Updated

Updated · Fox News · Nov 8

Fire Alarm Cuts Short Colbert, Yo-Yo Ma’s 90-Minute Harvard Event as 50 Strikers Protest

Updated

Updated · Fox News · Nov 8

Fire Alarm Cuts Short Colbert, Yo-Yo Ma’s 90-Minute Harvard Event as 50 Strikers Protest

Q: What really triggered the mysterious fire alarm that abruptly ended Stephen Colbert and Yo-Yo Ma's controversial Harvard appearance?

No confirmed cause has been identified. Fire officials and Harvard said they found no evidence of an actual fire or other hazard, and the alarm system was simply reset. Multiple reports cite Cambridge Fire Department Assistant Chief Scott Volz saying firefighters investigated the alarm at Sanders Theatre and “found no reason for the alarm activation.” Harvard staff reset the system after the building was cleared. That means the event ended because the alarm sounded, but what actually triggered it remains unresolved. There was immediate speculation because the appearance took place amid a loud graduate worker strike outside the venue. But the Harvard Graduate Students Union publicly denied any role, saying the alarm was unrelated to its picketing and that it had no knowledge of the cause. No public evidence has emerged contradicting that statement. Some accounts suggested the alarm may have been manually pulled, but officials did not publicly confirm that. The most solid, reportable fact is that authorities found no fire, no clear malfunction publicly explained, and no identified person or group responsible. So the “mystery” remains just that: the fire alarm that cut short Stephen Colbert and Yo-Yo Ma’s Harvard event was not traced to a known cause.

3 articles · Updated · Fox News · Nov 8

A fire alarm halted Stephen Colbert and Yo-Yo Ma’s sold-out Harvard event about 40 minutes into its planned 90-minute run, forcing an evacuation and ending the program.
About 50 Harvard Graduate Students Union protesters picketed outside Sanders Theatre before and during the appearance, accusing the pair of crossing a strike line after appeals to cancel, postpone or relocate.
The union said it had contacted both performers through SAG-AFTRA and the Boston Musicians' Association, while denying any role in the alarm and saying its cause remains unclear.
The strike, underway since Oct. 27, seeks $55,000 annual pay for research assistants, about $45,000 for teaching fellows, 3% yearly raises and stronger workplace and immigration protections.
John Green recently moved his own Harvard appearance online and donated proceeds to the union, underscoring the pressure on public figures to avoid crossing the picket line.