Activists from Palestinian solidarity organizations across Boston marched from Copley Square to the Israeli Consulate Oct. 22 to condemn Israel’s blockade and bombardment of Gaza. A crowd of over a thousand people spilled into the streets around Copley Square, pushing up against police barriers and causing significant traffic diversions in the area. Several cars that inched around the rally honked in support while people on the edges of the crowd clapped and cheered for Palestinian flags that fluttered from passenger windows and sunroofs.
On Oct. 7, the Islamic, Palestinian nationalist militant group Hamas crossed the Israel-Gaza border under a barrage of rockets and attacked military bases and civilian towns, killing over 1,400, wounding over 4,500 and taking roughly 200 hostages. In response to the incursion, the Israeli military began systematically striking Gaza with thousands of bombs against a backdrop of rising tension and violence between Palestinians and Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank. Most Western nations have expressed their support for Israel’s war with Hamas and the ensuing military offensive, despite the humanitarian crisis caused by its near-total blockade of food, water, fuel and other supplies into Gaza and the soaring Palestinian civilian death toll that has reached over 7,000.
The march took place in the midst of a resurgence in pro-Palestinian activism across Boston, and Copley Square often serves as a rally point for marches and similar actions. After a long list of speakers that included labor union representatives, Palestinian students and local activists, the march began two hours after the listed starting time of 2 p.m., closing down streets from Copley Square to the Israeli Consulate in Park Plaza. Two news helicopters flew in continuous loops around the square, and several drones buzzed over the crowd as it proceeded downtown. Police maintained a light presence throughout the day, sticking to the periphery of the crowd and shutting down roads ahead of the marshals on bikes. Local and independent media were out in force; student journalists roamed the crowd, recording interviews on phones, while TV cameramen filmed from the library steps and street photographers ducked through the thicket of cardboard signs.
The march concluded in front of the Israeli Consulate, where a handful of final speeches warned attendees to leave in groups for safety and listed resources where activists could further support the Palestinian solidarity movement. As darkness fell, the crowd dissolved into the adjacent alleyways, rolling up banners and readjusting their keffiyehs before cramming into nearby train stations.
