Dozens of pro-Palestinian protesters marched outside of the Israeli Consulate in Boston Tuesday before gathering in the Boylston Place Alleyway.
Beginning at 6:30 p.m., protesters made their way from Lincoln Square to the Israeli Consulate at 20 Park Plaza, which was surrounded by barricades to block sidewalk entry.
The group, largely made up of members of Emerson’s Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP), chanted “Emerson, your hands are red, 300,000 people are dead.”
At around 7 p.m., the group headed towards the Boylston Place Alleyway, where the “Popular University Encampment” took place and was forcibly removed by Boston Police last spring. During the May Day protest last semester, SJP organizers announced they would refer to the alleyway as “Walid Daqqa Alley.”
Daqqa was a Palestinian academic and writer who served for 38 years in Israeli prisons. He suffered from cancer and died in April in Israel’s Shamir Medical Center. The Palestinian Commission of Detainees and Ex-Detainees Affairs reported that his death was attributed to a “slow killing” policy enacted by the Israeli prison administration on sick inmates.
The Boylston Place Alleyway is among the locations on campus under the college’s interim demonstrations policies where students, faculty, and staff are prohibited from holding demonstrations.
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A banner hung on top of the Boylston Place Alleyway arches being removed on Oct. 8, 2024. (Nick Peace / For The Beacon)
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Protesters spray paint “Land Back” on the walls in Boylston Place Alleyway on Oct. 8, 2024. (Sam Shipman / Beacon Staff)
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Protesters spray paint “Glory to the Martyrs” on the walls in Boylston Place Alleyway on Oct. 8, 2024. (Sam Shipman / Beacon Staff)
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Protesters spray paint “F— Cops” “F— Admin” on the ground in Boylston Place Alleyway on Oct. 8, 2024. (Sam Shipman / Beacon Staff)
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Protesters spray paint “Free Palestine” on the ground in Boylston Place Alleyway on Oct. 8, 2024. (Sam Shipman / Beacon Staff)
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A message that says “Bothered by these stickers? Just look away like you do for genocide. Free Palestine” and was put on the windows in Boylston Place Alleyway on Oct. 8, 2024. (Sam Shipman / Beacon Staff)
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Protesters spray-painted messages on the ground and walls that read “Land Back,” “F— Cops,” “F— Admin,” and “Glory to the Martyrs.” They also hung a painted banner on the alleyway’s arches that said “All these walls will fall” and “Long Live the Intifada,” while some waved red smoke flares.
“The college takes this issue seriously, will investigate it thoroughly, and will follow our processes to hold participants accountable for all campus code and policy violations, including vandalism,” said Michelle Gaseau, Emerson’s associate vice president of strategic communications and media relations, in an email statement to The Beacon.
The group dispersed after protesting in the alleyway for around 15 minutes. Boston Police were present at the Israeli Consulate and the alleyway but did not intervene. Emerson police redirected foot traffic through the dining hall.
The Boston Fire Department was called to remove the spray paint, posters, and banner from the alleyway shortly after the protest ended.
