On Saturday, March 2, over 2,000 people gathered at Cambridge City Hall to call for an end to Israeli military operations in Rafah, a populated southern city in the Palestinian Gaza Strip. Rafah was originally home to less than 300,000 people, and now it hosts an estimated 1.5 million displaced people who have fled there in hopes of finding shelter, according to the United Nations.
The demonstration was part of a global day of action, where millions gathered worldwide in solidarity with Palestine. In Cambridge, the crowd flooded Massachusetts Avenue and marched toward the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where a second rally was held outside MIT’s Rogers Building. The demonstration lasted more than three hours.
On the same day, U.S. officials said the U.S. military delivered thousands of meals into Gaza in an emergency humanitarian aid. Protest leaders encouraged the crowd to select the “no preference” option on the Democratic ballot for Tuesday’s presidential primary election in Massachusetts. The participants closed down the streets while waving Palestinian flags, holding signs calling to “Intifada Until Victory,” “End All U.S. Aid to Israel,” and “Free Palestine.”
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Protesters wave Palestinian flags outside of Cambridge City Hall during the rally on Saturday, March 2, 2024. (Margaux Jubin/Beacon Staff)
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Thousands of protesters flood Massachusetts Avenue, holding Palestinian flags, signs, and banners calling for an end to Israel’s military operation in Rafah. (Margaux Jubin/Beacon Staff)
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A protester holds a homemade President Joe Biden figure with a sash that reads “wanted for genocide.” (Margaux Jubin/Beacon Staff)
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A man wanders the crowd of 2,000 people, offering various cookies to protest attendees. (Margaux Jubin/Beacon Staff)
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A demonstrator chants with the crowd on the stairs of Cambridge City Hall while holding a sign that calls for an end to U.S. government funding for Israel. (Margaux Jubin/Beacon Staff)
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Two children hold Palestinian flags that read “Freedom for Palestine” at the rally. (Margaux Jubin/Beacon Staff)
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A demonstrator holds a sign referencing Aaron Bushnell, an active-duty member of the U.S. Air Force who died after setting himself on fire outside of the Israeli Embassy in Washington, D.C. (Margaux Jubin/Beacon Staff)
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A protester arrives carrying signs that read “Zionists Are Indigenous to Hell” and “Ceasefire Now!!” (Margaux Jubin/Beacon Staff)
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