Harvard-Yale Game Delayed At Halftime By Student Climate Change Protest

NEW HAVEN, Conn. (CBS/AP) — Protesters wearing the colors of both Harvard and Yale staged a sit-in at midfield of 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 the field by police; 42 people were arrested for disorderly conduct, according to Yale police.

A few dozen protesters initially trickled onto the field as the Yale band finished performing its halftime routine. They held up 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.

Police in yellow vests lined up alongside the sit-in but did not intervene. When the 15-minute halftime expired and the protest continued, hundreds more fans streamed onto the field to join in.

Chants of "Hey Hey! Ho Ho! Fossil fuels have got to go!" were interrupted by the public address announcer imploring the protesters to leave.

"As a courtesy to both teams, the game must resume," he said.

After about an hour, police formed a line and moved forward, from the Yale sideline toward the Harvard sideline. A protest leader encouraged all "internationals" to leave. An agreement was reached to escort the remainders off, with one police officer to every two protesters.

Those who did not leave then — perhaps one or two dozen — were informed by Yale Police Chief Ronnell Higgins that they would be arrested.

New Haven police said that most of the protesters were issued court summons. Yale police said neither police nor protesters sustained injuries.

"For many of us on the field, it was the first time we had done something like that," said Yale protester Connor Chung. "It was a powerful experience. We hope we made a difference."

"There's a strong argument that if its wrong for these companies to be destroying our futures, it's wrong for our universities to be supporting them," said Yale protester Jordi Bertran.

Yale issued a statement Saturday evening: "Yale stands firmly for the right to free expression...We stand with the Ivy League in its statement: 'It is regrettable that the orchestrated protest came during a time when fellow students were participating in a collegiate career-defining contest and an annual tradition when thousands gather from around the world to enjoy and celebrate the storied traditions of both football programs and universities.'...The exercise of free expression on campus is subject to general conditions, and we do not allow disruption of university events."

"We also knew that we would receive mixed responses from the student body in addition to several alums who come to the game," Bertran said. "But that was a sacrifice that we were willing to make because it was important that we release this message."

Harvard declined to comment on the protest.

Harvard lost the match.

(© Copyright 2019 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)