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More than 300 people gathered in the Science Center Plaza to protest Trump administration threats to Harvard’s ability to enroll international students as part of a rally organized by Harvard Students for Freedom, an unrecognized student group.

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Emil Massad ’25 played a rendition of “Bella Ciao,” to which rally goers chanted along. The performance kicked off the protest, which decried President Trump’s threat to revoke Harvard’s ability to enroll international students.

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Nuriel R. Vera-DeGraff ’26 led the crowd in a call and response, shouting “First our funding and now our friends” to which the crowd responded “We will fight until this ends.”

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The protestors held up a sea of signs that showed their support for the thousands of international students that would lose their place at Harvard if the administration’s Thursday directive came to fruition.

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Jacob M. Miller ’25, a former Crimson Editorial chair, and Clyve Lawrence ’25–27, also a Crimson Editorial editor, each spoke against Trump’s actions at the rally.

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Throughout the rally, the crowd erupted into chants and cheers in support of the speakers.

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Harvard government professor Ryan D. Enos, a vocal critic of Trump, said that continued student resistance to federal action was necessary.

“You're now all part of a struggle that's bigger than ourselves,” Enos said.

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Students shared anonymous stories from international peers about how they were affected by the Trump administration’s revocation of Harvard’s SEVP certification.

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Vera-DeGraff energized the crowd between the various speakers.

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Swedish student Leo Gerdén ’25 gave a heartfelt speech where he rallied his peers to resist the Trump administration’s demands.

“My fellow international students, we never wanted to take this fight, but we have no choice but to take it, because if we start to give in, he's gonna demand even more,” Gerdén said.

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Gerdén stood in front of Annenberg, Harvard’s freshman dining hall, as he spoke to a crowd of hundreds.