Gould-Wartofsky said the peaceful and more conventional protest that took place outside the Science Center during the panel was organized by the HSF and denied that the activists who disrupted the panel had any official affiliation with the HSF.

Downer, who was present at the panel, has disputed Gould-Wartofsky’s claim, saying he saw Gould-Wartofsky disrupting the panel.

“Whether or not they planned the [disruption] I can’t say, but I certainly saw them participating.” Downer said.

But Gould-Wartofsky, who is also a Crimson editor, said there was no way that Downer could have made those observations based on his position in the lecture hall.

“Mr. Downer could not have possibly observed anything very well, as I saw him and his friends in the HRC sitting the entire time towards the front of Lecture Hall E, to the far left of the room, while I and the other HSF members were standing to the back and to the right.” Gould-Wartofsky said.

Associate Dean of the College Judith H. Kidd said last week that she did not believe that the HSF was involved in the disruption that took place inside the Science Center.

The HSF is an unofficial network of student organizations, and includes over two dozen members, ranging from the Black Men’s Forum to the Progressive Student Labor Movement.

—Staff writer Joshua P. Rogers can be reached at jprogers@fas.harvard.edu.