Hundreds gathered downtown Thursday for an emergency rally in support of Palestine in response to the announcement of Vice President Kamala Harris’ visit to Boston.
The protest, organized by the Boston Democratic Socialists of America, began at noon outside the entrance of the Ritz-Carlton on Avery Street. Protestors believed Harris would either enter or leave the hotel within the hour and hoped to intercept her.
Two protestors were arrested around 12:30 p.m., one of whom the police carried away by his arms and legs. Police presence increased shortly after, but the nature of the protest remained peaceful. More barricades were added directly in front of the hotel, blocking not only protesters, but also the press.
Chants such as “Kamala Harris, you can’t hide, we charge you with genocide” and “Not another nickel, not another dime, no more money for Israel’s crimes” boomed through the street as people protested the vice president’s and the United States government’s support of Israel’s retaliatory attacks on Gaza. The death toll in Gaza has surpassed 11,000.
As activists continued their protest and the crowd grew, rally leaders got word that the vice president would allegedly be able to hear the protest from the front of the AMC on Tremont Street. In an attempt to get Harris to listen, the crowd marched down the block to the entrance of the AMC and continued to call for a ceasefire in Gaza.
Around 1 p.m., new information speculated Harris would use the side entrance of the Ritz-Carlton on Boylston Street to enter and exit the hotel. The Boylston block, spanning from Tremont Street to Washington Street, was preemptively barricaded against protesters. Only pedestrians were allowed to pass, discouraging any attempts to move the protest to the side entrance.
The protest instead moved to the intersection of Boylston Street and Washington Street in hopes of appearing in front of the vice president. The police formed a physical barrier on Boylston Street until barricades were put up.
The protest did not die down despite moving up and down the block and a lack of appearance from Harris. Many activists passed around a microphone to call for the liberation of Palestine and its people, and protesters continued to condemn Harris for not calling for a ceasefire in Gaza.
