BOSTON – Boston Police arrested more than 100 people as they cleared out pro-Palestinian protesters and their encampment from Emerson College early Thursday.
108 arrests at Emerson College, 4 Boston police officers hurt “108 arrests,” a Boston Police spokesperson told WBZ-TV in an email.
Emerson College protesters warned Emerson students started camping out in the 2B Alley off Boylston Street late Sunday night and had remained there for three days.
Boston Police warned them Wednesday that they were violating city ordinances in the alley, which is not solely owned by Emerson College.
The student protesters stayed in the alley until Boston police officers moved in around 1:30 a.m. Thursday.
“These students they were protesting peacefully at night, chanting their slogans,” Emerson College student Kyle Graff told WBZ-TV.
“Dragging people out” Another Emerson student, who did not want to be identified, described to WBZ what he saw Thursday morning.
Emerson College cancels classes Classes at Emerson were canceled for the day Thursday and students were offered counseling.
BOSTON – As they cleared pro-Palestinian demonstrators and their camp from Emerson College early on Thursday, Boston Police made more than 100 arrests.
Four Boston police officers are injured in 108 arrests at Emerson College.
A Boston Police spokesperson sent an email to WBZ-TV stating, “108 arrests.”. “3 officers were hurt in a minor way and 1 more seriously. None of them pose a risk to life. “.
According to police, “at this time, none of the protesters in custody have reported any injuries.”. Late on Thursday morning, a few of the 108 pupils were taken to Boston Municipal Court. Although they did not receive an arraignment, they were given court dates for the following week. Some felt that the police were overly combative.
“I don’t believe they required to utilize full riot gear. They didn’t need to slam people into statues and then into the ground, in my opinion. A student who went by Oliver in court told WBZ, “You can arrest people without assaulting them.”.
At the court, attorneys appeared and offered to represent students who had been arrested. “Peaceful protest is really important, and I think that’s the goal of these students right now. We’ll see how each individual case plays out,” National Lawyers Guild member Marat Erkan stated.
Protesters at Emerson College issued a warning.
Late on Sunday night, Emerson students set up camp in the 2B Alley off of Boylston Street, where they stayed for three days. The alley is not owned by Emerson College exclusively, and Boston Police advised them on Wednesday that they were breaking city laws by being in it.
Up to the arrival of Boston police officers at 1:30 a.m., the student demonstrators remained in the alley. M. Thurs. Boston police body camera footage shows officers telling people to leave, and many of those who disobeyed were taken into custody.
Emerson College student Kyle Graff told WBZ-TV, “These students they were protesting peacefully at night, chanting their slogans.”. The police vans arrived and began forcing their way into the encampment, essentially taking these students away, because they would not comply with the authorities. This happened in less than five or ten minutes. “.
“Forcibly removing individuals.”.
Not wishing to be named, another Emerson student told WBZ what he saw on Thursday morning.
“They insisted that this was your final opportunity. You are going to be arrested if you are here. However, that was only after they had begun to drag and grab people out that they began saying things like that. More than a last chance to avoid being arrested, it was a last chance to avoid being abused, the man stated.
Observing what appeared to be handcuffs on the officers’ belts. People were being pushed, dragged, and thrown to the ground while having their arms placed behind their backs. They really could get them out of the alley as quickly as possible, though, and the police could do so without really caring about the people they were taking out of danger. “.”.
After clearing the alley and removing all tents, signs, and banners, the Public Works Department and Boston Police reopened that portion of Boylston Street.
Emerson College postpones its courses.
Emerson offered counseling to students in place of Thursday classes, which were canceled for the day. A few stated their main goal is to free their friends from police custody.
An unidentified student told WBZ, “Now it is mostly an effort to gather back everyone who has been taken from us.”.
According to Emerson College President Jay Bernhardt, faculty, staff, and administrators were “on the scene,” as well as in police stations and courtrooms, accompanied by students who had been taken into custody.
“Upon their release, the College will welcome them back on campus,” he stated in a letter sent to the institution on Thursday.
Emerson College expresses its concerns about the multiple ordinance violations brought about by their encampment, while simultaneously acknowledging and respecting the civic activism and passion that led to the Boylston Place Alley protest in support of Palestine. Additionally, we are aware of the profoundly negative effects that clearing the encampment has had on our neighborhood. “.
Because they feel Bernhardt has not provided enough support, student leaders have announced their intention to vote Bernhardt out of office.
“Our student body is currently being brutalized, and we are the ones who pay our tuition and whose voices are represented,” stated Charlize Silvestrino, president of the Emerson Student Body.
The anti-tent ordinance in Boston.
The police response, according to the Massachusetts ACLU, “risked the safety” of everyone nearby.
“In a statement, Executive Director Carol Rose stated that there is a difference between using physical violence against students who are expressing themselves peacefully and removing encampments to ensure safe access to a public right of way.”.
“Even though the alley is not a public space for the purposes of Boston’s anti-tent ordinance, it is still a public space for the purposes of free speech, so city and campus officials should be extremely cautious to make this distinction. It should be acceptable for Bostonians, including students, to express their support for Israel or Palestine without worrying about being singled out by the police. “.
Additional Boston demonstrations.
Just a few protests took place this week on college campuses across the nation, including the one at Emerson. They took inspiration from the pro-Palestinian demonstrations that started on April 17 at Columbia University. At Columbia, over 100 persons were taken into custody.
In the Boston area, pro-Palestinian camps have been established at Harvard University, Tufts University, and Massachusetts Institute of Technology. As of Thursday morning, there were still three camps in operation.
