzo '01, director of Peace in Vieques Now, 22 other universities worldwide have also joined the movement to get the U.S. military out of Vieques

Many of those schools also held events on Friday, he said. The gathering at Harvard was intended to enlighten the Boston area as to the plight of Vieques.

"We want them to understand our struggle," he said. "The U.S. press is not covering the issue like it should, even though [President] Clinton is talking about it."

Perl-Matanzo said he hopes efforts like the student movement would pressure Clinton into withdrawing naval forces from the region.

At the vigil, Antonio J. Torres, an advisor to the "Committee for the Rescue and Development of Vieques," said a continued U.S. military presence in Vieques would have a negative effect on the island's economy.