Local News
Thousands blocked Storrow Drive as a part of a pro-Palestinian protest that began on Boston Common, stopped in front of the Israeli consulate and marched through downtown Boston on Sunday.
The Boston chapter of the Party for Socialism and Liberation sponsored the “One Year of Genocide, One Year of Resistance” protest on the Common, which began Sunday at 1 p.m. State officials said protesters blocked Storrow near the Hatch Memorial Shell.
The Boston Coalition for Palestine shared videos of the group on the Parkman Bandstand on Boston Common chanting, “The people united will never be defeated.” Many wore keffiyeh scarves, held signs calling for an arms embargo and ceasefire, and had flags and Posters that represented Lebanon.
The protest comes the day before the anniversary of Hamas' October 7 attacks on Israel, which killed 1,200 people, mostly civilians. According to local authorities, Israel's subsequent militarized response has caused deaths in Gaza almost 42,000 Palestinians, predominantly women and kids. Israel recently launched attacks against Lebanon and Iran, raising fears of 1 regional war.
Massachusetts State Police said in an announcement that officers were monitoring “a large concentration of protesters” who were on Storrow Drive. On Sunday evening, law enforcement officials diverted traffic from the world.
Boston PSL shared a video The depiction of protesters starting to stop traffic on Storrow Drive shows many individuals wearing face masks and scarves, chanting “Free Palestine” and holding hands in front of stopped cars.
“We remain in close coordination with local and state partners to protect public safety and constitutional rights to freedom of assembly and expression,” a state police spokesman said.
Boston police said around 6:30 p.m. that there had been no arrests or incidents through the protests. Protesters had left Storrow and traffic resumed around 4 p.m., state police confirmed.
Jewish Voice for Peace shared videos of an enormous group of protesters on Storrow carrying large Palestinian flags and chanting “justice.” The group, which describes itself as anti-Zionist Jews organizing against racism and oppression, said it supports an end to violence in Gaza and an arms embargo against Israel.
Accordingly, Israel is the biggest recipient of US aid overall Council for Foreign Relationsand most of it’s military funding. A recent aid package passed in Congress allocated about $26 billion to Israel, including about $4 billion to replenish Israel's missile defense system and greater than $9 billion to support humanitarian assistance in Gaza Associated Press.
The Israeli consulate in Boston didn’t reply to a request for comment.
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