December 13, 2002

Harvard Reverses Decision and Reinvites Poet Who Made Incendiary Comments

By PIPER FOGG

The English department at Harvard University has reissued an invitation that it had rescinded last month to a University of Oxford poet and professor who has made comments suggesting that Israeli settlers "should be shot." Department officials said they have reinvited Tom Paulin -- despite reported opposition from Harvard's president -- in order to make a statement about free speech.

Mr. Paulin, who grew up in Northern Ireland, was originally scheduled to give the annual