Harvard Faces Criticism for Supporting Film on Pipeline Destruction

Harvard Law School is under fire for plans to host a movie screening of ‘How To Blow Up A Pipeline,’ a film that the FBI says promotes eco-terrorism. 

The film, directed by Harvard alumni Daniel Goldhaber, grows ideas from Andreas Malm’s book with the same name, and tells the story of a group of young people blowing up a pipeline as an activism tactic. The film’s website includes a “Take Action” page on its website with a map of U.S. oil and gas pipelines. 

Harvard appears to going beyond simply screening the film. A website operated by Harvard Law School professor Jon Hanson, who is moderating a Q&A with the film’s director during the event, encourages attendance of all students “interested in environmental activism.” His website, the Systemic Justice Project, describes the film’s plot as “the story of a group of activists who execute a daring plan to (you guessed it) blow up a pipeline.” 

The FBI issued a terrorist alert due to fears that the movie would inspire eco-terrorism, Rolling Stone reported in April. Another 23 law enforcement entities followed suit.

“The consensus amongst law enforcement and the private oil sector is that this film may motivate attacks or disruptions on critical infrastructure throughout the country,” the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, wrote in a March 21 bulletin, according to Rolling Stone.  

Harvard promoting domestic eco-terrorism.

If a Republican were teaching how to blow up an abortion center they would (rightly) be in jail.

Of course, the Biden DOJ will do…nothing. https://t.co/1bB8fpbuzn

— Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) March 26, 2024

Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX), in a social media post reacting to The Daily Wire’s report on Harvard’s screening, said the Ivy League university is “promoting domestic eco-terrorism.” 

“If a Republican were teaching how to blow up an abortion center they would (rightly) be in jail,” Cruz stated. “Of course, the Biden DOJ will do…nothing.”

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Rep. Dan Crenshaw (R-TX) echoed Cruz’s accusations, saying Harvard was “promoting movies that promote and teach domestic terrorism.” He told The Daily Wire that the Biden administration’s failure to do anything about the film is a representation of its misplaced priorities.

“The Biden Administration has been targeting parents as terrorist threats, which is completely insane,” Crenshaw said. “But the Far-Left gets a pass for blatant calls for violence. They encourage violence as an appropriate tool for achieving their radical agenda without any regard for the safety of innocent Americans.”

The Daily Wire previously reported that the book that inspired the film is making its way into public universities around the United States, and is even required reading in some courses.

Its author told The New York Times he would “gladly participate” in blowing up a pipeline but has not yet had the opportunity. 

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“If I were part of a group where something like blowing up a pipeline was perceived as a tactic that could be useful for our struggle, then I would gladly participate,” he said. “I have engaged in as much militant climate activism as I have had access to” and “I’ve done things that I can’t tell you or that I wouldn’t tell others publicly.”

Malm openly spoke about his willingness to cause death and destruction during the same interview.

“It’s hard to think that deaths don’t become inevitable if there is more sabotage,” the interviewer stated.

“Sure, if you have a thousand pipeline explosions per year, if it takes on that extreme scale. But we are some distance from that, unfortunately,” Malm responded.

“Don’t say ‘unfortunately,’” the interviewer interjected.

“Well, I want sabotage to happen on a much larger scale than it does now. I can’t guarantee that it won’t come with accidents,” Malm replied.

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The book also recommends lessons from Palestinian terrorists who in 2018 “invented techniques for sending kites and helium-inflated condoms carrying incendiary materials across the wall to burn Israeli property.”

The moderator for the Q&A, Hanson, is named in a lawsuit brought by Harvard Jewish students alleging the school selectively enforced its own policies to avoid protecting Jews from harassment. In the suit, Hanson is accused of defending Hamas and calling Israeli Jews “‘colonizers’ who ‘blow up babies.’”

Harvard University did not respond to a request for comment. 

The American Gas Association, which represents more than 200 local energy companies that deliver natural gas to more than 74 million customers in the United States, said it has put in place to “monitor, prevent, and respond to potential threats.”

“Advancing physical and cybersecurity is a major part of how we live up to this commitment,” AGA Vice President of Security and Operations Kimberly Denbow told The Daily Wire. “Our natural gas utilities are interwoven into every aspect of modern life and maintaining access to reliable natural gas is critical. We take the responsibility of protecting the delivery of this vital resource seriously and have programs in place to monitor, prevent, and respond to potential threats.”

This will be Harvard’s second official screening of the film since it was released. The university’s Department of Art, Film, and Visual Studies hosted a screening of the film in March 2023.